A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 61

Leland took all the bags from the nanny. His arms hung heavy by his sides, two massive mountains of shopping brushing against his thighs as he walked. Winifred followed silently behind him.

They got into his car, heading north. She needed to pick up Seth and Annelise from the hot spring hotel, so she had Leland pull over right outside the entrance. She got out first, then reached for the mountain of bags piled on the seats.

There was simply too much to carry, so a hotel security guard jogged over to help.

Empty-handed, Winifred waved at the tinted window. "Goodbye, Mr. Lockwood."

She couldn't see his face through the glass, but she assumed he heard her.

She was a divorced woman with kids. That had probably scared him off, she thought.

The guard helped her bring everything up to the room.

As the door clicked open, Annelise, who had been lounging on the bed drinking her bedtime milk, tossed her bottle aside and scrambled up.

"Mommy! You're back!"

She was thrilled. Arms outstretched, she shimmied across the mattress, babbling happily as she made her way to the edge.

Winifred rushed over and caught her.

The little girl rested her head against Winifred's neck, her tiny finger pointing at the mountain of bags on the coffee table.

"Mommy, that smells so good."

Winifred smiled. "Mommy saw a patient tonight, and their family gave us lots of delicious treats. Do you want some?"

"Yes!" her sweet, milky voice trilled.

She squirmed out of Winifred's arms, sat up, and turned to Seth, who was quietly watching them. "Seth, come eat with us!"

"Okay."

Seth grabbed his milk bottle and put on his shoes.

Winifred opened the containers one by one. Shannon Upton had prepared a massive six-tier food carrier. Inside, there was chestnut pork, steamed cod, barbecue skewers, chicken soup, dumplings, and crab porridge. There were also six different boxes of pastries. The largest was a family-sized cheesecake, enough to feed five or six people. The smaller ones held egg tarts, durian pastries, muffins, chocolate cake, and cranberry cookies.

Celeste came out of the bathroom, drying her hands after washing the kids' bottles. When she saw the feast, she gasped.

"Oh my god! This is so thoughtful. Everything is packaged so beautifully."

Winifred handed her a cranberry cookie, knowing Celeste loved sweet, buttery pastries.

Today was the first time someone had shown her genuine care. This gift from the Lockwood matriarch meant something profound.

"Here, you eat it."

Winifred gently pushed the little pot back. "I'll have the fish. The Lockwood family's cod is wild-caught deep-sea fish, it's absolutely delicious."

"But cod isn't as nourishing as this soup."

"It doesn't matter, I have plenty to eat. The more the merrier."

Celeste couldn't bring herself to swallow. She grabbed another spoon. "Winifred, we'll share it."

Winifred smiled and picked up her fork to eat the fish.

Seth and Annelise sat on either side of her. Since they loved egg tarts, she gave them one each. Freshly baked and warm, the tarts were rich, buttery, and perfectly sweet. Annelise buried her little face in hers, taking bite after happy bite.

Seth, however, gripped the handle of his spoon and scooped up some of the gourmet wellness soup.

"Mommy, lean down a little, please."

Winifred looked over. Her tiny son was standing by her side, looking up at her with a face full of tender concern.