Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Selecting items for Sarah with care? That was unlikely.
Instead, Leila followed her own preferences, choosing items that appealed to her. She rapidly made her selections on the tablet.
Surprisingly, Leila found it easier than usual to decide, not hesitating as she often did. Within five minutes, she had completed her task and handed the tablet back to Landon.
Landon scanned it briefly but didn’t demand a redo. Instead, he instructed a bodyguard to take the selected items to the checkout.
Afterward, they visited a shoe store and a boutique.
Leila picked items solely based on her taste, starkly different from Sarah’s.
Landon surely noticed but displayed no irritation. He effortlessly paid for all the purchases.
This left Leila puzzled about Landon’s intentions. Was he merely playing games with her? It seemed rather childish.
Once Leila had made her selections, Landon lingered instead of departing immediately, ensuring Leila also remained there.
“How do I know you didn’t just grab these at random? Try them on, I want to see,” Landon said.
Confused, Leila glanced at Landon and shook her head, her fingers flying over her phone’s keyboard. “No, I won’t wear them. Let me guess, you’re setting me up, right? If I wear these and Sarah finds out, she’ll come for me, and you’ll have washed your hands of it, won’t you?”
Landon gave a cold, mocking sneer. “Leila, do you seriously think I’d waste my time like that?”
Without waiting for her response, Landon signaled the bodyguards. They nudged her and the bags of clothes toward the fitting room.
With a clenched jaw, Leila faced the unavoidable.
The two burly guards stationed at the door made it clear: she wouldn’t be leaving unless she changed.
Left with no option, Leila donned each piece, transforming her appearance from head to toe.
When she parted the curtain of the fitting room, a full-length mirror confronted her across the space.
Leila halted, taken aback by her own reflection. She had picked a light green dress that surprisingly suited her light makeup and the yellow jewelry. The ensemble looked remarkably good on her..
Leila’s hair was neatly pinned up, lending her an elegant and radiant appearance.
As Leila caught her glowing reflection in the mirror, a brief daze washed over her. It had been ages since she last saw herself this dazzling.
The sight took Leila back to the days when she lived with the Kensington family as an adopted daughter. Back then, with Roderick still present, everyone treated her with formal politeness, and her relationship with Landon hadn’t yet soured.
Shirley, however, had always disapproved of Leila, going so far as to exclude her from various gatherings, embarrassed by her presence.
Despite this, Landon would often whisk Leila away, dressing her up and proudly introducing her as the adopted daughter of the Kensington family at events.
Shirley, infuriated yet unwilling to confront Landon, would instead direct her displeasure at Leila by giving her the cold shoulder and making snide remarks.
Reflecting on those times stirred a mix of emotions in Leila. Those happy days seemed like they were just yesterday, yet she knew that one could never truly return to the past.
“Why are you taking so long just to try on clothes?” Landon’s voice, tinged with impatience, cut through Leila’s reverie.
Landon had walked over and caught Leila gazing absently at her reflection in the mirror. A complex emotion briefly flickered across his eyes before vanishing.
Landon scrutinized Leila from head to toe several times before delivering his blunt verdict. “Your taste might not be the best, but overall, it looks fine.”
Snapped back to reality, Leila used sign language to ask if he thought the outfit was satisfactory and if Sarah would approve of the style.
“That’s really none of your business,” Landon remarked, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “You can change back now.”
Nodding, Leila grasped her skirt and headed toward the fitting room.
As Landon turned to leave, he staggered slightly.
Just then, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was Sarah.
When he picked up, Sarah’s playful, sweet voice filled the air, “Landon, where are you? I need to talk to you about something.”
Landon massaged his temples, attempting to dull the throbbing pain that threatened to overwhelm him. He responded with a lifeless voice, “Just lay it out for me.”
Sarah’s lips formed a pout, though her voice remained upbeat, “My birthday’s in a few days. I’m not in the mood for a big outing this year. How about we just have a cozy family gathering at home?”
A faint chuckle escaped Landon. “Do you see yourself as the lady of the house now?”
There was a sting of sarcasm in his words, but Sarah pressed on undeterred. “I just want you to be with me on my birthday. Is that too much to ask? Or would you rather not be there to celebrate with me?”
Landon fell silent, leaving Sarah anxious.
Sarah feared he might decline, but after a tense three minutes, he finally spoke. “Inform the butler of the kind of celebration you’d like. Just spare me the details about the setup and who’s coming.”
Sarah’s heart leapt with joy. Landon’s agreement to host her birthday at the Kensington’ residence was significant. Surely, Shirley and Melinda would attend, subtly confirming her status as his future wife.
Sarah assumed Leila meant nothing. Although Leila was Landon’s lawful wife and was expecting his child, she was not well-regarded. Simply being pregnant did not guarantee the safe arrival of Leila’s child.
When Leila stepped outside, she inadvertently overheard Landon speaking on the phone with Sarah. Truthfully, she hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but Landon and Sarah spoke openly, without any reservations. They were openly planning Sarah’s birthday celebration right in her presence.
Leila’s heart constricted with the realization. Landon’s affairs were no longer her concern, and she lacked any authority to object to their arrangements.
Memories flooded back to the time before Leila was married to Landon, how she, Roderick, and Landon used to celebrate each birthday together.
Leila was never fond of large gatherings, and Shirley, in particular, couldn’t bear her presence.
On occasion, Roderick would invite a handful of friends to add some cheer, fostering a warm and inviting ambiance.
Back then, Leila was the only girl who shared her birthday with the Kensington family.
Now, that special status was being enjoyed by someone else.
Landon’s overwhelming headache left him with little patience. Noticing Leila, he confronted her abruptly, “You overheard my conversation with Sarah just now, didn’t you?”
Leila tried to decipher what Landon meant. She signaled that she understood and wouldn’t return that day.
Landon sneered, clarifying his stance, “That’s not what I’m trying to say. You need to be there. You’re not allowed to leave.”
Leila felt a mixture of shock and rising anger. Was he trying to provoke her like this? Her face set into a frosty expression as she rebuffed him. She signed, questioning what would happen if she chose not to attend.
She suggested that if Landon and Sarah wanted their birthday party to go off without a hitch, they had to refrain from forcing her to attend it.
Landon approached Leila and seized her wrist forcefully.
“Don’t forget, you’re a captive for Brent’s sake. A captive doesn’t have any freedom. You traded your freedom for the information he needed. You can’t blame anyone else for that.”
A wave of bitterness washed over Leila as she stared at this unfamiliar version of Landon.
Landon’s headache intensified, and his grip tightened unwittingly until he noticed her wincing in pain.
Realizing his action, Landon released her and turned away, concealing his ashen face. “There’s nothing left for you here. Leave. If you don’t want me to confine you, just obey the rules. Remember why you agreed to this arrangement in the first place.”
Leila clenched her teeth, overcome by a sense of helplessness. She had barely moved a few steps away when a loud thud sounded behind her, followed by gasps from the bystanders.
A chilling sensation enveloped Leila. She dashed back and discovered Landon crumpled on the floor, his complexion alarmingly pale.
Leila had never witnessed Landon appearing so vulnerable. In a state of alarm, she hastened to locate Edgar.
Fortunately, Edgar was just outside, and along with his team, they swiftly transported Landon to the hospital.