Rita, who had been silently following them, watched in frustration as the couple got into the car and drove away, leaving her standing there, seething, defeated.
"Ugh! How can she lie to me?!" she snapped, her voice laced with anger. Kalix's sudden interference had completely derailed her meeting with Winter, shattering her carefully laid plans.
Her fingers curled into fists, but instead of lingering in rage, she swiftly pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Mom, I need to talk to you," she said, striding toward her car. Without wasting another second, she climbed in and sped off toward her parents' house.
Meanwhile, inside the car, the air between Winter and Kalix turned unbearably tense.
Kalix's piercing glare bore into her, his jaw clenched tightly.
Winter exhaled sharply, finally surrendering. "Okay, fine… I lied to you," she admitted, turning to meet his gaze. "But that's only because I wasn't afraid of her."
