“Don’t stay with him,” he said, his thin lips uttering the words coldly. “Laura, if you’re not happy, just leave him, leave this place!”
I was stunned, staring at him blankly, unable to find the words to respond.
His expression was indifferent, revealing no joy or anger. “If you can’t endure life with him, leave The Lynch Family.”
I felt a bit scared. What did he mean? Wasn’t he always stopping me from escaping? Didn’t he say he wanted to keep me tightly bound to him for the rest of my life? Last time I tried to run away, he went to great lengths to bring me back. What did these words mean now?
“Aren’t you supposed to witness my fate with your own eyes?” I said with a bitter smile. “Haven’t you always suspected that I’m involved in your sister’s death? Why are you advising me to leave now?”
“Laura, no matter where you run, I can see your fate. I want to get to the bottom of my sister’s case, but I don’t want to see you live like this with Carter!” he replied.
“I don’t understand,” I said, looking into the distance with a sense of bitterness. “Do you pity me? Do you feel sorry for me? Cameron, you’ve really regressed… you actually feel sorry for a plaything!”
“You can just think of me as feeling sorry for a plaything!” he sneered.
My heart cooled down. In his eyes, I really meant nothing. Queenie was his true love.
“Go back quickly,” I said, holding the bottle filled with water. “If you’re late, Carter will be suspicious, and your fiancée won’t be happy.”
“Do you really plan to spend your life with Carter?”
“Cameron!” I unintentionally spoke with a heavier tone, “Don’t ask such questions in the future… It’s my own business who I spend my life with. And whether it’s good or not, you can’t control it, and you have no right to.”
I left the stream ahead of him.
The world was so vast, and it seemed there is no place for me. I felt frightened by Carter, and I felt heartbroken with Cameron.
I’m truly living a failed life.
That day’s outing was filled with scenes of Queenie and Cameron showing affection in front of me.
I wonder maybe they were doing it on purpose, to show me.
On the way back, they all fell asleep, leaving only me awake. My mind was constantly filled with memories of the moments between Cameron and me. There was no future for us. Apart from the fact that my biological father brutally killed his sister, even without this, Cameron and I were people from two different worlds.
He was outstanding, standing out wherever he went. He was the sun, while I couldn’t even be considered a star. I was just a piece of grass on the ground, humble and embedded in the soil.
I could only look up to him forever.
I could only silently admire him in my heart.
I whispered to the driver, asking him to take a detour on the way home. I wanted to pass by the apartment building and have a distant look at our small house. From the outside, I could see the glass sunroom, and I was grateful to Cameron-he was the first person to turn my imagination into reality.
Perhaps, he was also the only one.
…
At night, I cooked a snack. After Carter went to sleep, I noticed the light still on in Cameron’s study. I decided to take some to him. As I approached the door, I heard voices inside.
“Your suspicion might not be wrong…”
I was startled-it was Patrick’s voice. I quickly pressed my ear against the door to listen.
“What?”
“Laura… might indeed be related to your sister’s case. I suspect she wasn’t kidnapped back then.”
My ear buzzed, and I nearly dropped the bowl.
“Do you have any evidence?”
“At the moment, there’s no concrete evidence, just a suspicion. You need to keep a close eye on her. Last time, I mentioned to you, among the captured suspects, there was a man…”
“Patrick, hold on a moment!” Cameron interrupted him.
The footsteps approached the door, and my heart suddenly leaped to my throat. I was trying to figure out where to hide when Cameron abruptly opened the door, finding me standing outside, looking somewhat surprised.
“You?”
“Ah…” My heart raced in panic. “I… I cooked some spaghetti. When I saw your light was still on, I thought…”
He fell silent for a moment, then instructed me to go into the study and wait for him, then exchanged a few words with Patrick before seeing him out the door
A few minutes later, he returned, his gaze falling on the plate of spaghetti I had placed on his desk.
“You cooked this for me?”
“Yeah.”
“Actually, I happen to be hungry.”
He sat on the sofa and quickly finished it in a few bites.
Watching him devour it, I felt a sudden inexplicable sense of tenderness in my heart. Are all women willing to watch their beloved men finish the meals they’ve made? Even if it was just a plate of plain spaghetti, as long as the loved one ate it all, it meant great happiness for the women.
After he finished the spaghetti, I was about to clean up when Cameron reached over to me. With one hand, he held me close, and with the other, he swept the dishes off the table.
He lifted me, seating me on his desk. He stood in front of me, his eyes shimmering with a different light.
My face flushed, and from his gaze, I knew exactly what he had in mind.
My heart pounded, knowing what would happen next, but I dared not, and could not.
“Carter is still sleeping…” I pushed him away. “Cameron, we can’t continue like this.”
“Why not?” He caressed my cheek, his voice seductive. “I’ve said it before, even if I’m engaged, our relationship won’t change. You can never escape from me!”
“What do you mean?” I raised my eyes. “This morning, you said for me to leave The Lynch Family if I couldn’t stand it anymore. Now you say I can’t escape? You’re changing too fast!”
“I told you to leave my brother, but you can’t escape from me. These two things don’t contradict each other.”
“You…”
Before I could finish speaking, he silenced me with a hot kiss. His tongue danced in my mouth, gradually deepening, as if trying to draw out my soul.
I involuntarily pressed myself against his chest, my hands hooked around his neck. He wrapped my legs around his waist and caressed me slowly, treating me like a precious treasure.
My heart pounded.
Once again, I was determined, ready to give myself to him regardless of the consequences.
He kissed my earlobe, effortlessly igniting my passion. I responded to him with even greater fervor. This time, he was gentle, unlike the rough and fierce encounters we had before. As he entered, it felt like his intense love was pouring into me.
“Laura, Laura…” he murmured softly, his big hands lifting my hair as warm breath echoed in my ear. “I… love you…”
My body trembled violently, and for a moment, it felt like fireworks were blossoming before my eyes.
Later, I often recalled that night, remembering Cameron’s whispered “I love you” in my ear. Sometimes, I questioned if I had misheard, as during moments of passion, hallucinations were not uncommon. It was similar to the times when I used to see warmth and pity in his eyes.
Especially when I witnessed him and Queenie being so intimate and affectionate. I became more convinced that I had misunderstood. It was just a hallucination, a scenario I hoped for but was forever unattainable.
How could Cameron possibly love me? I was nothing more than his plaything.
…
I continued to maintain this underground relationship with him, even though every time we were together, guilt overwhelmed me. This forbidden relationship was like poison, the more I tried to escape, the deeper I sank into it.
However, I also worried. Patrick frequently visited The Lynch Family, always whispering in Cameron’s study, and he had mentioned Cameron should closely watch over me. As for Carter, his demeanor has become increasingly peculiar lately. We can hardly exchange a few words without getting into an argument.
Everything in this household oppressed me.
The reasons for staying were something I dared not think about-perhaps it was for Cameron! Yet, he was the person I feared the most in this house.
During those days, my mental state deteriorated day by day. I found myself dwelling on childhood memories, and the scene of Anne having her tongue cut off before her death began haunting my dreams more frequently.
I had a premonition that trouble was looming.
I thought I should find a job, at least to have a way to support myself after leaving The Lynch Family. I decided to take action.