Married to a Woman Obsessed With Her Boy Toy

Ignoring Winona's demand, I turned and went upstairs. Then, I pulled out a suitcase and began packing everything that belonged to me.

The moment I grabbed the suitcase handle to leave, Winona burst into the room. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the suitcase, and she wrenched it from my grip, hurling it to the floor with vicious force.

The suitcase burst open with a sharp crack, scattering my belongings everywhere. Among them, an antique wooden box tumbled out, its lid flipping open to reveal a custom-commissioned handcrafted watch engraved with my family crest.

My eyes locked onto it, and I lunged forward to retrieve it. That watch was the only keepsake my grandfather had left in this world.

But the box rolled to a stop at Hendrick's feet. A glint of mischief lit his eyes as he snatched it up, letting out an exaggerated cry. "Oh my! Jeff, this watch of yours is rather lovely. The craftsmanship looks exquisite. I quite like it. Mind if I keep it?"

I reached out, desperate to reclaim my family heirloom, but Winona seized my arm. "If Henry wants it, give it to him."

Her gaze bore into mine, her voice flat, as if she were offering up something utterly inconsequential.

I was so desperate to have it back that my eyes reddened. I couldn't tear my gaze away from the watch. "Winona… that was my grandfather's—"

"I said, if he wants it, then it's his."

Winona's voice rose, her grip on my arm tightening. "Everything in this house belongs to me. I decide what happens. And that includes you!"

When the realization struck me that Winona would never listen no matter what I said, I wrenched free of her grasp, desperate to retrieve my grandfather's watch.

But before I could reach it, Winona snatched it from Hendrick's hand and hurled it to the floor. "How dare you still fight for it? Then nobody gets it!"

"No!" The scream tore from my throat as I threw myself forward.

But the watch broke at my feet with a sharp crack, the glass face shattering on impact.

Trembling, I reached for the cracked dial and broken casing scattered across the floor. Then came a sudden pain as Winona shoved me aside forcefully.

She loomed over me, her eyes filled with barely concealed disgust. "It's just a worthless old watch! After everything you've done to Henry, this is nothing!"

Glancing down at the pieces of the watch I cradled tightly against my chest, I ignored my hands that were already bloody from the shattered glass and staggered to my feet. I stumbled out of the house with red-rimmed eyes.

Behind me, Winona's voice rose to a near-hysterical roar. "Jeffrey Yard! Take one more step and see what happens!"

I ran to the garage, threw myself into the car, and gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles went white. The sharp pain in my hands made me break out in a cold sweat. At the same time, the pain was also strangely grounding, sharpening my senses.

I stepped on the accelerator, desperate to escape that suffocating place. But the moment I pulled out of the neighborhood, blinding headlights shone into my eyes from the side.

The very next second, I heard a deafening crash. Then, the world spun violently before my eyes. The impact sent my head slamming against the window, and everything blurred through a haze of red.

As the car rolled through the air, I caught a glimpse of a familiar black sedan. And along with that, Winona's wild, almost maniacal gaze.

She walked over slowly, crouching down to where I was pinned in the driver's seat. Her eyes were bloodshot. "I told you—you're not leaving. Why won't you ever listen?"

Before I could respond, the sharp click of dress shoes approached. My gaze instantly dropped to the watch pieces scattered just outside the wreckage.

Then, a thick heel came down on them with deliberate force. Hendrick bent slightly at the waist, peering at me through the broken window with an unconstrained smile.

"Oh dear, Jeff. I'm afraid it's completely ruined now."