During breakfast, Winifred kept yawning, her eyes barely open. She was so sleepy that she only managed a couple of bites of her sandwich and drank half a glass of milk.
The nanny, hired by Garrison, was there primarily to improve Winifred’s diet and ensure she finished her meals. Seeing how little she had eaten that morning, the nanny was about to remind her when Garrison raised his hand to stop her.
“I’m full,” Winifred said in a slightly whiny tone.
“If you can’t finish it, don’t force yourself. There will be food on the plane later.”
“Okay,” Winifred replied with another yawn. “I’m so tired.”
“You can sleep more on the plane.”
Winifred didn’t even wait to get on the plane; she fell asleep leaning against Garrison in the car, covered with a blanket. She slept soundly without waking up until they reached the airport. Garrison had to wake her up, and she still looked exhausted, her hair messy despite the long sleep.
They didn’t bring much with them; only an assistant carried a backpack. Garrison held his phone in one hand and tightly held Winifred’s hand with the other. The airport was quite busy at eight in the morning. After passing through security, Winifred was completely awake. She sat next to Garrison in the waiting hall, looking out at the planes through the large windows.
As she became more alert, her mind began to wander. She was about to board a plane to a foreign country and meet Garrison’s parents. Had he told his parents about her? Did they know she was the same Winifred from before?
It seemed unlikely. Garrison had mentioned that fewer people knowing her true identity was better. She was Winifred but a different one from the past; only their names were the same.
Thinking about all this made Winifred anxious about whether she could adapt to life abroad and what their home there would be like.
Facing unfamiliar situations naturally brought fear. If she couldn’t adapt, Garrison wouldn’t let her go out alone.
Garrison noticed her unease immediately.
“What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing…”
Garrison glanced at her clenched fists, a telltale sign of her nervousness or lying.
“What are you nervous about?”
Knowing she couldn’t hide it from him, Winifred said, “I just don’t know how to face your parents. What if they notice something? What if they don’t like me?”
“Why care about others’ opinions? Just be yourself. Besides, I believe no one could dislike you as you are. Be genuine; there’s no need to pretend to please anyone.” Garrison gently patted her head four times. “Remember?”
“That’s easy to say, but they are your parents.”
“They respect my choices. And as I’ve told you before, they have no right to interfere in our relationship. If I’m not worried, why should you be?”
Another plane took off outside as Winifred watched. “What’s it like abroad?”
“It’s nice-different cultures and experiences worth exploring-but I still prefer home; otherwise, I wouldn’t have returned.”
“Did I go abroad alone for you back then?”
Garrison gave an ambiguous answer. “You could say that.”
“And my parents…” Winifred hesitated. Mentioning her parents always brought pain. She feared learning the full truth and not being able to handle it.
She wanted to ask if her parents’ misfortune was because she went abroad.
She held back those words again.
Garrison read her mind. “Your parents’ death had nothing to do with you; don’t overthink it.”
Winifred nodded reluctantly. When it was time to board, Garrison stood up and extended his hand. “Let’s go.”
Winifred placed her hand in his palm gently, and he held it firmly but did not cause her any pain.
On the plane, Winifred sat beside Garrison, curiously looking around at everything.
Garrison called a flight attendant for breakfast and a thin blanket for Winifred so she could sleep comfortably without catching a cold.
The plane offered movies to watch. Although Winifred had some breakfast earlier, she couldn’t finish this new serving and handed half of it to Garrison.
He took it without hesitation, used to this routine by now. While Winifred needed many bites for her food, he finished it quickly yet elegantly.
After eating and drinking enough, Winifred intended to watch a movie but fell asleep instead.
Garrison anticipated this and gently removed her headphones before tucking her in more securely.
Winifred’s sleep was restless; she often frowned and made small noises as if having nightmares that she’d forget upon waking.
The flight from Bankshire to Midlands took about 14 hours-eating, watching movies, sleeping-the time passed quickly. During this period, Garrison only had a cup of coffee while flipping through recent financial magazines until he stumbled upon Leland.
His heart skipped a beat; his hand shook slightly, spilling coffee on that page. He quickly cleaned up the mess as an attentive flight attendant came over.
“Are you alright, sir?” she asked softly.
“I’m fine,” Garrison replied with a frown, eyes still on Leland’s profile. “Throw this magazine away.”
“Aren’t you reading it?”
“It’s dirty.” Keeping his voice low not to wake Winifred.
“Shall I get you another one?”
“No need,” he said curtly with a hint of coldness in his tone.
The flight attendant nodded and disposed of the dirty magazine without further thought into Garrison’s mood.
Turning back to look at sleeping Winifred, he was determined not to let her know about Leland. For four years, he had hidden any information about Leland from her-blocking related content on their home’s network and even discarding magazines featuring him.
Perhaps only by marrying Winifred would he finally feel less tense.