A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 138

Half an hour later, Winona climbed into the car.

As the driver maneuvered through the iron gates of the Thorne family estate, Winona glanced down to reply to a message from Veronica.

Suddenly, the brakes slammed. Tires shrieked against the asphalt in a piercing, grating wail.

Winona's phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor mat with a sharp crack, her forehead narrowly missing the back of the front seat.

"What on earth is going on?" She pressed a hand to her brow and looked up, only to find herself staring into the face of someone she never wanted to see.

Tyson stood planted in front of the car, arms spread wide, an obsessive glint flickering in his eyes.

The driver, furious, leaned on the horn. "Hey! Who the hell are you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Winona's expression darkened, her anger barely contained. She pushed open the car door, her heels clicking crisply on the pavement, every step punctuating Tyson's heart like a hammer.

"Are you out of your mind?" Her voice cut through the air, cold and merciless. "If you've got a death wish, don't you dare make it our problem. Don't die at the Thorne family's gate."

Tyson acted as if he hadn't even heard the contempt in her words. His gaze clung to her pale ivory dress, his voice thick with desperate longing. "Nona, you look beautiful in that dress."

He took a step forward, reaching for her wrist, but Winona recoiled in disgust, refusing to let him touch her.

"Address me as Miss Thorne." Each word was as frigid as winter steel. "Mr. Goodwin, whatever was between us ended a long time ago. You don't deserve to call me ‘Nona'."

"No, we're not over!" Tyson's voice rose, fingers clenching in empty air, as if he could hold on to the past. "We were together for five years. Have you forgotten how happy we were at university? Studying together in the library, celebrating your birthday—do you really not remember? You said we'd be together forever—"

"Stop!" Winona's icy command sliced through his memories. Thinking of the past only filled her with disgust.

"I—I only married her for a reason too. Her ex-husband was abusive. He kept stalking her and—so…"

"So you decided to play hero and marry her to shield her from her ex?" Winona's bitter laughter was edged with ice, her scorn cutting Tyson to pieces. "Tyson, do you really think I'm a fool?"

Tyson flushed an ugly, mottled red, veins pulsing at his temple.

Deep down, he knew the truth.

If he'd truly wanted to help Celia escape her ex, there were a dozen other ways. Did it have to be marriage?

But at the end of the day, he'd always been hung up on Celia. She only had to weep and beg, and his resolve would crumble. He'd relished the thrill of it all, and the rush of being needed…