Life Is So Much Sweeter Without You

Winona's lips curled into a nasty smile. "You saw my social media updates, right? And here I thought you would keep putting on that holier-than-thou act. You wanted me dead so badly in the past, yet here you are, putting up with anything just to marry into the Gray family."

Noelle kept her gaze on the necklace dangling from Winona's hand. She dug her nails into her palm and snarled, "Give me back my necklace!"

Winona shifted it a bit further past the windowsill. "Get on your knees and prostrate yourself before me if you want it. Admit you're a pathetic hypocrite."

"Never!" Noelle shook with rage. "Don't push me too far, Winona!"

Winona laughed meanly. "Is this the first time you've realized just how far I can push? That stubborn attitude of yours and your refusal to bend to anyone's will is what I hate most about you. If you'd just kneeled to me back then, I wouldn't have kept targeting you for years.

"You've seen how much I mean to Chester. Here's the deal—grovel at my feet and beg me for mercy. Not only will I return the necklace, but I'll also help you get a solid foothold in the Gray family."

"I won't kneel!" Noelle clenched her fists tightly and stalked toward Winona, one measured step at a time. "You couldn't break me before, and you never will! I will never bow to someone as vile as you!"

"You—" Winona barked out an irritated laugh. "Fine, then. Since you don't want the necklace, let's just toss it."

Her fingers flicked down. Silver flashed, and the necklace slipped, dropping fast.

"Give it back!" Noelle screamed, lunging to catch it.

But she was too late. The necklace fell from more than ten floors up as she watched.

Her eyes turned bloodshot. She whirled to run downstairs, but Winona yanked tight on her clothes, holding her back. She sounded like she was about to cry as she pleaded, "I'm sorry, Elle. I won't go near Chester again. Please don't push me off…"

At the same time, a chorus of furious voices erupted behind them. "Noelle Rutherford! What are you doing?"

A hand clamped down on Noelle's wrist, squeezing hard enough to crush bone. The next second, she was flung aside. Her tailbone slammed into the floor. Her face went white from the pain, and sweat poured down her back.

Chester and Simon rushed to Winona, scanning her anxiously. "Winona, are you okay?"

She wept delicately. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Chester, we should stop contacting each other from now on…"

"What are you talking about?" Chester pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry. I won't let you suffer in silence."

With that, he turned to Noelle, glaring at her with white-hot fury. "I can't believe you're still bullying Winona after all these years, Noelle!"

Noelle's face was ashen with pain. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her voice shook as she protested, "I didn't… She threw my necklace, and I—"

"That's enough!" Chester cut her off with a roar. He stared at her, disappointment clouding his eyes. "Even now, you're making excuses. Winona has always been gentle and timid—how could she ever bully anyone? You're the one who's at fault! Someone else bullied you, yet you took it out on her!"

Noelle's eyes widened. At last, everything snapped into place. "I didn't! She's the one who's been bullying me! She's tormented me this whole time—"

A brutal slap cracked across her face before she could finish. Her right cheek went numb, and the metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth.

"You still won't see sense!" Rage and disgust burned in Chester's sharp eyes. "If you aren't taught a lesson now, who knows what you'll do? You'll push someone out a window today, so will you start committing murder tomorrow?"

He and Simon grabbed her by the wrists, one on either side, and dragged her out of the room.

"What are you doing?" Intense panic surged up inside Noelle. Her face turned white as she struggled.

No one answered. No matter how she fought, Chester and Simon just hauled her forward in silence, their tight jawlines carved with fury.

In one last glance back at the hospital room, Noelle met Winona's eyes. They were smug, vicious, and triumphant.