The entire private room was particularly large, even though it was daytime, the lighting inside was dim, making it feel like nighttime.
Winifred was not used to this kind of dimness, and for a moment, she thought of turning around and leaving when the door opened.
But considering Garrison’s anticipatory gaze, she couldn’t just leave after coming all this way, could she? And they were still waiting inside for her.
Taking a deep breath, Winifred entered, the only light inside coming from small colored lights, like the glow of fireflies, and they were even moving.
The floor was covered in petals, various plush toys lined the walls, and Winifred squatted down to pick up a panda, holding it in her arms for comfort.
She continued to walk further in, and through the dim light, she was surprised to see her photos on the wall, from various periods, all solo shots of her. Some of the photos she didn’t even remember, as if they were taken without her knowledge.
Suddenly, Winifred stopped in her tracks, realizing something was off. Most of these photos were from her time in China, mixed in with some from her school days.
Initially, she thought these photos were prepared by Garrison, but how could Garrison have obtained so many photos of her, while he has been abroad all this time?
Standing at the corner of the corridor, Winifred hesitated to go further. She noticed flickering candlelight inside, indicating that candles were lit.
When a person is nervous or fearful, their perception is heightened, and in this moment, Winifred stood frozen in place, hearing the sounds from inside, the burning of the candles, the rustling of clothing, her own heartbeat… and the faint aroma of tea in the air.
This scent of floral tea was etched into her soul, and she couldn’t mistake it unless her sense of smell was compromised.
Everything before her momentarily took Winifred back to a year ago, when a beautifully decorated private room at the hotel felt like a thorny prison to her. She shivered and stepped back, then ran towards the door without a second thought.
The waiter who opened the door and the bellboy who escorted her upstairs were nowhere to be seen. The door was closed, and she desperately tried to open it, breaking into a sweat but unable to turn the doorknob.
She could hear footsteps approaching from behind, and almost immediately, they would be right behind her. She was too afraid to turn and instead put all her attention into opening the door.
It wouldn’t budge… it still wouldn’t budge… her hands were already red from trying to open it.
The danger drew closer, just like in the ‘Castle Escape’ game she once played, where dangerous creatures and toxic vines silently reached for her from behind, and then suddenly wrapped around her waist.
“Miss, happy birthday.”
She had a mental illness, and every time she went to the hospital, the doctor would remind her to control her emotions and stabilize her state of mind.
Emotional instability would manifest as palpitations, headaches, and ringing in the ears, among other negative symptoms.
The doll she was holding slipped from her arms, and Winifred stopped moving, giving up the struggle, like a character dying in a game.
But her breathing was still rapid, and her heart continued to beat strongly in her chest.
The man’s scent enveloped her, the nightmare from that night, the resentment after waking up, and a year of self-loathing continued to torment her.
The doctor said that to cure her illness, she should not avoid it but face it.
But how could she face it, after what happened? She was betrayed by the most trusted person in her life. She thought she had been raising a good dog all those years, but it turned out to be a ravenous wolf.
Leland’s disguise had been too good for eight years.
Considering everything that had happened this year, she could easily find information about what happened in China, but every time she chose to ignore it, refusing to look up anything related to Leland. She wanted to erase him from her life completely, but it was impossible. He had targeted her and today was part of his plan.
Winifred had thought about it over and over, and she had to accept one fact: the Reeves family had joined forces with Leland to betray her.
It wasn’t really a betrayal, as she didn’t have much of a relationship with the Reeves family. The only person who had been kind to her was Garrison. Garrison had never taken her to meet the Reeves family, and with her sharp intuition, she had long ago noticed they had never accepted her.
Ironically, this birthday, when Garrison said his mother had specifically booked the hotel private room to celebrate her birthday, she had actually believed it. She had even harbored a faint hope and delusion, thinking she could regain happiness.
…
Leland had originally planned to take his time, not to rush this moment. He had finally seen Winifred and didn’t want to scare her with his impatience.
He had always been calm and composed, keeping his emotions in check, often wearing a calm facade that made it hard to guess what he was really thinking.
He was confident in maintaining his composure, but when he finally saw Winifred, it all collapsed. In that moment, the blood in his body seemed to boil like hot water, ready to erupt.
He couldn’t control his emotions, he wanted Winifred, desperately wanted her, wanted to leave his mark on her, to possess her here!
When Winifred ran to the door and pushed on the handle, he remained calm. After all, he had arranged everything, and the door was locked from the outside with a key card. He was not worried that Winifred would escape.
He approached and circled Winifred’s slim waist, asking her, “Miss, do you like the dress I sent you?”
He was very close to her, feeling her body’s changes, her trembling, rapid breathing, and even the faint perspiration on the back of her neck.
Winifred remained silent, but Leland was unperturbed and slowly moved his hand from her waist to her navel and then down her flat stomach…
Winifred’s body became increasingly tense as Leland ignited her. She couldn’t help but react, and her response was unpleasant. She turned around to face Leland, her eyes full of anger.
But after a year of not seeing him, Leland had changed a lot. Dressed in a black shirt and suit pants, he exuded an air of nobility and unapproachability, his height increasing since high school to nearly two meters.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, his entire presence emanating a fierce, intimidating force, like a despised stray dog turning into a lion, brimming with explosiveness, as if he could tear a person apart at any moment.
Seeing this new Leland, Winifred instinctively wanted to hide, but her back was already pressed against the door, and Leland was too close. She could feel the heat of his hormones.