Chapter 137 - A Couple At Last

Marcellus had been selfish.

He shouldn't have done what he did. He should've been more thoughtful and considerate.

Winter was almost sexually assaulted. Even though she seemed fine, Neil must've left her a terrible memory that'd haunt her for as long as it wanted to – one that might've also changed her perception towards physical contacts and intimate touches.   

"I-I'm sorry…" Marcellus stammered out, averting his gaze.

"That must've been uncomfortable."

"What…?" Winter breathed, rapidly blinking in puzzlement.

"It wasn't uncomfortable in the least.. Why do you think it was?"

He didn't answer, choosing to just silently scoot away from her. She noticed how he's suddenly trying to draw a line by distancing himself. Thinking that she did something wrong, she frowned.

"Was the kiss not to your liking?" Winter asked sadly.

"What? No! Of course not," Marcellus replied almost instantly.

"Then, why are you sorry?"

Making out with her is one thing, but telling her the reason why he's suddenly acting this way is another – reminding her of that horrible experience is the least he wants to do. Yet seeing how dismayed she looks, he can only heave out a sigh of defeat. He can't possibly let her misunderstanding stretch on longer.

"I just thought it'd remind you of what happened hours ago. You were… touched… despite your will. I don't want you to remember any of that by doing what we just did," Marcellus confessed hesitantly. 

"Oh, so that's what it is," Winter blurted out, enlightened.

She regards him in silence. 

Truthfully, she didn't even recall a single thing about that incident while she was kissing him. In fact, it made her completely forget about it even if it's just for a moment – it made her feel somewhat cleansed. That is not to say that she sees herself as filthy after that dreadful experience. She just feels that kissing him, and him only, is how things should be –

Like she's back to where she belongs. Like she's being disinfected.   

"Hey, listen..." she called out to him, cupping the sides of his face and making him look at her again. 

"I may have not expressed it clearly, so I'm going to say it now."

"Huh? What is it?" he questioned, baffled.

"That I love you, Marcellus."

He stills then, falling completely silent.

She smiles warmly up at him while she gently strokes her thumbs against his cheeks. It seems like her confession has made him extra emotional. However, what she didn't expect was that she'd see tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. 

"You're being unfair," Marcellus huffed with a pout.

"Oh, my, is the ever-powerful Marcellus Lexington secretly a crybaby all along?" Winter teased, smirking.

"I-I'm not crying!"

She lets out a hearty giggle, pleased that she's made him all flustered. Sometimes, he can be such a boy - and she thoroughly enjoys making that side of him show.

"Me, too…" he then suddenly added, voice so small that she almost did not catch it.

"I love you, too." 

Winter isn't supposed to be stunned by that point, but seeing a blushing and crying Marcellus all at once has made his love confession this time a refreshing sight to see – and it's more than enough to make her emotional, too. 

--- 

Carrying multiple charges, Neil would soon be put behind the bars along with his associates. 

When Marcellus found all the pictures that he forcefully took from Winter, he didn't hesitate to burn them into ashes – just like what he badly wanted to do to him. He knows that he will not be satisfied even if he rots in jail. So, he decides to play a little and let his inner demons run wild for a bit.

That is by briefly kidnapping Neil before he's brought to prison and torturing him in any way Marcellus could.

Of course, Winter has no idea about it – he wouldn't let her know about it. 

Courtney and Maxine, on the other hand, had helped a lot in solving the crime case. They'd also been quite a handful, though she's not really complaining. If anything, she's grateful to them. They're so worried sick about her that they kept sending her messages and making several attempts to get in contact with her again - trying to be of help in any way they could.

Winter reassured them that she'd be attending classes again after she finished moving out with August to their temporary home – and today just happened to be that day. 

He has gone out for a moment, and she has to finish her unpacking until he gets back. She's not planning to take a break for an hour more, but that's until she heard the doorbell ringing – she has visitors.

"Ace and Ms. Violet?" Winter blurted out, surprised to see the Miller's upon opening the door.

"Winter! It's so nice to see you up and well now!" Violet chirped with a smile, delighted and relieved, before pulling her in for an embrace that she gladly returned with a smile of her own.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Ms. Violet. It's so nice to see you again, too."

"Sorry for coming over without any prior notice," Ace chimed in from the side, grinning sheepishly. 

"Oh, no need to apologize. It's alright. I'm happy that you visited."

"I see. That's good."

Hearing how his voice somewhat fails at the end, the two of them finally part from their embrace. 

That's when Violet squints her eyes at him - almost as if reading his thoughts. Winter keeps quiet, regarding him quizzically. For some reason, Ace looks kind of troubled.

"Fine. I'll leave you two for now..." Violet announced out of nowhere, taking them aback.

"Both of you look like you have something to talk about. I'll be waiting back here."

Smiling knowingly, she waves at them dismissively before she finally takes her leave. With that, they're left standing at the doorway, a moment of silence prevailing.

"So, ummm... You have something on your mind, Ace?" Winter inquired, turning to look at Ace again.

"Yeah, well... The thing is, I'd like to ask for your forgiveness for being rough on you the other day. I really lost my cool back then. I'm sorry."

"O-Oh, but… You really shouldn't be sorry, you know. I owe you a lot, Ace, and I want to continue being your friend. You've been so good to me. I hope that I can return the favor someday." 

As she smiles at him with overflowing gratitude, he can't help but return it with a sincere one. Making her happy like this and seeing her safe will always be worth the trouble.

At this point, Ace has come to better understand his true feelings towards Winter.

He finally realized that he's fighting a losing battle after learning everything that Marcellus did for her for the past few days. Courtney and Maxine weren't so discreet about it, either – they already knew who Winter chose. 

Of course, he still thinks that he won't be able to move on from her so soon. He still thinks that he can never stop desiring her. Yet after understanding how her relationship with Marcellus really works, he at least realizes that he's no match for him after all. 

Ace won't be able to protect Winter the way he did it. He can never be her knight in shining armor nor his prince charming – or at least, do those parts like how Marcellus does it. 

'Whoever Winter chooses is the perfect one for her,' was basically what Maxine and Courtney said the day after they took Winter away. 

And so, he accepts defeat – or at least, he's now trying to. Even then, he's still willing to do many things for her, and now, it just turns out that one of those things is giving up his selfish desire to monopolize her. 

"I like you, Winter," Ace suddenly said, looking quite serious. 

"Ace," Winter breathed out, astonished by how sudden that was. 

"And that's why I'm going to give up on you."

"H-Huh?"

"I like you, so I want you to be with the one you love."

Her eyes widen in surprise. 

Not expecting that coming, she lets his words settle in for the next seconds to come. Then, ever so slowly, she finds herself spreading a genuine, appreciative smile again.

"I also like you, Ace. You're an irreplaceable friend…" she softly said, silently wishing for his happiness.

"I'll always be cheering for you. Let's continue to rely on each other." 

"Yeah, let's…" he replied, starting to feel a bit satisfied with what their relationship turned into.

"I'll be having a photoshoot again next week. Wanna see it?"

"I'd love to."

"Oh, the girls also said they wanted to come."

"Maxine and Courtney?"

"Yeah. They're quite persistent."

"Might as well invite Xander too, then. Let's throw a party to celebrate the start of your modeling career."

Delighted by the offer, he simply nods and smiles at her.

Even though he wasn't able to conquer her heart, he still felt quite proud. There's still progress even if he didn't get to achieve his goal. He was still able to become a worthwhile companion to this impenetrable fortress – to this girl who used to be so distant, enigmatic, and untouchable back then.

Above all, Ace has come to learn a very important thing in life after meeting a girl like Winter – and that is to never judge a book by its cover.