I Was Never a Worthless Man

Screeching Like a Banshee

I stayed at work until late at night and tossed everything else behind me. It was nearly midnight when I came out of the company.

I got home, and Winona was on the couch, holding a glass of champagne. Her gaze was still cool. I wanted to ask her why she was still up, but then my fury took over and shut me up.

She looked at me and said calmly, "I know what you did to Claude. Stop, and I will forgive you."

I sighed. Exhaustion grasped my heart and soul. Nothing I could say would be of use if Winona did not trust me.

My silence frustrated her. Winona slammed her glass onto the table. "Cat got your tongue? I'm talking to you! Say something!"

I took my coat off and set it aside. Then, I went into the bathroom to wash my face. Cold water splashed against my skin, and I felt much better afterward.

Winona came to the entrance and looked at me through the mirror. She took a deep breath and said gently, "I know you're jealous of him because he's being nice to me. Then, what you should do is treat me better. Besides, he's just a friend. You don't have to go so far. Or do you hate it when people are nice to me? You don't think I deserve better?"

I sighed and asked her what happened to Claude. She told me Claude lost important clients after important clients, and some of his competitors were engaging in aggressive competition against him.

She implied that everything was linked to me. If I hadn't told my subsidiaries to attack him, he would never have lost those clients. I frowned, and it was taking everything I had just to keep my anger in check.

"Then, tell him to prove it. I'm not the kind of guy who'd deny what I did. Still, I can't believe you'd buy his story when it's clearly a lie."

A hint of hesitation crossed Winona's face, but it was replaced by determination soon enough. She seemed to have a great deal of faith in Claude as a person.

"Claude's not a liar. He's always been a straightforward guy. He'd never lie to me."

I laughed mirthlessly. "And I have?"

She opened her mouth and tried to say something, then she muttered, "He has no reason to slander you."

That stabbed me right in my soul. 'He has no reason to slander me? Are you serious? The fact that he's trying to take over my place is reason enough!' I sneered.

"Really? Taking over my spot as your fiance is reason enough."

Winona's face fell, and she chided, "He's not a vile person, Nathaniel!"

She couldn't continue the conversation, and a moment of silence later, she walked off, huffing and puffing.

I looked into the mirror and sighed again. After that day, Winona pulled even further away from me. She kept avoiding me, but I didn't care at all.

The weekend came, and I went out with a friend to check some houses. When I came back, Winona was holding her phone, horror etched on her face.

I said nothing and changed into my slippers before heading to the study. She called out to me, "Claude's not feeling well. I need you to give me a ride to his place."

I ignored her.

Displeased, she snapped, "Enough with that tantrum, Nathaniel! Claude could be hurt, for all we know! What are you going to do if anything happens to him?"

'What am I going to do?' I mused. Icily, I answered, "Nothing. I'm not his husband, you know."

Winona screamed, "You heartless bastard!" She shot up from her seat, changed into a new set of clothes, and barged out of the house.

Silence encased the living room. The only sound left was that of my breathing. I slowly sank into the couch and waited for the time to pass.

Neon lights started to shine outside, lighting up the city.

Neon lights started to dwindle, dim, and pucker out.

She never came back.