The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 323

"Zane! What are you saying?" Winona chided instantly.

Zane stuck his tongue out, made a face at his mother, and then hid behind her, giggling. It was rare to see him so playful and happy, and Winona didn't have the heart to truly scold him.

She looked at Yves apologetically. "Yves, please don't listen to my son. He's just a child and doesn't know what he's saying. But thank you, really, for what you did back there. I don't know how to express my gratitude. I…"

She trailed off, unsure of what else to say. His defense of her in front of Jason had been absolute and utterly sincere. How could she possibly repay him? Even her words of thanks felt hollow and inadequate. She knew a simple "thank you" wasn't what he wanted.

To her surprise, he simply said, "Don't worry about it."

Winona looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"From now on, you need to live for yourself. As long as you're not hurting anyone, be a little selfish. Don't feel like you have any burden. I defended you back there because I wanted to. You didn't ask me to, and you certainly didn't force me to, so you don't owe me a thing."

His words only made her feel more indebted.

Sensing her discomfort, Yves continued, "Winona, there are no do-overs in life. If there were, I'd go back to the moment before I ever met you and start again."

"I would have treated you with respect from the very beginning."

"But I can't."

That part of her was gone.

She looked at him with graceful composure. "Yves, you don't need to apologize to me. Today, it's my turn to thank you. Sincerely."

Yves was silent for a moment before saying, "Let me take you and the little guy home."

"Okay."

Zane happily climbed into Yves's car. A glance at the clock told Yves it was too late to go to the records office to handle the household registration and Zane's name change, so he drove Winona to the kindergarten to pick up her car first. All the way there, Zane chattered nonstop with him.