Winona hesitated. "...I do see you as a friend."


    Keaton''s brow furrowed. "Then it is because of that night. But you keep saying it''s in the past, don''t you?"


    Winona fell silent. "..."


    The atmosphere in the room suddenly became thick with awkwardness. Yes, she kept saying it was in the past, but she was the one who couldn''t let it go. How do you just move on after sleeping with someone?


    Winona''s mind was a mess, and she had no idea how to respond. Luckily, her phone rang, shattering the tension.


    It was Elysia. "Winona, Tarquin and I are on our way to the hospital. Do you want me to bring you anything to eat?"


    Winona smiled. "I was just about to order something. Could you stop by The Golden Spoon and grab me a few pastries and atte? Oh, and..." Winona seized the opportunity to break the awkwardness, turning to Keaton. "Do you want anything? Elysia can bring it."


    Keaton started to shake his head, then said, "Ask her to grab a few lemons for me."


    Winona asked, "Like, lemonade? Or a lemon tart?"


    "Just fresh lemons," Keaton said.


    Winona was surprised. "You''re going to eat them raw?"


    "Yeah. My mouth tastes nd. I''m craving something sour."


    Winona was speechless. "..."


    She stared at Keaton in shock for a long moment before speaking into the phone again. "Could you also bring a few fresh lemons for Keaton? He''s craving something sour."


    "Get a bunch of them," Keaton added.


    "...A bunch of them," Winona repeated.


    As soon as she hung up, she sent Elysia a text.


    [Elysia, you''re good with all that holistic medicine stuff, right? When you get here, can you check Keaton''s pulse? I''m seriously starting to think he''s pregnant!]


    Elysia replied: [That''s impossible. He''s a guy. Guys can''t get pregnant!]


    Winona: [But his symptoms are exactly like pregnancy! Who eats raw lemons? They''re insanely sour!]


    [And you didn''t see how badly he was throwing up. When I yed a pregnant character, I threw up just like that!]


    Elysia: [If he''s pregnant, that means he''s not a guy. He''s been a woman in disguise all these years!]


    Winona: [He is a guy. One hundred percent a guy!]


    Elysia: [But what if?]


    Winona: [No what-ifs. I''m sure!]


    Elysia: [How are you so sure?]


    Winona: [I slept with him, of course I''m sure!]


    The next second, Elysia was calling her.


    Winona realized what she had just typed and smacked her forehead. She didn''t dare answer, rejecting the call and texting back instead. [We can talk in person when you get here.]


    Elysia: [Fine. You better have your story straight. Get ready to confess everything!]


    Winona sent back a pleading emoji. [Okay, okay.]


    After ending the chat, Winona looked


    1.n


    like she had ?st the will to live. She tossed her phone aside, covered her face, and flopped onto the sofa Forgetting Keaton was even in the reon, she squirmed and tolled around on the sofa in


    embarrassment.


    Keaton watched her with his alluring eyes... The earlier tension had vanished. On a whim, he took out his foldable phone and secretly started recording her.


    After a moment, Winona seemed to remember he was there and shot up with a jolt. Keaton''s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly hid his phone. Winona red at him, her face flushing. "What are you doing, acting all shady?!"


    He lied without missing a beat. "I wasn''t doing anything."


    Winona didn''t believe him. She had just started to frown when Keaton changed the subject to distract her. "You were kind of cute just now, wriggling around like that."


    turned even redder.


    Winona''s face tur


    The word ''cute'' made her feel


    awkward and ufortable. With


    her straightforward and free-spirited


    personality, her image in the


    entertainment industry was that of a


    cool,


    sophisticated queen. No one


    had ever called her cute.Content


    Winona scrunched her brow, her face still red, and grabbed a pillow, chucking it at


    him. "Cute, my ass! I''m a queen!"


    Keaton caught the pillow with a


    smile. "You''re not my sister, you''re a


    goddess. A cute goddess! And I''m


    not just sucking up. You''re cuter


    than all the stern-faced ancestors in the Huber family portraitsbined."


    Winona was speechless. "..."


    The door to the hospital room was suddenly pushed open. A beautiful woman, not quite familiar but not aplete stranger either, appeared in the doorway.


    Winona''s attention instantly shifted. Her eyes narrowed, and a smirk yed on her lips. Ah, showtime...