A Vow of Deception, A Vow of Revenge novel Chapter 237

Night had fallen, and the bright moonlight seemed unnaturally pale. Just then, his phone rang. It was Celia Goodwin. A wave of disgust washed over him, and he instantly declined the call.

If only Celia had stayed out of his life after she moved abroad, he thought. If she had never come back, he and Winona would still be happy together.

A sharp pain seized him. At that exact moment, he saw Elvis and Winona emerge from the front gate.

They were holding hands, talking and laughing as they set out for a walk. Elvis gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Winona's ear, his eyes filled with tenderness. He said something that made her laugh, a genuine, happy sound.

Tyson could see the pure joy on her face.

Was she really this happy with Elvis? It wasn't like that when they were together…

A memory surfaced unbidden. Back in college, he had promised to meet Winona for a walk along the tree-lined campus path. But just as he was about to leave, Celia had called, telling him she was right outside his dorm building.

He had rushed downstairs, pulled her into a secluded corner, and demanded, “What are you doing here?”

“Ty, I missed you,” Celia had cooed, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He quickly pushed her away, glancing around nervously. “Don't do this here. We're on my campus. Someone might see.”

“There's no one around. Besides, you're just afraid Winona will see, aren't you?” she'd pouted. “Do you really like her?”

Winona had sounded disappointed. “I'm already outside. You promised. How could you cancel now?”

He had quickly soothed her, inventing a family emergency. She, ever trusting, had believed him instantly, telling him not to worry and offering to come help if he needed it. He had mumbled a few noncommittal replies.

At that moment, as she was worrying about his fabricated family problems, he was in a private room at a restaurant with Celia, who was sitting on his lap, playfully feeding him wine.

A sudden gust of wind snapped Tyson back to the present. He spun around, opened his car door, and retrieved a massive bouquet of red roses. He had passed a flower shop on the way here and, on an impulse, had the driver stop. He knew he might not get the chance to give them to her, but he'd bought them anyway.

Now, he was glad he did. He remembered that after he had stood her up that time in college, he had bought her a huge bouquet of red roses the next day to make up for it.