Silly Bride

Chapter 117

she turned away, trying her best not to have any eye contact with him.“Xavier, I think I’ve made myself clear when I revealed my identity to you on Sirona Island. Back then, you were hellbent on pursuing me. As I said, it’s true that I like you, but that’s it. My feelings for you aren’t as strong as how you feel toward me, so I can’t give you what you expect. Look at what happened today. We end up fighting over something so petty. You were so obsessive when Christopher sent me home the last time, and I told you that I don’t like being controlled. I’m not an object that belongs only to you, nor am I someone you can order around. You’re mistaken if you expect me to be someone who listens to everything you say without an opinion of my own. I don’t want a relationship where I cannot be myself. It’ll only be a burden to me, so I think we should just—” “Stop, please,” Xavier interrupted Winnie abruptly as he turned his wheelchair toward her, for he knew what she was about to say.It was as if he thought their conflict would disappear if he stopped her from continuing.“Listen to me, Xavier.”“I don’t want to.”“You can choose not to listen, but that will not change my decision. I don’t mean to toy with your feelings, but I don’t like you as passionately. Do you get what I mean? Our relationship is not equal. I cannot understand how you could feel so intensely when you see a guy beside me. We cannot become better people if this relationship continues, so we should end it here and go back to how everything was before. We should stop before things spiral out of control between us,” Winnie continued.“How are we supposed to go back to how everything was?” Xavier suddenly stood up in front of her.He could feel the restlessness inside him breaking through his body, but he did everything he could to keep his emotions in check.“You said you wanted things to return to how they were. Will you become my Dumbo again, then?” he asked, gazing at her with pain and grief in his eyes.Winnie’s lips parted in speechlessness.A brief silence ensued until she spoke again. “Xavier, do you even like the real me, or do you like the dumb Winnie? Do you still think of her when you look at me? She doesn’t exist, Xavier. I made her up!”“Why did you put up a pretense, to begin with? Why did you depend on me back then? Why did you hug me, kiss me, and seduce me? Why did you steal my heart away, Winnie? It’s either you give me back my Dumbo or give me back my heart!”Xavier squeezed her neck with one hand and pushed her on the couch as he implored with tears in his eyes, “Give either one of them back!”Without giving her a chance to speak, Xavier bit her lips roughly as if he was venting his anger until the taste of blood spread on their tongues, but that was not enough to appease Xavier.He wanted more. His hands wandered downward, and he ripped Winnie’s collar apart.Xavier could feel a compulsion pulsating in his body.He knew he had always wanted her, but not in such a manner, yet she was driving him crazy.Before Winnie even pushed him off, Xavier got hold of himself and rolled away.Blood stained his lips as he lay beside her, but even Xavier did not know if it was his blood or Winnie’s.He covered his eyes with his shivering hand to prevent Winnie from seeing his face.“Leave! Go as far away as you can! Don’t let me see you again,” he choked out in defeat as if he had just lost all his strength.Winnie stood beside the couch and stared at Xavier with a complex gaze. Then, she whipped her head and left in determination.Back in the house, Xavier lay on the couch until his heart finally calmed down, and he opened his eyes again.He picked up his phone immediately when Josiah called,