Chapter 1259: Playing House Begins
Why did she write the same content again two years later?
Bohemia put away the diaries she found and quickly descended from the attic, rus.h.i.+ng into the master bedroom. The three Glowfish hurriedly followed behind her, illuminating the room for her.
As one of Bohemia"s main activity areas, this bedroom surely had other clues. She had been so focused on finding the diaries that she might have missed something else. This time, Bohemia was determined.
She searched every possible place, shaking out each piece of clothing, touching every corner, and even checking inside the shoes; she knocked on the walls, wooden floors, and ceiling to check for hollow s.p.a.ces.
However, after searching everywhere and covered in sweat, she found nothing—no, that"s not right.
There was one place she hadn"t checked yet: Under the bed.
Looking at the white bed skirt that concealed the area under the bed, Bohemia wondered what terrifying scene might be hidden there. Would she see her own face under the bed? Or would she discover Yuan Xiangxi had been hiding there all along? Or maybe, when she looked down, someone else was looking back at her.
Originally, she wanted to prepare herself mentally, but the more she thought about it, the more her back felt cold, and she nervously looked around multiple times, seeing only the empty and messy bedroom.
No, she would scare herself to death like this.
Bohemia took a deep breath, stepped back several steps, and gritted her teeth as she used Higher Consciousness to lift the bed skirt. She didn"t dare get down on all fours again, just half-bent, and peered inside. Underneath was a layer of dust, hair, and dirt, and only a small iron bucket lay on the floor.
Why would there be a bucket under the bed?
She slowly removed the small iron bucket and examined it closely. Some black and yellow stains were inside, probably there for a long time. Most of the smell had dissipated, leaving only a faint stench.
Just like the starch in the study, it was another strange thing that shouldn"t be here.
She put the bucket back and stood in the bedroom, which looked like it had been ransacked, feeling a little lost.
She hadn"t figured out the problem with the diaries yet, and there was now another puzzle. Could this bucket be the only clue?
As Bohemia walked out, lost in thought, she stopped when she pa.s.sed the tallboy.
Each drawer had been pulled out long ago, leaving only the wooden frame. She had carefully felt the inside of the wooden frame. However, a small stack of brand-new empty envelopes was on top of the tallboy.
Because they looked unused, Bohemia had only pushed them aside and briefly glanced at them earlier. Now she looked at them again, picking them up one by one, pinching them, and opening the envelopes to check inside—they were all empty. However, on the second-to-last envelope, although it was also empty, she noticed a faint pencil mark on the inside.
Mom,
By the time you read this letter, I"ll be on my way home. If you receive a call, don"t tell him where I am and pretend to be very worried. Come to Lily"s hotel two days after receiving this letter.
No signature, no date.
This letter was prepared in advance so that it could be sent out at any time without being discovered.
Bohemia"s fingers trembled slightly as she sealed the envelope and placed it back on top of the tallboy. She slowly turned around and looked at Yuan Xiangxi standing at the door. Finally, she managed to say, "When did you come here?"
What was he doing just now? Developing photos? No, they didn"t take any photos today; she must have remembered wrong.
"What are you looking at?"
Yuan Xiangxi brought a Glowfish that she had left downstairs, and now the fish was pacing back and forth in the hallway, causing his shadow to sway and flicker under the backlight. He, however, remained standing straight and black under the light.
"I... I wanted to see if I had any finished letters that hadn"t been sent yet," Bohemia said, her voice trembling.
She seemed to understand a little now... She had some idea why the diaries from 1972 had been moved to 1974. When she married, she had clearly stopped writing diaries; it made sense, as it wasn"t very convenient to write them secretly when she was with her husband day and night. However, six months into her marriage, she began using her pre-marriage diaries to pretend they were new... The four bare and white words "I"m pregnant" p.r.i.c.ked her nerves repeatedly; for a moment, all the clues and mysteries were eager to rush into her mind, impatiently wanting to form a historical thread.
1
"Are there?"
She suddenly snapped out of it, startled. "What?"
"Are there any letters you need to send out?"
"No, there... There are none. None."
Yuan Xiangxi"s dark shadow entered the room, and his face gradually became visible under the glow of the Glowfish. His appearance remained the same, but his expression was like a thin layer of mist floating on ice, making Bohemia shudder involuntarily as she took a few steps back.
"Don"t avoid me." Yuan Xiangxi noticed and looked at her with a muted smile; it seemed like a plea and grievance. When she didn"t speak, he used his gaze to caress Bohemia and then chuckled. "You always look so beautiful no matter what."
He turned his head and looked around the messy bedroom. His gaze paused on the iron bucket beside the bed, but he said nothing. He pointed at the bed and softly said, "It"s late. You should rest. Baby Bao and the two children are already asleep."
Baby Bao and the two children? Only the name Baby Bao seemed to have some significance to her father; the other two children didn"t even need their names mentioned.
As if something was attached to her back, Bohemia couldn"t do anything but stiffly swing her body and walk towards the big bed. When she slowly sat down on the bed, she could almost hear her body creaking as if it was splitting in two.
Yuan Xiangxi stood by the bed and watched her lie down. He gently covered her with the blanket as if his lifelong treasure were under it. Then he smiled and said, "Give me your hand."
"Give me your hand?" She looked at the bed railing.
Right, right, that iron bucket...
Yuan Xiangxi pulled out her right wrist, holding it with one hand, and lifted the corner of her blouse with the other. Attached to his belt was a handcuff.
It wasn"t a flimsy adult toy but a real handcuff made of stainless steel.
With a click, Bohemia"s right hand was securely locked to the bed railing.
He brought the small iron bucket over and placed it beside her bed, and she remembered the faint smell emanating from it. Her husband bent down and kissed her on the hair. "Sleep well. If you get thirsty at night, call me. I"ll do some work in the study and come back to accompany you later."
Her body was already so tense, yet she could still tremble so violently.
She couldn"t tell if she was scared or angry. She wished she had superhuman strength to break that handcuff, push him aside, and rush out without looking back. But when her soft skin touched the heavy and cold handcuff, the sensation clearly and hopelessly made her realize that as a defenseless and not particularly strong woman, she couldn"t break free from it.