The positions of the two seemed to have swapped. Winifred, who used to be domineering, was now always looked down upon by Leland. He was like a dog by her side.
They say dogs are the most loyal, that they never betray their owners. A person can have many dogs in their lifetime, but a dog only has one owner.
Winifred always remembered seeing this on TV, which is why she wanted to have a dog that could accompany her for a long time.
But she forgot that a person can never become a dog.
Leland was being careful with his movements. He picked her up and placed her on the bed. But Winifred still felt pain in her waist, and her legs were trembling so much that she couldn’t even close them.
Leland turned around and took out a shirt from the wardrobe, throwing it onto the bed.
“I’ve already had someone buy your clothes. But before they arrive, you can wear my shirt.”
“I won’t wear it.” Winifred opened her mouth and realized that her voice was hoarse and unpleasant to hear. Even the last word “wear” didn’t come out properly; it felt like there was gravel in her throat, making her uncomfortable.
After glancing at her, Leland smiled meaningfully. “Alright then, if you don’t want to wear it, you can just stay naked. I prefer seeing you without clothes rather than wearing them.”
His eyes scanned her like a scanner. Winifred held onto the blanket tightly, as if only by doing so could she feel safe.
Winifred gritted her teeth. How did she not realize before that Leland was so shameless?
Seeing that she didn’t move, Leland reached out to grab the blanket on her body. Winifred panicked, “I’ll wear it…”
Only then did Leland let go of her.
“You can leave now.”
“You’ve touched every part of my body before. Why can’t you stand it now?” Leland said this but still went outside.
When she couldn’t see him anymore, Winifred slowly picked up the shirt and put it on.
The shirt was clean but carried Leland’s unique scent – a cool minty smell mixed with cigarette smoke. It wasn’t unpleasant… but Winifred felt uncomfortable smelling it.
Leland’s shirt was long, reaching down to her thighs when Winifred put it on. She buttoned each button up to the top one. After wearing the shirt, the pain in her body eased a bit, allowing her to at least walk slowly, although her legs were still trembling.
Leland counted the time outside. When he estimated that Winifred had finished putting on the clothes, he walked back in. Sure enough, Winifred was already standing by the bed.
She looked like a wild cat just caught and brought into a house – cautious due to being unfamiliar with the environment. She would bare her teeth and growl at even the slightest touch or movement.
Leland chuckled inwardly and disregarded Winifred’s resistance as he led her to the dining room outside.
Lunch was already prepared on the table, all of Winifred’s favorites. There was a cushion placed on one of the chairs.
“Should I hold you while you eat or do you want to sit by yourself?”
“I won’t eat. I want to leave this place.”
Leland’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, “Miss, you really are naughty.” Winifred was so thin that he could hold her with one hand while his other hand slipped into her loose shirt.
Sensing what he was about to do, Winifred’s already pale face became even more unpleasant to look at. “Let go of me!”
“Do you want to eat or not?”
Winifred bit her lip stubbornly and said, “I want birth control pills and painkillers.”
She thought Leland would refuse, but he directly responded with, “If you eat your meal obediently, then I’ll let you have your medicine.”
Leland added another sentence with a smirk, “It’s not good for your stomach to take medicine on an empty stomach.”
Her body had been tormented almost to its limits, yet he still cared about whether her stomach was okay? Winifred suppressed her emotions and said, “Put me down; I’ll sit by myself.”
After Leland put her down, Winifred held a spoon in her hand and began drinking the porridge in front of her spoonful by spoonful. She drank quickly not because she enjoyed it but because her stomach was cramping with pain and there was a faint feeling of nausea that made her want to vomit. To suppress this feeling of nausea, she had to force herself to swallow everything in her mouth.
“Eat slower; there are dishes on the table.” Leland watched as she obediently followed his words; his expression relaxed and there was a hint of pleasure on his lips. He picked up some food for Winifred and she finished a bowl of porridge. Her stomach was already uncomfortably full.
Her complexion after eating looked worse than before she ate anything at all. Leland stared at her face.
Winifred opened her mouth and said, “The medicine.”
“Just wait.” Suddenly, Leland reached into his pocket.
Frowning at his inexplicable action, did he want to take back his words?
But what Winifred saw was Leland taking out a box from his pocket and saying nonchalantly, “This is your birthday gift.”
He opened the box revealing a diamond ring inside. What else could it mean when a man gives a woman a diamond ring?
Winifred let out a scoffing laugh. “You want to marry me?”
Leland didn’t say anything but his actions spoke volumes. With one hand holding the ring and the other grabbing Winifred’s right hand.
Just as he was about to put it on, Winifred snatched the ring away and threw it away.