Chapter 6

They had only made it through half the game when Winona lost. The others playing the game, who had been watching her and planning something wicked, practically buzzed with excitement. "And we have the first person to be eliminated! Punishment! Punishment!" someone chanted. "Here's the punishment—get on all fours and have a race with the dog. The first to reach the door wins, and the loser will have a new punishment!" Winona's head snapped up, and she gaped at the others in disbelief. She rose to her feet, refusing such a humiliating punishment. Sensing her protest, the scions chuckled and eyed her contemptuously. "Looks like we have a sore loser!" "What, are you worried you'll lose to a dog? How embarrassing!" "The rules of the game were set right from the start. You can't just turn your back on them now!" It was only after Winona saw the insistence in their eyes that she realized they had done this on purpose. They probably felt bad for Logan for having to hide his real identity and stay with his poor girlfriend for the last two years, so they came up with this twisted idea as payback. Sensing their malice, Winona hurried to leave, but the person beside her tripped her. She cried in alarm as she fell, hitting her head on a corner of the table. Blood poured from the gash on Winona's head, but instead of feeling guilty about it, the others became even more excited. They immediately grabbed the poodle and set it beside her, rallying their friends loudly, "Come on, everyone! The human-versus-dog race is about to start! Ready, set—" The rowdy crowd was cut off by an angry bark from the balcony doors. "What the hell are you guys doing?" A hush fell upon the living room at the sound of the voice. Everyone averted their gaze and pretended as if they had nothing to do with the game. "It's only a game. No one got hurt or anything." Logan's closest friends began to de-escalate the tension, but Logan didn't even glance at them as he shoved them aside and squeezed his way through the crowd. Scooping an injured Winona into his arms, he stormed out of the house. He hailed a cab and told the driver the hospital's address. During the car ride, Logan cleaned the bloody gash on Winona's head with a handkerchief, looking pained as he apologized to her profusely. "I'm sorry, Winona. I shouldn't have left you alone with the rest of them." Winona didn't know if the game and the punishment had anything to do with him. She couldn't tell if this was an accident or just another show he had put on for her. Regardless of whether Logan had meant for this to happen or not, he was still the reason behind her suffering today. As such, she didn't want to accept his apology. Suppressing her heartache, she asked with red-rimmed eyes, "Aren't you worried that your friends will come for you after you snapped at them for my sake?" Logan was caught off guard as he stared at her red, tearful eyes. Thinking she was worried about him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. He shook his head and, in a voice so quiet that one might think he was whispering, said, "I couldn't care less. As far as I'm concerned, you matter the most." Winona might have been moved and duped by his expression if she didn't know the truth. Alas, she did know and was well aware that his expression, words, and love were nothing but lies. She took a deep breath. She was about to say something when, the next second, his phone beeped several times. He glanced at the screen, then lied again, "Winona, the lecturer wants me to swing by the campus. Can you go to the hospital without me?" Winona stared at him evenly for a while before giving him a self-deprecating nod. The car pulled up by the curb. She watched as Logan disappeared through the crowd and traffic, the messages she had seen on his phone earlier flashing in her mind. Naomi: "Logan, I want to break up with Edmund!" Logan: "Where are you? I'll be right there."