Chapter 130

Eric had forgotten. So had Van.

Today, bringing Winnie home was supposed to be about an apology—for the borrowed money, for concealing Wendy's identity, and for the delay in his response over the past five days when he had failed to make things right. He had spent time thinking of ways to make it up to her.

That effort now lay untouched on the coffee table in the guest room.

Winnie sat on the sofa, her gaze fixed on the small gacha machine in front of her.

It was delicate, almost like a music box—its transparent dome holding capsules snugly together, their crystalline colors reflecting tiny sparks of light beneath the chandelier's glow.

Still unshowered, Winnie stared at the gacha machine and began to laugh—softly at first, then louder, her knees pulling together as she buried her face in them.

Van remembered how she used to play with gacha toys when she was upset.