Winifred’s reaction was something Leland had anticipated.
He expected her to be furious, but her expression didn’t show it. Instead, there was a slight upward curve at the corner of her mouth.
When Leland looked into her eyes, Winifred didn’t flinch. She stood up from her chair, feeling a bit stronger after eating. Though she wasn’t as tall as Leland, her presence seemed to grow.
“Why are you looking at me? Can’t I throw it away?”
Leland didn’t respond. He silently turned and walked in the direction where Winifred had thrown the ring, picking it up.
Leland was incredibly stubborn. He was determined to put that ring on Winifred’s finger, just like he had insisted on making her wear a watch that couldn’t be removed. Even when she self-harmed and created countless scars, he refused to take off the watch so she could heal properly.
What Winifred didn’t know was that during the time she was away, Leland’s personality had become increasingly obsessive, especially when it came to matters of the heart.
Winifred threw the ring again and provocatively looked at Leland. “Go pick it up.”
In that moment, it felt like they were back nine years ago when he first met Winifred. Back then, Winifred enjoyed taming him like a dog.
That day, he knelt outside the Dawson family gate. Winifred stood high above him, tempting him with money while kicking a stone outside. She made him crawl like a dog to fetch the stone with his mouth and place it in her hand, wagging his tail at her feet.
It was the most humiliating moment of his life. Even after nine years, he remembered it vividly.
How could he not care? Of course, he had hated Winifred.
When his mother died, he even thought about letting Winifred die too. But as time went on, his feelings for Winifred grew deeper. He even wished she could stay with him forever.
How pathetic…
But even ice melts in cold water; how could a person not change after eight years of such interactions?
Perhaps recalling those memories made Leland’s face darken as he picked up the ring for the second time.
He picked up the diamond ring and thought to himself that no matter what, he would make Winifred wear it.
He grabbed Winifred’s hand and forcibly put the ring on her ring finger. It fit perfectly and looked even more beautiful than he had imagined.
Seeing this, Winifred tried to throw it away again but hadn’t pulled it off before hearing Leland say,
“If you dare throw it away, I’ll cut off Garrison’s hand.”
Winifred’s face didn’t show the panic or fear he expected. Instead, she wore a mocking smile that clearly showed her disdain for him.
In front of Leland, Winifred took off the ring for the third time and threw it away again.
Leland’s face turned cold as he laughed angrily. “Fine, fine. It seems you really don’t take my words seriously.”
He took out his phone and called someone, instructing them to find an opportunity to cause an ‘accident’ for Garrison. As he spoke, his eyes were filled with malice as he stared at Winifred, hoping she would give in.
However, Winifred wouldn’t let him have his way. She suddenly grabbed a fork from the dining table and without hesitation stabbed it into her left hand.
Leland’s pupils contracted in shock; his heart seemed to stop for a moment. His body reacted faster than his mind as he grabbed her left hand and moved it away from the fork.
The fork hit the table with a harsh sound.
If Leland hadn’t moved her hand in time, that stab would have left Winifred’s left hand covered in blood.
Winifred dared to self-harm right in front of him. How could she? Wasn’t she afraid of pain?
He had forgotten… The scars on Winifred’s left wrist showed that self-harm wasn’t new to her. She wasn’t afraid of death; why would she care about physical pain?
Leland’s eyes turned red as he gripped Winifred’s wrist so tightly it seemed like he might crush it.
Winifred groaned but endured the pain and said clearly and slowly, “If you dare touch Garrison’s fingers, I’ll cut off my own. Without five fingers, how can I wear a ring?”
Someone who didn’t care about their own body or life actually cared about someone else’s body.
A surge of anger mixed with bitterness rose uncontrollably in Leland’s chest. He couldn’t deny that he was jealous-jealous of Garrison for holding a more important place in Winifred’s heart despite only being with her for three years compared to his eight years. Jealous that Garrison was the main character while he was always just a shadow.
Pain flickered in Leland’s eyes even if he didn’t realize it himself; but Winifred saw it clearly.
Indeed…
Winifred dropped the fork from her right hand and grabbed Leland’s tie, pulling him down forcefully before leaning close to his face and saying,
“Leland, no matter what you become, you’ll always just be a dog by my side!”