With such force, accompanied by the coldness on her face and a fleeting fierceness in her eyes, it seemed as though she was not cutting into a sandwich, but into a person.
Winifred’s hand still tightly gripped the knife and fork, and due to her excessive force, the fork pierced through the sandwich, scraping against the bottom of the plate, emitting a sharp sound that was particularly piercing.
Winifred released her hand, and the fork remained steadily lodged in the sandwich.
This scene was witnessed only by Leland, who knew that Winifred had made a decision.
The medicine prepared by Leland for Winifred, if taken long-term, not only ruins a man’s lower body function, but also seriously damages bodily functions. Chronic poison can kill a person.
If one day Winifred realizes that she has killed her own father, she will surely be as tormented as he once was, won’t she?
Cutting off decisively, by any means necessary – this was Winifred’s character. She never leaves room for others, nor for herself.
In the evening, as expected, Gregory returned. Father and daughter, they sat together for dinner, and Gregory inquired about her studies, showing concern for her upcoming college entrance exam.
When it was time to sleep, Winifred brought a cup of hot milk to knock on the door of Gregory’s room.
The door opened and Gregory, still in his shirt, with the computer inside the room still lit, clearly still working.
“Dad, have some hot milk, it’ll help you sleep better at night. You should rest early and not tire yourself out too much.”
Gregory did not have the habit of drinking milk at night, but it was true that he didn’t sleep well at night. He took the milk from Winifred’s hand, saying, “Thank you, Winifred.”
He didn’t drink the milk immediately, but looked at Winifred. The once infant in his arms had grown into a graceful young lady now.
Winifred felt a resistance in Gregory’s gaze, and when she saw him taking the milk but not drinking it, she felt nervous. However, her face remained calm, as if nothing had happened. She showed a very innocent and sweet smile, saying, “Dad, what are you looking at me for?”
This face, becoming more and more like his deceased wife.
Every time he saw Winifred, he couldn’t help but think of her, the regret and painful longing gnawing at his heart day and night. People resist pain, and over time, Gregory didn’t want to come back anymore. It was as if, not seeing Winifred, he wouldn’t think of that woman.
“I can’t believe how quickly time passes… In the blink of an eye, Winifred has grown so big, she’s already a young lady.”
Now, Winifred couldn’t differentiate what Gregory’s gaze towards her represented, but hearing his words, she felt nauseous.
Does time really pass by quickly? To him, it might feel like a blink of an eye, but real time ticks by second by second. For her, it’s been seventeen years. Gregory missed her growing up, he never participated in her growth.
Sometimes, Winifred felt like an orphan with no parents, and having such a father was worse than having none.
“Have you had the milk?” Gregory asked.
“I have, I drink it every night.”
Hearing her response, Gregory picked up the cup of milk. It was only 150 milliliters, not much, a few sips could finish it.
“Dad, when you’re home, I’ll bring you milk every night.”
Seeing her smile, Gregory agreed, “Then I appreciate your effort.”
“Not at all, it’s what I should do.” Winifred took the empty cup from Gregory’s hand. “Good night, Dad, I wish you sweet dreams.”
Winifred left with the cup, and upon hearing the door close behind her, her smile quickly faded. As she took the cup to the kitchen, she bumped into Leland.
Since Winifred was preparing hot milk for Gregory, Leland already knew that she was going to drug him tonight, but he didn’t expect it to go so smoothly.
Leland’s birthday was coming up soon, and after his birthday, it would be Winifred’s turn, with their birthdays a month apart.
Leland’s birthday was on August 1st, and Winifred’s birthday was on September 30th, corresponding perfectly with her name.
After this year’s birthday, Winifred would be eighteen years old. As an adult, she could inherit the property under her name, and when the time came, Gregory wouldn’t be able to take it away even if he wanted to. So, she had to continue to endure and keep up the act of fatherly love and daughterly filial piety with Gregory.
“Leland, what gift do you want for your birthday? Or do you want that painting?”
Leland hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. “I don’t want the painting anymore.”
Despite his previous desire, he no longer wanted it. Presumably, Leland already knew about Garrison’s existence and the other significance of her keeping him around.
Leland was not foolish, and Winifred had not deliberately hidden anything from him. With Garrison’s appearance, their resemblance and the red birthmark, Leland’s mind would surely connect the dots.
After knowing that he was a replacement, Leland’s feelings, whether good or bad, had nothing to do with Winifred.
“What do you want then? Whatever you desire, I will do my best to fulfil it.”
I want — you.
This thought almost instantly appeared in Leland’s mind, almost becoming his subconscious reaction. He wanted Winifred, he desperately wanted her.
Leland sneakily glanced at Winifred’s pink lips, fearing she would notice, he quickly averted his gaze.
“Can I attend Miss’s birthday on that day?”
Every year, Winifred would have a birthday party, and Leland, as a servant, was not allowed to attend such occasions. This year, as her eighteenth birthday, the party was expected to be grand.
After some hesitation, as this year was different from the previous ones, Winifred agreed after some thought. “Alright, you can come with me then.”
A smile involuntarily graced Leland’s lips, like a reward-winning dog, his eyes gleaming.
The college entrance exam was approaching quickly, and on the day, Gregory personally escorted Winifred to the examination hall. Like any ordinary father, he cared about his daughter’s well-being, repeatedly asking if she had her admission ticket, if her pen could write, and so on.
Winifred patiently answered all his questions, entered the exam hall, and coincidentally, Leland was in the same exam room as her.
For Winifred, the exam papers were not difficult, and after quickly finishing, she didn’t check and directly put down her pen. When the time to hand over the papers came, she put down the exam paper and left.
As she stood up, Leland behind her saw and followed suit.
The two-day exam would soon come to an end, and Gregory was only responsible for sending Winifred to the exam. After dropping her off, he left, with Mr. Hamilton and the driver waiting outside.
Winifred had long been accustomed to this, and she could say that she had no expectations of Gregory.
After all, if she still had expectations, she wouldn’t be drugging his milk every day.
Now, when Gregory said he was working during the day, he really was just working. With his impotence, he had no intention or energy to play with women.
After finishing the last subject, foreign languages, Winifred and Leland walked out of the exam hall. Outside, there were families picking up their children, and Winifred immediately spotted Mr. Hamilton and someone unexpected.
“Garrison!”