Chapter 4

Wesley took a deep breath and held my hand. His warm hand was trembling a little. "Sophie, a lot of things are not how you think they are. In this position… there are simply a lot of things that I can't choose for myself." I asked in retort, "So, calling me a lapdog in front of your men is one of those things out of your control?" His grip tightened, causing me pain. "Those words?" He gulped. "I wanted them to hear it. The Grant family politics are rather complicated, so I can't let anyone know that I truly care for you. It will become leverage over me." What a perfect explanation. If I hadn't heard him smirking and being condescending, I would have almost believed him. The nurse entered to change my dressing, breaking the eerie silence in the room. Wesley stood up and resumed his usual regal self. He helped me adjust my pillow. His actions were so gentle that it was as if I were his precious lover. "Have a good rest," he whispered in my ear. "Once you're discharged, I'll take you somewhere." … After he left, I turned to look at the grey skies out of the window. Sometimes, I truly wonder whether Wesley had multiple personalities. He could watch, expressionless, as someone drove a knife into me. And yet, he could also sit by my hospital bed throughout the entire night, keeping watch over me. However, I soon got rid of this idea. It was not that he had multiple personalities. I was just too naive. So naive that every time he showed me just an ounce of charity or concern, I would completely forget what a selfish and cruel man he was. My wounds were still hurting. This time, I was not going to be lied to again. … On the day I got discharged, Wesley came to pick me up. He opened the car door for me and gently protected my head as I got into the car. Watching the car heading into the suburbs as the journey became more and more unfamiliar, I asked, "Where are we heading to?" I looked at the tall trees outside the window. "Home." Wesley looked ahead. His side profile was awfully tender. "To meet my mother." I was stunned. It had been five years, yet this was the first time he had offered to show me his family. The Grant residence was a historical building halfway on top of a mountain. Vines sprawled across its outer walls, making it seem rather haunted. Wesley took me up the spiral staircase to the room at the end of the corridor. By the door, he stopped and said, "My mother's situation is rather special. Be prepared." As he pushed open the heavy wooden doors, I saw a woman being tied up on a bed. She was emaciated. Her hollow gaze was looking up at the ceiling as she muttered something quietly to herself. "Hey, Mom." Wesley bent down beside the bed, speaking with a tenderness I have never once heard before. "I brought Sophie to see you." "Monsters! You're all monsters! You will all die!" I subconsciously retreated, bumping into Wesley. He held my shoulders and said softly, "See? This is what happens to those who were driven mad by the Grant family." He unrolled his mother's sleeve, showing the scary scars on her wrist. "When I was ten, she slit her wrist right in front of me. All because my father brought home an illegitimate child." "What happened to the child?" I asked softly. Wesley replied with a snicker, "He survived under my father's protection. I can't find him at all. I must become the heir to the Grant family to avenge my mother. Sophie, you love me. You will surely help me, right?" As we left the room, I turned to look at the figure curling up in bed. At that moment, I almost believed that all of Wesley's cruelty must have its reasons, that it was born out of pain. … That night, the family dinner was held in the main building. At the family dinner, Wesley seemed to have changed into a different person. He entered with Janine around his arms and didn't even look at me. "Why is Sophie here?" Janine pretended to be surprised. "Today's the Grant family dinner." I stood in the corner as I watched Wesley help her get into her seat. Turns out, the gentle persona I witnessed just a mere few hours ago, the one who brought me to see his mother, was nothing but a delusion.