“Winifred Dawson, don’t you want to have a child of your own?” Leland Burns finally thought of saying something nice to entice Winifred Dawson.
“Think about it, if you had a daughter, she would be as beautiful as you. She would keep you company at home, and you could buy her pretty dresses, watch her grow up, accompany her to school. It would give you a sense of accomplishment you’ve never had before.”
Winifred Dawson thought: She didn’t want children at all.
But she had to continue acting with Leland Burns. She had deceived him for so long; she couldn’t afford to slip up now.
“I can’t even take care of myself. How can I take care of a child?”
“I will arrange for many people to take care of both you and the child.”
Egg retrieval wasn’t considered surgery. Winifred Dawson had the procedure in the morning and was brought home by Leland Burns in the afternoon. The chef at home prepared medicinal food that smelled faintly of herbs but tasted quite good.
However, Winifred Dawson had no appetite today. If Leland Burns hadn’t coaxed her into eating half a bowl of porridge, she wouldn’t have eaten at all.
After dinner, she felt drowsy. Leland Burns knew this was a side effect of the egg retrieval; her body was extremely fatigued. He picked her up in his arms, and Winifred Dawson instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
It had become his habit to help Winifred Dawson wash up and clean her body. But tonight, since she couldn’t touch water, he simply wiped her down with a warm towel.
Seeing how tired and sleepy she was, Leland Burns carefully laid her on the bed and held her in his arms.
After the egg retrieval, they couldn’t be intimate for a month. Late at night, Leland Burns remembered this medical advice and felt a bit regretful. In half a month, it would be their wedding day. A wedding without consummation felt incomplete. If he had known earlier… he would have taken her for the procedure sooner.
His business trip was moved up by a day; he had to leave on the 9th. For the next few days, Leland Burns stayed by Winifred Dawson’s side whenever he could, trying to keep her happy and relaxed. But Winifred Dawson remained listless and spent most of her time in bed, showing no interest in accompanying him to work.
On the 7th, while packing his luggage, Winifred Dawson watched from the side.
Leland Burns paused: “Don’t you want to ask me anything?”
Winifred Dawson thought for a moment: “Where are you going?”
“A business trip.”
“For how many days?”
“I’ll be back by the 14th at the latest.”
Winifred Dawson already knew this information but asked just to make conversation. After a few words, she didn’t feel like talking anymore.
“Do you want to come with me?”
Winifred Dawson’s face remained unchanged, but her heart raced. She turned away towards the window: “No, I’m still mad at you. I don’t want to go out with you. Besides, I’m still not feeling well; it still hurts inside…” She pointed below her navel.
Even when angry, she looked inexplicably endearing. Leland Burns hadn’t planned on taking Winifred Dawson on this trip anyway; it was too dangerous for her outside. Only at home was she truly safe.
But thinking back to how she used to cling to him like a shadow wherever he went, it felt strange that she now didn’t want to follow him. It made him uncomfortable.
Suppressing that discomfort, Leland Burns said: “Today I’ll spend time with you. What do you want to eat? We’ll go out for dinner.”
“Hotpot.”
“No.”
“Then why ask me?”
“The doctor said your diet needs to be light. Don’t even think about heavy flavors. Next time I won’t ask.”
“I’ve been drinking soup for so many days; my mouth is tasteless.”
Her words seemed to hit a nerve with Leland Burns. His eyes darkened as he leaned closer: “Then I need to taste…”
“…”
The kiss left Winifred Dawson breathless as she clutched his shirt tightly, wrinkling it.
He didn’t let go after the kiss either; his lips brushed against her sensitive neck before lightly biting her earlobe: “Winifred Dawson, I’ll be back soon. Wait for me to marry you. I’ve already planned our honeymoon destination-we’ll go to the seaside amusement park because I remember you love it…”
He had never taken Winifred Dawson to an amusement park before; she had gone with Garrison Reeves.
To Leland Burns, amusement parks were somewhat “dangerous.” Some thrilling rides weren’t suitable for Winifred Dawson, and crowded places made him worry about losing her.
Winifred Dawson’s pale face turned red from his kisses as she leaned against his shoulder and softly replied: “Okay.”
That evening, Leland Burns took Winifred Dawson out for dinner again-light food as usual-but eating out felt different and more lively. The surrounding environment improved their appetite slightly; tonight Leland Burns even got her an extra piece of cake.
Winifred Dawson fell asleep early that night before ten o’clock, but Leland Burns couldn’t sleep at all. He watched over her sleeping face, wanting one more look before leaving…
Every time he tried closing his eyes to sleep, thoughts of Winifred Dawson made him open them again until he confirmed she was beside him and felt at ease.
He hadn’t felt this anxious in a long time; it seemed like leaving now meant never seeing Winifred Dawson again.
He laughed at himself for such thoughts-unfounded worries-how could he not see her? She was right here in this villa with plenty of people watching over her and security cameras everywhere. Besides, with her current mental state and attachment to him, she wouldn’t leave voluntarily.
They were about to get married soon and have their own child; everything was moving towards a beautiful future. Why think such unlucky thoughts?
Perhaps because things that were once unattainable came too quickly-grasping them felt like holding sand that could slip away easily-it didn’t feel real enough yet.
Leland Burns checked his watch before loading a tracking device onto Winifred Dawson’s tablet so she could know where he was anytime and contact him if needed.
On the 9th morning when Leland Burns woke up early while Winifred Dawson still slept soundly despite his slow movements not wanting disturb but still did as she rubbed eyes looking at him dragging suitcase towards door asking “Are you leaving?”