Time changes everything, and even Leland Burns couldn’t be certain if he truly wanted Winifred Dawson’s child. What he thought now might not be the same in the future.
But when he imagined the arrival of the child, he desperately hoped for one who resembled Winifred Dawson. After all, it was her fertilized egg that would bring the child into the world, so it would likely bear some resemblance to her.
Time is both the best remedy and the cruelest poison. The faces of those we love most dearly become increasingly blurred in our memories over time, and the events we shared with them slowly fade away. Sometimes, we can’t even distinguish if those moments were dreams or reality.
He looked forward to the child’s arrival, hoping it would keep Winifred Dawson forever alive in his memory. However, he felt powerless when it came to raising a child.
Leland Burns had never experienced fatherly love and had no idea how to care for a child or show it affection. Moreover, given his current precarious situation with many enemies around him, having a child would only bring danger and become a vulnerability.
When Henry asked him that question, Leland thought for a long time and made up his mind after much contemplation.
“Let’s wait five more years. I’ll consider having the child then.”
Henry didn’t know what Leland Burns had thought during those quiet seconds, but after receiving a definitive answer, they ended the call.
Wesley, standing nearby, watched Henry closely. Although he couldn’t hear what Leland Burns said on the phone, he could guess from Henry’s expression and responses.
Henry put his phone away and told Wesley, “The boss said he’ll reconsider having the child in five years.”
“The hospital can store it for five years.”
Henry sighed, “I feel like the boss isn’t someone who can easily forget or let go. Even though he’s not asking us to continue searching for Winifred Dawson now, I bet he still can’t get over her. He might still be up late at night searching for news about her online.”
People who seem indifferent often find it hardest to let go when they truly fall in love. Once someone has tasted the sweetness of love, who would willingly go back to bitterness?
How long can someone love another person? A year? Two years? Five years? Ten years?
Leland Burns had been with Winifred Dawson for ten years. How many decades does one have in life? Henry was sure that after five years, Leland Burns would still use Winifred Dawson’s fertilized egg to have a child. If cloning were possible, he might even do something as crazy as cloning Winifred Dawson herself.
Henry quickly called the hospital to apologize and ensure that the fertilized eggs were carefully preserved.
He couldn’t stop worrying about Leland Burns. Even though Leland had given him a long vacation, he couldn’t enjoy himself because his mind was always on Leland Burns.
After just a week of his half-month vacation, he returned.
While Leland Burns gave up searching for Winifred Dawson, Garrison Reeves’ people continued their efforts. He had fewer people working on it and lower stakes, so it wasn’t as strenuous as Leland Burns’ search.
Garrison Reeves slowly expanded his search to nearby cities. He believed that as long as he didn’t give up, he would eventually find news about Winifred Dawson and locate her. This time, he wouldn’t fall behind Leland Burns.
Surprisingly, despite Garrison Reeves’ expectations of Leland Burns’ persistence, Leland’s team stopped searching just one day after Garrison Reeves was hospitalized.
Finding someone is easier with more people involved. With Leland Burns’ team out of the picture, Garrison Reeves lost three-quarters of his manpower, making the search much harder.
Garrison Reeves was stunned when he received this news in the hospital. He thought he must have misheard or hallucinated because it didn’t seem like something Leland Burns would do.
Leland Burns wasn’t one to give up easily. So why did he suddenly stop searching? Garrison Reeves couldn’t help but wonder if Leland had already found Winifred Dawson.
But that didn’t make sense either; Garrison’s team was also monitoring that area closely. If Leland’s people had found her, Garrison’s team would have known.
Despite disliking how Leland treated Winifred Dawson, Garrison Reeves had to admit that Leland had deep feelings for her.
So why give up now? Did he also believe that Winifred Dawson was dead?
Garrison Reeves refused to give up and continued his search for Winifred Dawson-alive or dead.
A week later, a decomposed female corpse was discovered in a seaside village. The islanders who found the body quickly reported it to the police, and news reached both Leland Burns and Garrison Reeves.
The corpse was badly decomposed with an unrecognizable face but wore clothes similar to what Winifred Dawson had on when she disappeared from the boat.
It would take time to verify the identity through an autopsy. Upon hearing the news, Leland rushed to the scene immediately. Garrison Reeves also went despite recently being discharged from the hospital; his movements were still painful due to his healing ribs. He arrived in a wheelchair pushed by someone else.
Leland arrived first and left after taking one look at the body.
Henry also heard about the discovery of a female corpse by the sea and wondered if it could be Winifred Dawson.
Previously indifferent about her fate, Henry now suddenly hoped she was alive so that at least Leland wouldn’t suffer as much.
Henry came out of curiosity after searching for Winifred Dawson for so long; he wanted to know if she was really dead. But upon arriving with Leland and seeing him turn away without emotion after just one glance at the body, Henry was left confused about what to do next-approach or follow Leland?
In the end, Henry chose to follow Leland instead of examining the body further. If someone who cared so deeply about Winifred wasn’t interested anymore, why should an outsider like him be?
At this point, it was hard to tell whether Leland still cared about Winifred Dawson or not.