SWNOVELS Chapter My CEO 405
05 It's All Ruined
+25 BONUS
405 It's All Ruined (Winona)
I'm in the kitchen, ladling the creamy chicken casserole into a dish of rice. It smells amazing. Jayden always loved this recipe. It feels like forever since we've had dinner with just the two of us.
Soft, calming music flows through my headphones, and a gentle, soothing voice reminds me to breathe. Inhale peace, exhale stress. My heartbeat follows the rhythm, easing into a steady calm. Everything is as it should be. Dinner is ready, and Jayden will be landed, I think. It's only a fifteen-minute drive from the city. We'll finally have our time to reconnect, to talk, to share news that I've been holding onto with cautious hope.
Lisa called and I talked to the kids who were having so much fun. I told them they could have a later night
as long as their chores and study got done tomorrow.
They all had a stuffed animal each and sticky faces from cotton candy. I'm not sure they'll sleep at all from the sugar rush. But it's fine this once. I'm so excited about telling Jayden my news, I doubt he or I will sleep all night anyway. focus on the words and the music and let relaxation seep through me. This stuff really works.
A loud, angry shout pierces through my tranquil bubble. What the hell is going on outside? I yank the headphones out, heart racing as the calm I've been working so hard to maintain evaporates instantly.
The shouting gets louder. It sounds like... no, it can't be. My hands shake as I rush out of the kitchen, my pulse thundering in my ears.
I know that voice.
Bursting onto the front porch, I see a scene I can barely comprehend.
Jayden, his face contorted with rage, has Lance pinned to the ground. Jayden's fists are a blur, pummeling Lance, who's trying to defend himself. Lance's lip is split, his nose smashed and blood drips onto the gravel. "What the hell, Jayden?!" I scream, running forward. "Stop it, stop!"
Jayden barely registers me, his voice a raw, broken roar. "You were with my wife! You were supposed to be my best friend, you son of a bitch!"
His fist connects with Lance's cheekbone again, a sickening thud that makes me wince.
Lance's eyes widen, and he tries to sputter a defense, his hands attempting to guard his face. "Jayden, I-"
But Jayden only draws his fist back again, and I throw myself forward, trying to pull him back. "Jayden, enough! You're going to kill him!"
Sécurity arrives, sprinting from the estate grounds, and three men grab hold of Jayden, wrestling him off Lance. I push between them, to try and grab Jayden's face. Trying to snap him out of the frenzy he's in.
His eyes are wild, raw, an ocean of hurt and betrayal. But he shoves me off, I stumble backward, tripping on the step and crashing onto the ground, pain exploding in the back of my head.
1/2
405 It's All Ruined
"Winona!" Jayden shouts, and the security team holds him firmly. My vision wavers, but get my teet forcing myself to sit up. Everything spins, but I will not stay down.
Jayden wrenches free of one guard, but they manage to hold him back, his breath having swee glistening on his forehead. His chest rises and falls in labored, furious gasps.
I get up, my hands trembling with fury and hurt. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I shout, my voice cracking.
Jayden's jaw clenches. "You didn't tell me. You never told me who you were with during ball pose w You let me believe it didn't matter, but it was Lance. And Phillip? Jesus, Winona, how could your His voice is raw, shredded by disbelief.
My heart drops into my stomach. He knows. Oh God, he knows. But how?
"It wasn't any of your business!" I snap, my voice shaking. "You agreed! You promised me it would never be an issue, that you'd never throw it back in my face."
"Yeah, well, that was before I knew who!" His voice is thick with betrayal. "My best friend, Whote te guy
who's supposed to have my back! How am I supposed to feel about that?"
His eyes narrow, the pain twisting into something darker. "Why is he even here, huh? Sneaking around with you again? Maybe he's what you always needed."
"Stop it," I spit, my anger boiling over. "Lisa and Lance came over as a surprise, Jayden! They came to visit, that's it! You're being paranoid!"
Jayden's laugh is bitter, full of scorn. "Paranoid? After what you did, after what you kept from me, I have every right to be. You really know how to hurt me, Winona. Maybe Mother was right about you all along"
I freeze, the words slashing through me. My heart clenches painfully. "How dare you?" I scream at him, my voice breaking. "You're taking her side now? After everything she's done to us? How dare you even mention her!"
He doesn't back down. "Maybe she saw something I didn't want to believe. Maybe you really aren't who i thought you were."
Tears sting my eyes, but I won't give him the satisfaction. "You're pathetic," I say, my voice trembling. No matter how much you pretend to change, you never will. You can't."
"It's always me who has to change. You never do one thing wrong, do you?"
"You're still Judy's puppet, still letting her manipulate you. I'm delusional to think you'd ever choose me over her. Not really. She will always be there."
"At least someone is."