The church was decorated lavishly. From a high vantage point, one could see a sea of red roses, Winifred Dawson’s favorite, though she was allergic to them.
There were too many roses. Winifred Dawson was so sensitive to pollen that just the scent made her uncomfortable.
Yet, there were thousands of roses around her, their vibrant red unmatched by anyone else but Winifred Dawson.
She deserved to be cherished.
But such beauty, when unattainable, could breed dark thoughts, making one want to destroy it. The desire to crush the lively roses into the mud was overwhelming, as if only then could the roses and the dirt become one.
A helicopter landed. Leland Burns disembarked and forcefully pulled Winifred Dawson out. She leaned weakly against him, relying on his strength.
The helicopter landed in the square outside the church. A red carpet led to the entrance. Today was a date Leland Burns had carefully chosen; the almanac said it was auspicious for marriage. The weather forecast predicted clear skies and a temperature around 25 degrees-perfect for Winifred Dawson’s wedding dress without fear of heat rash or cold.
He had gone through great lengths to prepare for this day, only to face what he saw as Winifred Dawson’s “betrayal.”
As soon as she stepped off the helicopter, she smelled the roses but did not have an allergic reaction.
“These are your favorite roses,” Leland Burns answered her unspoken question with a cool voice. “I went through various methods to cultivate roses that wouldn’t trigger your allergies, just to surprise you today. But your surprise for me was much greater.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
Leland Burns held her wrist tightly and laughed coldly at her question. “Of course, I brought you here to get married. Today was supposed to be our happiest day. Are you touched? Even while escaping for my life, I wanted to marry you. Once we’re married, you’re mine forever-in this life and the next. Even if I die… I’ll haunt you.”
Winifred Dawson felt a chill run down her spine despite the warm weather.
“Let’s go, my bride.” Ignoring her protests, he dragged her up the red carpet towards the church.
Winifred Dawson thought Leland Burns had lost his mind. Even now, he wasn’t thinking of hiding but insisted on dragging her here for a wedding.
Seeing his calm demeanor, she couldn’t understand whether he was going to his death or had a backup plan.
Inside the church, it was eerily quiet and empty except for the grand statue of Jesus and his twelve disciples in the center. The hall was vast and majestic, almost heavenly.
Winifred Dawson instinctively held her breath as they entered.
He forced her to stand before the statue of Jesus and look up.
“Winifred Dawson, I’m giving you a chance. Swear before Jesus that you love me and will never be with another man from now on. If you do that today, I’ll let you go.”
Winifred Dawson couldn’t understand why he didn’t get it after all this time. She had repeatedly expressed her dislike for him through words, actions, and body language. Her previous declarations of love were mere deceit.
She thought Leland Burns understood this by now. But clearly, he didn’t care about anything she said or did; he dragged her here regardless of logic or reason.
This church had witnessed countless genuine and passionate loves.
But what were they? Enemies who wished each other dead.
Dressed in a wedding gown surrounded by symbolic roses under Jesus’ witness, they were about to perform a ludicrous wedding ceremony.
“Leland Burns, I’ve told you I lied. I don’t want to marry you or have your children. Do you know how painful it was when they inserted needles into me to retrieve eggs? I wished you were dead at that moment. If I wanted to marry you today, I wouldn’t have exposed your crimes to your enemies.”
She expected him to get angry again.
But surprisingly, he remained calm: “I know you lied to me. Since you’ve deceived me for so long, let’s continue today. Here, say… that you love me forever-through poverty or wealth, health or sickness-you’ll never leave me… Say it…” His voice trembled with emotion at the end.
“Why should I say what you want? Isn’t it disgusting that you’re still chasing such unrealistic lies?”
“It is unrealistic.” How could Winifred Dawson understand that he had waited too long for this day? From early on… even before he understood what “love” meant, he imagined swearing eternal togetherness with Winifred Dawson in such a place.
Many people had shown him affection over time; he wasn’t lacking in admirers. Yet he fixated on someone who never cared about him.
Leland Burns laughed bitterly as his expression gradually twisted like a storm brewing silently but powerfully.
Sensing danger instinctively, Winifred Dawson tried to retreat but was pinned against a table by Leland Burns’ grip on her waist. Her wedding dress was nearly torn apart; as she struggled, her pale legs became exposed.
“If it’s unrealistic,” he said menacingly, “then doing something unrealistic shouldn’t matter…” He had enough time left; while he couldn’t make Winifred Dawson love him forever-making her hate him eternally was achievable.
He wanted to imprint himself as an indelible scar on her heart so that every thought of him would bring pain.
Leland Burns transformed into a ravenous wolf as he forcefully took her in that sacred place despite her pleas and surroundings-leaving Winifred Dawson’s body as broken as her wedding dress.
“Leland Burns… stop…”
“You swore an oath: if forced into something painful against your will-you’d lose everything important-and suffer endlessly like I have…”