Dear Soldier, Put Your Gun Down

He acted as if he would to tear the world apart to avenge her. It warmed Winona's heart to see him act that way because she had always been the one protecting others since young. But now, being kept under the wings and sided with by a man like him—it just felt so nice to have someone on her side for once.

Matt held her hands in his as he brought her to the living room. His gaze swept across the room, and the atmosphere in the room changed immediately.

"Child, is this how you treat our guest? Hurry! Go get him some fruits. He went straight to find you after he arrived," Christopher instructed.

Winona's lips tightened as she looked at him with despise. So that was who Christopher indeed was always boot-licking those with power. Did he expect everyone to be just like him? He must be thinking that she did everything she could to win Matt's love, thus the careful treatment.

Seeing that Winona had no plans to make any move whatsoever, he placed an apple and a fruit knife into her hands while saying, "Foolish child, it is our family's honor to have General Snider as a part of our family! You must cherish this relationship!"

Sharon, who was standing beside him, smirked and chimed in, "That's right, Winona. In return to having the honor of being General Snider's partner, you should, by all means, serve him faithfully, even if you're on bended knee."

Contempt filled her eyes as she said the words, thinking the reason Winona could capture Matt's heart was because Winona was good with sex. There must be something that Winona had done that had pleased Matt. Otherwise, with an identity like hers, she would never have become the wife of such a man.

Winona was not offended. She merely smiled and rebuked, "As the saying goes, a person's view of you is often the reflection of who they are on the inside."

That sparked Sharon's anger, evident through the burning glare in her eyes. But she was still afraid of Matt, and with Christopher's warning lingering at her ears, she suppressed her anger. Matt pulled Winona into his arms and coldly refuted Sharon, "I got lucky to have Winona as my lover."

What? He was saying that he was the one who pursued Winona in the first place. Jealousy was written all over Sharon's face. Why didn't she meet someone like him? She wasn't anything less than Winona. Why was it that all good things tended to happen to Winona alone? Even her marriage with Benjamin was a set-up that required her meticulous planning.

Christopher was stunned at his reaction, but he quickly came back to his senses and was genuinely happy. Since Matt was so fond of his daughter, he should do the same as well. He suddenly felt more powerful than ever. He went up to Matt, warmly inviting him to have a seat. "My son, please take a seat! Your mom prepared several of Winona's favorite dishes! We will be having dinner soon!"

Matt, however, indifferently brushed his hand away and smiled coldly. "Mr. Mayor, one should not spout nonsense. My mother died 20 years ago."

Christopher's smile froze on the spot, and he smiled awkwardly. Yet, before he could rack his mind in an attempt to divert the topic, Matt touched Winona's cheeks gently and spoke, "Winona is my baby. I can't believe she was hurt when she just got here. How shall we sort things out?"

Winona trembled at his words; him calling her a baby truly made her cringe. It was nothing really just a light scratch on her face. But deep down in her heart, she understood that he wanted to blow things up to stand up for her and help her leave that place.

He had always been meticulous, so it wasn't long before he realized her disgust towards the household.

Christopher immediately knew what he meant and glared at Sharon angrily, "You wretched girl! Apologize to your sister now!"

Sharon flared up immediately. "Dad, please understand the situation! I am your biological daughter. How can you defend that bastard all the time?"

Christopher said nothing, took a cup of hot tea, and splashed it on Sharon.

Sharon shrieked in pain and ran upstairs, covering her face.

Christopher bowed and apologized to Matt, "It is my fault that my daughter turned out this way. Let me get her to apologize to...your wife in person."

Watching him heading upstairs, Winona couldn't help but despise him. He used to dote on Sharon so much that he would do anything to get it for her, whatever she wanted. Even if it didn't belong to her, he would snatch it and make it hers. For so many times had she felt like she was not blood-related to him. But look at him now, to please her-the General's wife-he didn't even think twice to hurt his favorite daughter. What an irony.

In the bedroom on the first floor, Sharon was weeping into her pillow. Christopher stood beside her as he gently chastised her, "It's not that I don't love you, but times are different now. She is no longer the same person she was before. So as long as she is happy, I might even have the chance to send her back to the Larson's with Matt's help."

Sharon shoved all her pillows and sheets onto the ground while screaming, "Why do I need to beg for her forgiveness?"

Smack! A sharp slap was dealt on her face with full force.

Christopher was furious. "Today is the day you beg for her forgiveness! Even if you have to kneel in front of her! If not, all of us will go down together!"

Sharon felt like she could see stars. Her rage had utterly taken over her rationale. She took a knife from the table and slashed her face, creating a long and bloody scar. Within seconds, blood started gushing out profusely. She turned around and laughed as she asked Christopher, "Dad, is this apology sincere enough?"

Looking at her gruesome scar, Christopher was lost for words.

Sharon laughed hysterically as she walked out of the room. The blood from her face dripped onto the floor and created a trail of blood.

When Winona saw her, she was deeply in shock. The same face that used to be pretty and fair was now covered in blood and had a huge scar. Blood was dripping, and the cut was so deep that her flesh could be seen clearly. Sharon was like a living ghost. When she approached them, they could smell the blood from her wound.

Matt tightened his grip and affirmed gently, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

She wasn't terrified, rather, she found it revolting to watch.

Sharon couldn't care less about her face at that moment but cheekily proceeded to use the same knife to peel an apple on the spot. Giggling, she asked, "Are you happy with my way of apology?" She peeled the apple and handed it to Winona with evident intent to agitate her.

Much to her surprise, Winona took the apple and bit into it, almost as if she was unbothered by the taste of blood on it.

"This doesn't affect me at all. I am, after all, a practicing doctor. I've seen blood so many times that I'm used to it. Besides, if you want to ruin yourself completely, you should make another cut and gouge out your eyes as well. Given the fact that you have been practically blind for all these years, your eyes don't seem to be of much use anyway."

Sharon was trembling with anger. She charged towards Winona with the knife in her hands, wanting to stab her. However, before the blade even touched Winona's hair, Matt kicked her away from Winona. "Is this how you treat your guests? I guess I understand now."

With Winona in his arms, he turned and left the place. Christopher was standing near the stairs, shaking with fury.

Due to excessive loss of blood, Sharon fainted on the ground. When Elizabeth came out of the kitchen and saw the bloody scene, she almost fainted as well. She hugged Sharon in her arms and bawled, "My baby, what should I do now?"

Christopher was greatly annoyed by this and bashed her, "What are you doing there and not sending her to the hospital? The revival plan for us Winston's is now all ruined because of you two idiots!"‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒