“You can’t put too much force, or you’ll crush it,” Leilani explains, “Small chunks are perfect.”
She puts down the knife and waits for Waylen to take it, but Waylen doesn’t move at all. She looks up at him and finds him staring down at her with a hungry look in his eyes.
Waylen suddenly bends over. He can always locate her lips quickly. Leilani responds, thinking it’ll be their last kiss. She sucks, nibbles and bites as he taught her. Waylen grabbed her waist and pulled her body against his. She grabs his neck, runs her fingers through his hair, and kisses him as hard as she can.
Waylen is slightly surprised by her response. Leilani used to be reluctant to kiss him, and when he kissed her, she seemed to be counting the seconds until it was over. Now she seems to lose track of time, becoming increasingly enthusiastic as they continue. He lifts her up, and she wraps her legs around him.
“You’re overzealous today,” Waylen murmurs against her ear.
His deep voice sends tremors through her body. She wonders why she can’t control herself this time.
“Maybe it’s because it’s the last time,” she thinks.
“Don’t go,” Waylen suddenly says.
Leilani stiffens and pushes away from him.
“Are you changing your mind?” she asks.
“Do you want me to?” he replies.
Leilani shakes her head without hesitation, “I don’t.”
She considers telling Waylen that Andrew is holding Gabrielle hostage, but she’s worried that his involvement will cause more troubles and put Gabrielle in even more danger.
“Wait until the results come,” Waylen suggests.
Leilani feels even more panicked. She knows Waylen will never let her leave once he sees the results.
“No,” she says, “Andrew’s guys will pick me up at 11 o’clock.”
She’s terrified that the results will come early and ruin all her plans. Upon hearing Andrew’s name, Waylen begins to scowl.
“Are you afraid?” Waylen asks menacingly.
“Why should I be?” she responds.
“I think you know exactly why,” Waylen says, giving her a deep and searching look, “I think you and your baby are all mines.”
Waylen’s look is horrid. Leilani half wonders if he’s going to look her up to keep her from escaping.
“No,” she says, trying to remain calm, “That’s why I’m afraid.”
“You’re lying,” Waylen snarls.
“Now, if you want to ask me for anything nice, I can grant that wish,” Leilani says lightly, “It’ll be like a bonus for you in the remaining hours.”
There is burning rage in Waylen’s eyes, but he lets go of Leilani.
“I’ll let you go,” he whispers, “Rest assured.”
The sentence gives Waylen an unbearable pain, but the relief on her face hurts him even more deeply.
“I could never tolerate a wife who cheats on me,” Waylen says cruelly, “I’ll let you go—the further, the better. You’d better pray you never see me again in your life.”
Suddenly, Waylen turns away from her and picks up the knife. Wordlessly, he chops the ingredient. When they finish cooking, they sit down to eat breakfast. It takes almost two hours for them to eat, and the entire meal is silent. Leilani gets up to finish preparing for her departure.
“Wait for a moment,” Waylen suddenly says.
Leilani turns around. She doesn’t know what he wants. There is nothing left unsaid between them. Waylen whispers something to Robert, and the butler walks to Leilani’s suitcase.
“Mrs. Bamford, we have to check your suitcase as a precaution,” Robert explains.
Leilani frowns with dissatisfaction.
“We’re just making sure that you don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you,” Robert continues.
“I didn’t take anything apart from my clothes,” Leilani answers, offended.
“It’s just standard procedure,” Robert says.
Leilani can’t refuse. The maids opened her suitcase and began to rummage through it. There’s nothing out of the ordinary—just clothes and some books.
“Is it okay?” Leilani asks nervously.
She has precisely fifteen minutes before she’s supposed to meet Andrew’s men. She begins to wonder if it’s less of a routine search and more of a desperate tactic to stall for time.
The maids finish examining each item and begin again. Leilani doesn’t ask any questions. Instead, she runs upstairs and carries a gift box down with her.
“I kept my promise,” she says, passing the present to Waylen.
Waylen looks at it with complicated emotions. He’s about to open it, but Leilani stops him.
“No,” she said gently, “You have to wait until I’m gone.”
Waylen smiles harshly and throws the box across the room. The violence of the impact knocks a wire in the recorder loose. The box begins to make a loud static sound. Agitated, Waylen gets up and kicks the box.
“Throw it away!” he orders.
Leilani bites her lip. She stayed up for two nights to finish the gift on time. It contains all 72 photos he asked her to take a letter and her goodbye recording. The gift is a true labor of love, but Waylen throws it away as if it’s offensive garbage. Leilani feels her eyes sting with tears, but she pretends to be unaffected.
“It’s yours,” she says with a shrug, “You can do whatever you want with it. Can I leave now?”
“Sir, we found a button,” a maid announces.
Leilani feels her heart skip a beat with anxiety. She cut it off from one of Waylen’s shirts. There’s a saying that the second button on a shirt is closest to the heart. She secretly removed the second button from one of his shirts to keep with her always. The button is distinct because it bears a small impression of the Bamford family crest. The maids immediately recognize it as Waylen’s.
“I don’t know why it is in my suitcase,” Leilani says innocently, hoping to avoid delays, “It must’ve gotten caught on some of my clothing or something.”
Waylen puts the button in his trouser pocket without a word. Then he whispers something to Robert. Leilani forces a bitter smile.
“He’s taken the button back, and he refuses to speak to me directly,” she thinks sadly.
“Mr. Bamford says he hasn’t given you anything in your years of marriage,” Robert announces, “He says you can pick one item to take with you now.”
It’s true that Waylen has never given her a real present. He even took the pink diamond ring back after finding out Leonie had a similar one.
“How about the button?” Leilani asks.
She doesn’t want much—the button is enough. If Waylen refuses, there’s only one other thing she wants.
“Mr. Bamford says you can have anything but the button,” Robert announces.
Leilani doesn’t understand his refusal—it’s only a button—but she nods her acceptance.
“How about the world’s smallest pistol?” she asks, “The real one.”
Waylen is slightly surprised by Leilani’s choice, but he nodded his agreement. Robert rushes away and returns with the box containing the pistol. He passes the gun to Leilani.
“Mrs. Bamford, it’s very powerful,” Robert warns, “Be careful and don’t hurt yourself.”
“Can I have the couple’s phone too?” she asks.
Waylen is about to leave the room, but he stops when he hears her second request. He looks at her with a complicated expression.
“It’s fine if I can’t,” Leilani says quickly.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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