Chapter 154
Winifred didn’t want to admit it, but she felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes felt hot. She put on her usual tough act and grumbled, “Don’t think I’m gonna thank you for this. I never asked you to cook for me. Usually, I’ve got some fancy chef making my food. Who knows if yours is even edible?”
'Yeah, right. Like I ever had a chef,' Winifred scoffed inwardly. Her life was a mess—up all night, sleeping all day, and whenever she got hungry, she was too lazy to go out, so it was microwave pizza again. Honestly, even a plain bowl of chicken broth like this was enough to make her crave a real meal.
“Go ahead and eat. If it tastes bad, we can always eat out instead. By the way, are you happy with the tattoo?” Sienna asked, her tone casual but with a hint of concern.
Winifred pulled out a chair and sat down, giving a quiet “Mm-hmm” in response.
Watching Winifred wolf down her food, Sienna felt a heavy, suffocating weight settle in her chest, like she was being smothered by damp cotton. She took a deep breath, wanting to look away, but found herself unable to tear her eyes off her.
By the time Winifred was done, she had eaten nearly two-thirds of the dishes. Full and satisfied, she let out a burp.
With her back to Sienna, Winifred muttered, “Your cooking is really good,” then picked up her plate and headed into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Sienna stepped forward, reached out, and gently pressed Winifred’s head into her arms, hugging her tightly. “Winifred, come home with me,” she said, her voice soft but full of longing.
Winifred was suddenly wrapped in warmth, and for a split second, it felt like her cold, lonely heart finally had somewhere to belong. Something in her mind seemed to burst open, flooding her with emotions she didn’t want to face.
She pushed Sienna away, turned her back, and walked off. “This is my home,” she snapped.
'Why should I go back with her? She’s a liar. For all I know, she could just disappear again one day and leave me behind. I’m not going through that again. If the only warmth I get is so uncertain, I’d rather not have it at all,' Winifred thought, her heart hardening.
'If I just stay in the dark, at least nothing can hurt me,' she told herself, clinging to that last bit of self-protection.
Sienna lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Her absent-minded look didn’t escape Amber, who was snuggled up beside her. Amber hugged Sienna’s arm and shook it gently. “Something on your mind, sis?”
'She’s holding me, but is she actually thinking about Vivian?' Amber thought, a little pang of jealousy stabbing at her.
How can she be so fickle? That’s just mean, Amber grumbled inwardly, feeling both hurt and annoyed.
“You’re still awake?” Sienna asked, her voice soft and a little accusing.
“Oh, Sienna, don’t try to change the subject! Spill it, spill it–are you thinking about someone else?” Amber pouted, rubbing her fair forehead against Sienna’s arm.
Her soft hair brushed against Sienna, making her a little itchy, but it was kind of cute.
“Well, I’m thinking…” Sienna started, but before she could finish, Amber suddenly sat up, putting on a super serious face.
“I won’t let you think about her! Right now, you can only think about me!” Amber declared, sounding both bossy and a little jealous.
'Vivian must’ve said something to her on the phone. What a scheming woman. Even she’s all the way overseas, she’s still scheming?' Amber thought, feeling a surge of suspicion.
“I’m thinking about Winifred,” Sienna said, her tone calm and even.
Amber blinked in surprise. 'Winifred? Winifred Hart? That terrifying woman?' she thought, a chill running down her spine.
Sienna caught the guarded look in Amber’s eyes. “Amber, can you tell me more about her?” she asked softly.
“She’s the worst! She’s always scaring people with snakes and centipedes. She even keeps a pet snake.
Sienna reached over to ruffle her hair. “Alright, time to sleep.”
“Okay,” Amber murmured, closing her eyes. But in her dreams, she saw that same street-tough girl again—the one who used to bully her classmates.
The girl had a snake coiled around her hand and plopped it right on Amber’s head. Amber burst into tears, terrified. She jolted awake, heart still pounding, and immediately dove into Sienna’s arms, clinging to her tightly. “Sis,” she whimpered.
Meanwhile, far away in another country, Vivian had just finished a round of socializing and returned to her hotel. After freshening up and towel-drying her hair, she glanced at her phone, amused by the endless stream of friend requests popping up.
This time, she hit “accept.”