I couldn’t believe it. “No, Winona. Don’t go in there!”
My hand went straight through her as I reached out to stop her. She walked into his room anyway.
“Sorry.”
Justin sat on the edge of his bed, quickly wiping his red eyes. Winona hesitated, then sat beside him, her face full of concern.
“If I had known earlier what kind of person Nathan really was, I never would’ve stood by him or let him make me believe you were the bad guy all this time.”
I froze in disbelief.
Winona… Winona, what are you saying?
Justin smiled faintly at her with red eyes. “It’s fine. Nathan always looked down on me for being from the countryside. That’s normal.”
“I was a poor guy who somehow got into the same university as him and even fell in love with the same—”
He stopped himself mid-sentence, glancing quickly at Winona before changing the subject.
“He was a spoiled rich kid. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hired ten guys to beat me half to death. To him, that was probably nothing more than just teaching someone a lesson. Don’t hold it against him.”
My hands began to shake uncontrollably.
I... hired ten men... to beat him?
When Winona heard that, a deep ache flashed in her eyes. The way she didn’t look surprised told me this wasn’t the first time she had heard that story.
Now I finally knew why, one day, her eyes had turned so cold when she looked at me. I had tried everything to find out what happened, but her hatred only grew deeper.
So this was it...
I closed my eyes and let the tears fall.
“Sorry...” Winona whispered, lowering her head. “If I had said yes the first time you confessed to me… If I hadn’t stood by Nathan and insulted you, maybe your life wouldn’t have been so bitter.”
My whole body trembled, my teeth biting hard into my lip.
When she looked up again, her eyes were red. “Thankfully, you met his sister and his parents treated you like their true son. I can’t imagine how much I would regret it if my misunderstanding had pushed you to the worst.”
Justin’s face went red.
The next day, Mike Lewis came to visit the Miller Family.
I watched my best friend and didn’t know what he planned. Only when he walked out carrying all my things in boxes did I understand.
“Nathan said he won’t be a part of the Miller Family ever again in the next life, so…” He looked coldly at my family and my girlfriend. “Even his things here feel dirty to me.”
My sister and my parents’ faces turned hard. Winona frowned too.