Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Without hesitation, Cara confronted Clayton. “Don’t assume I’m clueless. You claim it’s all for me, but it’s just feeding your selfish needs. Are you smitten with Leila, aren’t you? You just want to win her over!”
Clayton instantly struggled and denied it. “That’s absurd.”
Cara scoffed. “You know the truth quite well. Get real! You’ll never end up with Leila. That woman only has eyes for Landon and will never love another. It seems we’re both destined to love hopelessly.”
Clayton wrestled against the ropes for a long while in vain, breathing heavily.
Cara gazed down at him, her face a mix of emotions-anger, pity, and, predominantly, sorrow. “Do you know where I picked up these skills for tying people up? It was the Perry family. They did this to me. I endured so much back then. Now, all I want is a quiet life with the man I love. Is that wrong?”
Sensing Cara might escalate the situation, Clayton attempted to calm her. “Cara, I was mistaken. I won’t assist Landon any longer. I promise. Just let me go, will you? Now that the scheme plotted by Landon and I is out in the open, there’s no sending you away, is there?”
Cara stopped her tears abruptly. She whirled around and struck Clayton again. “Don’t try to fool me! I know what you’re thinking. You see Leila as more important than me. But it’s alright. I won’t harm you. I tied you up just to keep you from causing more trouble. I’ve got quite the spectacle planned for today. Can you guess what it is?”
Clayton saw the unsettling smile on Cara’s face and felt a surge of fear. “Cara, what are you planning?” His voice shook.
Clayton knew Cara well enough. She wouldn’t hurt Landon. Her vengeance was likely to target Leila and Leila’s children. What would happen next was impossible for anyone to foresee.
Cara, of course, had no intention of telling Clayton what she had planned.
Just then, Clayton’s phone rang again. It was from Leila. With a smirk, Cara took Clayton’s phone, stepping back to make sure he couldn’t grab it from her. “See?” Cara sneered. “She’s still trying to ask you for help. Don’t blame me for this. You’re partly the reason for what I’ve become. You rescued and spoiled me. Yet, you’re not siding with me now. Just wait-Leila and Landon will never be together. And neither will you and Leila.”
With that, Cara swept out of the room, taking Clayton’s phone with her. The door slammed shut behind her, extinguishing any last glimmer of hope Clayton had.
Trapped in the basement, Clayton roared in frustration. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. His eyes scanned the basement, landing on a pile of clutter in the corner. Cara had no idea that behind it, there was a hidden secret passage.
Elsewhere, Leila couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she had a mountain of work to get through that day. She decided to head home and asked her assistant to handle things at the office. She just needed to make sure the kids were safe.
On the way home, Leila called Sophie. “Sophie, is everything okay? Are you all getting along? Any arguments or fights?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.
Sophie giggled. “We’re having a blast! No arguments here. Elma’s having fun. Here, listen.”
Leila could hear the children laughing and playing in the background. Feeling relieved, she replied, “Ask everyone what they want for dinner. I’ll be home soon, and I’ll cook for you all.”
“Yay!” Sophie cheered.
Sophie hung up and told Calvin and Elma that Leila was coming home soon and would cook for them. Calvin was excited and immediately started rattling off a list of dishes he wanted.
When it was Elma’s turn, she frowned and hesitated. “I don’t know what I want. I don’t like anything,” she mumbled.
“Don’t worry,” Sophie reassured her with a friendly smile. “My mom’s an awesome cook. You’ll love her cooking!” Elma managed a weak smile in return.
Just then, Elma’s phone buzzed to life.
Elma’s smile instantly vanished as she saw the caller.
Excusing herself, Elma slipped to a quiet corner to answer the phone.
“Elma, honey,” Cara began sweetly. “Are you having a good time?”
Elma’s body began to shake uncontrollably. “Mom, I…” she stammered.
Cara cut her off abruptly, her voice sharp with annoyance. “Have you already forgotten what I told you?”
Tears welled up in Elma’s eyes. “Mom, I don’t want to do it. Sophie and Calvin have been so kind to me. Leila’s really nice. They’re not bad people,” she pleaded.
“That tramp Leila is the reason my marriage is falling apart! Her kids are no good! Do you understand?” Cara shrieked. Elma flinched. Confusion and doubts swirled within her.
What Cara said didn’t seem right to Elma. She sensed something special between Leila and Landon, as well as Landon’s clear disinterest and even disgust for Cara. Yet, if Landon didn’t love Cara, why couldn’t they just split up? Why did they have to stay together? Was this what marriage was all about?
Cara’s patience had reached its limit. “If you refuse to do as I say, someone will pay the price!” she snarled, switching on the camera.
Cara’s face, contorted with rage, filled the screen.
A wave of fear washed over Elma.
Cara turned the phone toward the basement stairs and began to descend.
Elma gasped. There, tied to a chair in the basement, was Clayton, struggling to break free. He’d clearly been struggling for some time. Exhausted, he lay slumped on the floor beside the overturned chair, drenched in sweat and utterly defeated.
“Clayton!” Elma cried out, her voice filled with fear and worry. A cruel smile twisted Cara’s lips. “If you don’t do as I say, I’ll throw him into the ocean.”
Elma sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “Mom, he’s your brother! You can’t do this to him!”
Cara scoffed, amused by Elma’s desperate plea. “My brother?” she sneered. “He’s no brother of mine. Elma, you have five seconds to make up your mind.”
Elma hung her head as Cara counted down the seconds. She felt trapped. Clayton was her uncle, the only person besides Landon who truly cared for her. Clayton had always been there for her, protecting her from Cara’s cruelty. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being harmed. Cara was a woman of her word. If she said she would do something, she would.
“Mom, I will do as you say,” Elma whimpered, her voice choked with sobs. “Please don’t hurt Clayton. I’ll do whatever you want. Just please, don’t hurt him,” she begged.
Cara snorted, raising an eyebrow. “Then get to it,” she ordered.
She hung up the phone, cutting Elma off.
Clayton lay on the cold, damp floor of the basement, his mouth covered with duct tape. He could only make muffled noises. He glared at Cara, his eyes filled with a mixture of disappointment and pain. He seemed to be saying, “She’s your daughter, Cara. How can you be so merciless?”
Cara crossed her arms and sneered, “Look at you, starting to believe your own lies. We both know who Elma’s real mother is. I’ve taken care of Elma all these years. It’s time she repaid the favor.”
Cara glanced around the basement, ensuring nothing was amiss. Satisfied, she slammed the door shut and left Clayton alone in the darkness.
Cara had no idea that the moment she was gone, Clayton started to wriggle free from his restraints.
As the pampered heir to the Morgan family fortune, Clayton had never experienced such hardship and humiliation.
Clayton gritted his teeth, ignoring the stinging pain as his skin scraped against the rough floor. He inched forward with agonizing slowness. A distance he could normally cover in a few strides took him a grueling ten minutes to traverse.
Finally, he reached his destination. He used his head to nudge aside the clutter that blocked his path.
Thankfully, it was only some lightweight cardboard boxes, not heavy objects.
There it was, the button. He pressed it, and a hidden door swung open. A flicker of hope ignited in Clayton’s eyes as he scrambled toward the newly revealed doorway.
Sophie, noticing Elma’s prolonged absence, went in search of her. She found Elma curled up in a corner, sobbing quietly.
“Elma, what’s wrong? Don’t cry,” Sophie cooed, gently lifting Elma and wiping away her tears.
Elma avoided Sophie’s gaze, her tears flowing freely. Sophie paused, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. “Did your mom give you a hard time again? Don’t be afraid. You’re safe at my house. She wouldn’t dare bully you here.”
“No. It’s not like that.” Elma shook her head vigorously.
Sophie sighed softly and patted Elma’s head. “Alright, sweetheart. I won’t pry anymore. Just please don’t cry,” she said gently.
Elma took a deep breath, forcing herself to say, “Sophie, could you go out with me to buy something?”
“You want to go shopping?” Sophie asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. “What do you need? I’m sure we have it here. And if not, I can always send one of the staff to fetch it for you.”
Elma shook her head firmly. “No, I want to go myself.”
Sophie didn’t ask any more questions. She simply smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
Sophie and Elma were just about to leave when they bumped into Calvin.
Calvin gave them a puzzled look. “Where are you two off to?”
Sophie said, “Elma wants to go shopping, so I’m tagging along with her.”