Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Carrying breakfast back, Winston froze at the sight before him, feeling both horrified and incredulous. Ivana, already pale, looked absolutely ghostly.
“Ernest!” Winston charged forward, yanking Ernest away and slamming Ivana’s door shut with a loud bang.
Inside, Ivana stared at the four toes
scattered on the floor, completely at a loss for what to do. Outside, the two men had already started to brawl, shouting obscenities at each other.
Trembling, Ivana grabbed a glove and carefully picked up the severed toes, placing them back into the ice box. She had always known Ernest had a violent streak, but never realized he could be this deranged.
Now, more than ever, she felt grateful, grateful for escaping a man as monstrous
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as this. Taking a deep breath, Ivana opened the door and shouted, “Stop it!”
Both men turned their bruised faces
toward her, their expressions battered in different ways.
“Enough fighting,” she said firmly. “This … I don’t want it. Take it back. And please, stop bothering me. There’s no chance for us. If there’s anything left between us, it’s only the memory that you were once my ex.”
Ernest stood stunned, clutching the box, his eyes red and unfocused. Suddenly, without warning, he swung around and punched Winston squarely in the face.
“Ivana, you can’t be with him! He’s a bastard, he’s not with you because he loves you!” They began fighting again, trading punches.
“You’re just a filthy bastard! Your mother seduced my dad and now you’re seducing my woman! You’re nothing but a low–life!” Ernest roared, his words vile and cutting.
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Chapter 24
At first, Winston, face taut with anger, silently struck back, but when Ernest insulted his mother, his blows turned ferocious. “I didn’t hold it against you because you’re younger and ignorant of the truth, but now I see you’re just like your mother, a lying, rabid dog!”
Winston’s training as a firefighter gave him the upper hand. His physique and combat. skills far outmatched Ernest’s and soon, he had the man pinned to the ground, utterly powerless.
“Stop it, both of you!” Ivana moved forward. and yanked them apart.
Standing in front of Winston, she faced Ernest directly, “Ernest, I know everything you want to say. I also know all about your relationship with him.”
“Then why, why are you choosing him? He’s nothing but a bastard! He’s only using you! He’s with you just to spite me!” Ernest got up from the ground, his bloodshot eyes looking unhinged.
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Ivana placed the ice box back in Ernest’s hands and asked, “Do you remember why I lost a toe?” Ernest’s grip on the ice box. tightened, his knuckles turning white.
“If you don’t remember, it’s fine,” Ivana continued coldly. “Then do you remember the fire at Nolen Bar? My allergy shock to lilies? The stolen cake design?”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Ernest broke down completely, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
“That day, I thought you had already gotten out! I didn’t know! I thought you were outside already! Sydney said she saw you leave first with her own eyes!” He tossed the ice box aside and reached for Ivana, his demeanor crumbling. But Ivana sidestepped, avoiding his touch entirely.
“Ernest, it doesn’t matter anymore. Why it happened, it no longer matters to me.” Her voice was calm, her gaze as still as water. It carried no disappointment, no hatred and certainly no love. It was as if she were
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Chapter 24
discussing something as mundane as what to have for dinner.
Turning toward Winston, her expression softened, not overwhelmingly tender, but undeniably gentle.
“Do you need any help?” she asked.
“Sure,” Winston replied quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
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