“Miss… Miss, why are you sleeping here? What if you catch a cold? Get up.”
Winifred Dawson was woken up. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, with a few sleep marks on her face, indicating she had slept here for a while.
The servant thought Winifred Dawson was really difficult to deal with. When she was well, she acted like a spoiled princess; now that she was ill, she was even more troublesome. She seemed not to understand anything they said, doing whatever she pleased. Instead of sleeping in her room, she came here. If she got sick, Mr. Burns would blame them, and a pay cut would be the least of their worries-they might lose their jobs.
With this in mind, the servant grabbed Winifred Dawson’s hand more forcefully.
Winifred Dawson frowned but said nothing, stumbling barefoot as she was pulled along.
Back in her bedroom, the servant released her hand, leaving a red mark on her pale wrist.
“Miss Dawson, what were you doing at the study door? It’s always locked; you can’t get in.”
The study contained many important documents, and Leland Burns never allowed anyone inside. He even cleaned it himself.
“I miss him. He’s always inside and never comes out. I want to find him… Why isn’t he here? I can’t find him…”
Was she pretending not to understand or did she really not get it? The servant looked at Winifred Dawson’s bewildered expression and felt utterly exhausted.
It seemed that after the shock, she had truly become foolish. In the morning, she knew Leland Burns had gone to work; by afternoon, she had forgotten again.
The servant suddenly felt pity for Winifred Dawson. Once a proud young lady, she had now become someone who knew nothing. Such a person wouldn’t even know how to dodge if you hit her.
Looking at her hand, it had recovered well without being crippled but no longer had its original delicate beauty. It was said that this young lady used to be talented in painting and playing musical instruments. Now with her hands like this, those skills were likely lost to her forever.
Afternoon tea was set in the bedroom; the servant had brought it in earlier. After delivering it, she couldn’t find Winifred Dawson and was terrified until she found her curled up asleep by the study door.
“Miss, are you hungry?” The servant changed the topic and led her to the table. “Have some food. Do you need me to feed you?”
“No need, I can eat by myself.” Winifred Dawson’s attention was immediately diverted to the chocolate strawberry cake and pearl milk tea on the small table.
She sat down and began eating the cake with small spoonfuls.
“Take your time eating; I’ll be downstairs.”
Winifred Dawson was too engrossed in eating to respond.
After leaving the room and closing the door behind her, Winifred Dawson stopped eating. She got up and placed a piece of tape with Leland Burns’ fingerprint on it behind the nightstand.
…
Today, Leland Burns returned to Autumn Joy Estate earlier than usual, arriving before five o’clock. After getting out of the car, he instinctively glanced around but didn’t see Winifred Dawson.
Habits were indeed frightening things. For the past month, Winifred Dawson had clung to him everywhere he went. Today at work without her presence felt off; he was uncomfortable all day long. Even during meetings, he found himself daydreaming.
His brain sent warning signals that this wasn’t a good sign and that he needed to change this habit.
Upon entering, he saw the butler, servants, and chef all waiting at the door but not Winifred Dawson.
Given his understanding of Winifred Dawson now, she should have been waiting at the door for him just like before when she’d wait outside his study with a puppy-like look on her face.
“Where is Winifred Dawson?”
“Miss is resting upstairs.”
“How has she been today?”
“She waited for you all day and finally calmed down. She’s resting in her bedroom now… Also…” The servant paused, considering how to phrase what came next delicately.
“What else?”
“I feel Miss’s condition is erratic. Her memory is poor; she’s better when you’re around but worse when you’re not.”
Leland Burns frowned upon hearing this and quickened his pace towards the second-floor room.
Opening the door, Leland Burns froze momentarily as his pupils contracted. He saw Winifred Dawson kneeling on the floor amidst a puddle of spilled pearl milk tea. She was picking up “pearls” from the floor to eat. Seeing Leland Burns return, she trembled and looked at him fearfully.
“Get up.”
Having Winifred Dawson act foolishly was beneficial for Leland Burns since it made her cling to him exclusively and never leave him again.
But this “foolish” person before him-was she really still the Winifred Dawson he loved? The real Winifred Dawson would never kneel on the floor picking up food scraps to eat.