The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 195

Xander's jaw dropped, and Winona gave a wry, self-mocking smile.

"Regretting giving me a ride? If you're having second thoughts about bringing the family's fake daughter home, I can pay you for the gas."

Xander shook his head, his expression darkening with a heaviness that seemed to settle over the car. "I've realized I've been ignoring something important."

Winona looked at him, puzzled. "What is it?"

"I only ever knew that Felicity was brought back to the Shepherd family at sixteen. But I never stopped to wonder—what happened to the little girl who was originally part of the Shepherds?" His voice was heavy with regret, and he let out a bitter laugh at himself.

"Exactly. The real fake—what's supposed to happen to her? Should she just disappear? Does she even deserve to exist?" Winona's eyes dropped, her voice thick with sorrow and defiance.

Xander's tone softened. "How did you make it through all those years?"

"My biological parents wouldn't even let me in their house. I had nowhere to go but back to the Shepherds, but by then, they'd already taken my name off everything. I didn't even have an identity anymore. I was like some stray dog, sleeping outside their front gate, cold and starving, until I got sick."

Xander fell silent.

"It was Mia who saved me." Winona's voice was quiet.

"Even after I got better, I couldn't let it go. I kept waiting outside their gate, hoping my parents would change their minds and take me back. But no one ever came. Eventually, Grandma found me and brought me home."

"She was Old Mr. Shepherd's first wife."

"When Mr. Shepherd made his fortune, he started seeing a woman in the city. Grandma was two months pregnant when she found out, and the shock caused her to lose the baby. The bleeding was so bad they had to remove her womb, and from then on, she was alone. No children, no family—just loneliness for the rest of her life."

Just a little while ago, Winona had said she and Xander couldn't be friends. Yet now, here she was, laying bare her tangled history with her grandmother and the Shepherds. All the bitterness she'd kept locked away poured out.

The truth was, she'd always envied Felicity—envied how many people loved and protected her. She envied Felicity for having Julian's love.

But Winona? She was nothing but a fraud, someone everyone shunned, unloved by anyone—least of all by Julian. Even her own daughter didn't care for her.

She longed for someone strong, kind, and principled—a man who'd stand up for her, the way a big brother might. Someone who'd protect her, the way Xander always protected Felicity.

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