“Well, have you thought it through? If you have, I’ll send the driver to pick you up…”
There was no sound from the phone. He frowned. If he hadn’t seen that the call was still connected, he would have thought Winifred had hung up.
Leland felt dissatisfied and his tone grew impatient. “Winifred, speak!”
He heard the sound of wind but couldn’t tell if it was coming from his side or from the other end of the line.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise. His heart jumped as if a hand had gripped it tightly. His tone became frantic.
“Winifred, what’s happening over there? Tell me!”
There was a burst of static, sounding like punches hitting a sandbag, accompanied by a few painful groans.
He had no idea what was happening on the other end. The unknown made it even more terrifying. In those few seconds, time seemed to stretch endlessly. He stood there stiffly, his phone feeling like a knife in his hand. The static seemed to cut into his palm, sending pain throughout his body with every heartbeat.
His pupils contracted slightly from the pain, and a cold sweat broke out on his back despite the weather. He was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat.
Leland’s inner turmoil was immense. He prayed Winifred would say something, even if it was to curse him. But there was nothing-not even the static.
The call ended. Leland’s fingers trembled as he dialed again, only to hear a cold system message.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off…”
Leland gripped his phone tightly, almost afraid he would crush it. He got back into the car with a loud slam of the door, startling the driver.
The driver could read people well. Although he couldn’t see Leland’s expression from inside the car, he had heard him shouting Winifred’s name earlier.
“To the cemetery, quickly!” Leland ordered sternly.
“Yes,” the driver responded. He had already started the engine when Leland got in and now turned the steering wheel sharply. He glanced at Leland’s pale face; it was the first time he’d seen him look so distressed.
Leland usually came off as indifferent, treating emotions as unimportant. Though he cared about Winifred, it didn’t seem like deep love to outsiders.
Whether in matters of emotion or other affairs, Leland always appeared overly calm. His eyes could see through everything; he remained unruffled even in crises as if nothing could escape his control. But at this moment, fear showed on his face and his body trembled.
All of this was because of Winifred. Leland cared about her more than he realized-perhaps more than even he knew himself.
“Drive faster!”
The driver responded and floored the gas pedal.
Leland checked his phone for Winifred’s location and saw it moving rapidly. What was happening? Why had she called him without speaking? Why had her phone suddenly turned off? Why was the watch with the tracker moving quickly?
The tracker showed that it had left the cemetery area. Leland forced himself to stay calm and hesitated between chasing the tracker or heading to the cemetery. He guessed that Winifred might be in trouble.
After a moment, he decided to head to the cemetery and called someone else to follow the tracker.
A sudden “boom” echoed from the sky; lightning briefly illuminated the dark sky. It started raining halfway there.
Life is unpredictable-how could he assume that leaving Winifred alone at the cemetery wouldn’t lead to trouble?
Leland’s breath caught; his palms were icy cold. He didn’t want to think negatively, but his mind wouldn’t stop racing with thoughts of Winifred being in danger due to his poor judgment.
Condensation fogged up the car windows; outside views were blurry. Inside felt stifling until Leland opened a window and realized how heavy the rain was.
The driver sped through red lights on their way to the cemetery, grateful that it was nighttime and traffic was light on that route.
Rain impaired visibility slightly, testing driving skills to keep speed without skidding.
Finally reaching outside the cemetery, Leland found an umbrella in the car but ignored it in his fury. As soon as they stopped, he flung open the door and stepped into pouring rain that lashed against his face. Wiping his face with one hand, he shouted, “Winifred!”