If Winifred Dawson knew he was sick and watched him take his medicine, she’d probably curse him in her heart, wishing him an early death. Leland Burns believed he understood her well-Winifred had always been the “villain” in his eyes.
She was bad, and he was worse. In the end, they were a match made in hell.
Leland warned the children not to run around-the stairs were dangerous if they rushed.
Wayne Burns obeyed his father, but his small face was tense with worry. He feared Winifred would leave before he could see her off.
“Hurry, Dad!” Wayne urged. “If we don’t go faster, Auntie will leave!”
“She’s not going anywhere yet,” Leland replied calmly.
Wayne’s brows drooped. “I wish Aunt Winifred could stay here. Can’t she just not leave?”
Leland wanted her to stay too, but with Garrison Reeves in the picture, that wasn’t possible-not unless he found a way to get rid of him. Only then could he create an opportunity for himself and Winifred.
“If you want her to stay, sweeten your words a little.”
Wayne’s eyes widened. “Dad… are you trying to use me?”
“Seems you’ve been learning well-even picked up the word ‘use.'” Leland didn’t hide his intentions. He was using his own son to keep Winifred here. Patting Wayne’s head, he added, “Now that you know, work harder.”
Wayne nodded firmly. “I’ll do my best to keep Aunt Winifred!”
Downstairs, Leland glanced outside.
Winifred stood at the gate, trying to hail a cab. Fifteen minutes passed with no luck. She stomped her foot in frustration, restless as an ant on a hot pan.
Just as Leland had said-this place was too remote for taxis. She should’ve accepted his offer to ride back with his driver. If she couldn’t get a cab soon, she’d be late.
Finally, Winifred gave up. Defeated, she trudged back inside and stood before Leland.
“Mr. Burns, could you ask your driver to take me? It’s already very late.”
Leland checked his watch. “Since it’s late, why not stay? There are plenty of guest rooms.”
Winifred paled, a nervous sweat beading on her forehead. “You know I can’t. I shouldn’t have doubted you earlier. Please.”
She softened her tone, forced to beg for his help.
Leland smirked. “Fine. But tomorrow, you’ll come back and cook me lunch.”
“I don’t know how-”
“Don’t know, or don’t want to? If you really tried, you’d learn. Miss Dawson, is asking you to make one simple dish too much?”
Winifred gritted her teeth. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
Satisfied, Leland called his driver. The children followed her out, reluctant to let her go.
“Aunt Winifred, can’t you stay?”
A day ago, Winifred would’ve never imagined she’d grow so attached to Leland’s kids-or feel this reluctant to leave.
Kneeling, she ruffled their hair. “I’ll come early tomorrow to play with you.”
“Will you have breakfast with us?”
“Not breakfast, but eat yours properly.” She wouldn’t arrive until after nine.
“We can play games when I get here, then have lunch together.”
“Okay.”
Even with their protests, Winifred had to go. She hugged them tightly before stepping into the car.
Wayne clutched his brother’s hand, waving until the car vanished. When he turned back, he found his father standing behind them.
Leland scooped both boys into his arms. “Let’s go inside.”
“Dad,” Shawn asked, “when will Mom want to stay?”
That was a difficult question. Leland didn’t know-didn’t dare to hope. The more he craved, the deeper his obsession grew, worsening his condition.
He took a slow breath and said nothing.
—
Winifred had napped earlier, so she was wide awake now. The day had passed quicker than expected. She’d thought babysitting would be exhausting, but it was surprisingly easy. If every day were like this-stable, well-paid, with Leland never around-it’d be perfect.
But now he wanted her to cook for him tomorrow. She was terrible at it. Worse, the thought of spending the whole day with him made her skin crawl.
So much for a peaceful life. How would she survive tomorrow?
The entire ride home, Winifred brooded-until Garrison texted: “Off work yet?”
She replied quickly: “Already on my way. About 15 minutes.”
It struck her then-she hadn’t thought of Garrison all day. The kids had consumed her attention. Was that good or bad?
Leland’s luxury cars were too conspicuous. Winifred couldn’t risk Garrison seeing her arrive in one. She had the driver drop her at a bakery, where she bought a cake.
At the apartment, Garrison’s shoes by the door told her he was home. The kitchen smelled rich and savory.
“Garrison,” she called, stepping inside with the cake.
He stood at the stove, spatula in hand, frying fish in an apron.
“Welcome back. How was your first day?”
“Easier than I thought. Everyone was nice.” She’d gotten scarily good at lying to him.
Holding up the cake, she forced a smile. “I got dessert to celebrate.”
“Perfect. I made a feast.”
Garrison’s “feast” was fish soup. Winifred loved it, especially with crucian carp-tender but full of bones. She hated picking them out unless someone did it for her.
Today, Garrison used snakehead fish-boneless. After she’d choked on a carp bone once, he’d stopped using them. Her throat was already weak; the incident had aggravated an old injury.
Winifred set the cake down, watching him cook. Maybe she could learn something for tomorrow.
Besides the soup, there was a stir-fried vegetable and pork dish-simple, homely meals. They looked easy enough to replicate.
After dinner, Winifred lounged on the sofa, scrolling through her phone to avoid more questions about work.
Somehow, the shopping app recommended children’s clothes and toys. Her mind instantly pictured Wayne and Shawn. She was so absorbed she didn’t notice Garrison approaching.
“Why are you looking at kids’ clothes?”
She startled, pressing the phone to her stomach. “Garrison! You scared me.”
“Am I that terrifying? You’ve gone pale.” He persisted, “Seriously, why kids’ clothes?”
“Just random recommendations. They’re so cute now-fun to browse.”
Thankfully, she hadn’t been texting Leland. If Garrison had seen that, she’d have died on the spot.
With him nearby, she didn’t dare keep scrolling. A sudden call or message would be disastrous.
“Garrison… do you like kids?”
“No. They’re too much trouble.”
Winifred blinked. She’d assumed someone like him would adore children.
“How? They’re adorable.” She used to think they were troublesome too-until she met Wayne and Shawn. Well-behaved little angels-who wouldn’t want that?