The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 347

Yves's arms were strong and muscular. With just one arm, he could hold her securely, making her feel completely safe. Even so, Winona let out a terrified shriek. "A snake! A snake! There's a snake right there!"

She pointed with one hand toward where the cobblestone path met the greenery. "It slithered away over there."

Her other hand gripped Yves's arm, which was wrapped around her chest. Seeing the terror in her eyes, Yves immediately tightened his other arm around her, turning her to face him. Without hesitation, Winona buried her face in his chest.

She was still trembling, her voice choked with fear. "Yves… I… I saw a snake."

Yves was taken aback when he realized she was on the verge of tears. He gently tilted her face up and saw that her eyes were misty. Her gaze was dazed and helpless, possessing a kind of fragile beauty that was utterly devastating to a man.

In an instant, Yves felt his throat go dry. His voice became raspy, with a hint of laziness that concealed a primal wildness. "Just a little snake, and it scared you this much? The great Winona who single-handedly defeated Julian is afraid of something so small? That doesn't sound like you, Queen Nona."

"I'm not some queen. Even if I've built walls of steel around myself, it was only because I was forced to. Do you know why I'm so afraid of snakes?" Winona wiped away her tears and looked up at Yves with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Why?" he asked.

"You can't imagine what it's like for a sixteen-year-old girl to suddenly be kicked out by her own parents. The terror is more than anyone that age can bear. I didn't care about right or wrong, or who was real and who was fake. I just wanted parents."

"So I begged them. I said I would quit school, work to support them… I thought of every possible way I could be of use to them, but they just wouldn't let me in the door."

"To this day, I still don't understand. Felicity's biological parents, Henrietta and Teague, love her so dearly. Why did my own parents refuse to acknowledge me? Why? I can't figure it out."

"Back then, I was stubborn. They didn't want me, and I had nowhere else to go, so I just lingered in the woods behind their house, refusing to leave. After a while, I got tired and fell asleep leaning against a tree root. In a half-awake state, my hand brushed against something cold and soft. It startled me awake, and when I opened my eyes, there was a snake coiled right beside me."