Winifred Dawson was kidnapped.
Before she could put on makeup, the butler brought her breakfast, his attitude stern as if he would force-feed her if she refused. Under his watchful eyes, Winifred Dawson finished her meal.
She feigned calmness, knowing that if there were drugs in the breakfast, it would take some time for them to take effect. She endured for a long while, but as soon as her makeup was done and she changed into her clothes, a wave of dizziness hit her. She had anticipated this outcome and was not surprised.
By this point, Winifred Dawson had prepared herself for the worst possible ending-death. But if she could drag Leland Burns down from his “pedestal,” her life would have been worth much more.
The helicopter hovered in mid-air before slowly landing on an open field.
Through blurry vision, she saw Leland Burns.
He wore a black suit and held a bouquet of flowers, as if nothing had happened. On this day, according to the original schedule, he arrived punctually to marry his bride.
Winifred Dawson couldn’t understand why Leland Burns would take such a huge risk after guessing what had happened. Why expose himself to danger today just to marry her?
She knew that Leland Burns was obsessively persistent, never giving up until he achieved his goals. He was like a fisherman who wouldn’t reel in his line until he caught the fish, even if it meant breaking the net.
Servants shoved the dizzy and weak Winifred Dawson into the helicopter. She had a fear of heights, and combined with the effects of the drug, her already pale face turned even whiter against her white wedding dress. The wind lifted her skirt; it was too long and cumbersome.
Once on the helicopter, Leland Burns tore her skirt with his hands.
Even with her eyes closed, Winifred Dawson could feel Leland Burns’s simmering anger. She shivered, unsure if it was due to the cold weather.
“Open your eyes. You had the guts to do this; why can’t you face me? Was it fun acting? You managed to fool me for so long-hurting yourself, eating garbage off the ground, crying to me, playing dumb… How many more faces do you have that I don’t know about? Hmm?” He gripped her chin so tightly it felt like he might crush it.
The pain forced Winifred Dawson to open her eyes. She had thought the drug would knock her out completely but realized it only made her weak and pliable while still fully aware of everything happening around her.
The helicopter jolted slightly, causing a painful pressure in Winifred Dawson’s chest and making her feel nauseous. Leland Burns threw the torn piece of her wedding dress out of the window.
Winifred Dawson saw a flash of white fall away and felt a chill on her bare legs. Her toes curled up as Leland Burns held onto her ankle.
She coughed and rasped sarcastically, “I learned from you. You hid by my side for eight years; I haven’t even lasted eight months and you’re already losing patience? Leland Burns, shouldn’t you be running for your life now that you’re wanted? Yet here you are making a grand show just to marry me-a fool and an enemy?”
Leland Burns didn’t want to hear this. Seeing Winifred Dawson’s indifferent attitude made his eyes grow colder. He raised his hand and gripped her neck.
“In these months, did you not love me at all? Was it all an act?”
He knew the answer but asked anyway.
Winifred Dawson met his bloodshot eyes. “Fake. Can’t you understand human speech? Do I need to repeat myself? Do you think someone like me would fall in love with you? We have so many lives between us. You’ve violated me, imprisoned me, humiliated me… With someone like you, I can’t kill you fast enough; how could I love you? If I loved you, I wouldn’t have stolen your fingerprints to sell important secrets or exposed your whereabouts. I want you dead! If my acting seemed real, it’s because I was playing the old you. Isn’t that ironic?”
Leland Burns must have found some resonance in seeing such “humble” behavior from her these past months. Rather than loving her, he loved himself through her.
Words can be like knives when expressing hatred, stabbing deep into one’s heart.
The more pain Leland Burns felt now, the happier Winifred Dawson became. She had hidden for so long and finally achieved her goal; she no longer needed to disgust herself by pretending to love him.
As his grip tightened around her neck, Winifred Dawson seemed unfazed by the pain-like a porcupine bristling its quills.
“You don’t know how disgusting it was sharing a bed with you these days-eating together, bathing together…”
“Enough!” Leland Burns roared angrily, cutting her off. “Don’t say another word! Do you believe I’ll throw you out right now?”