Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
As the nurse adjusted Leila’s medication, she couldn’t help but comment, “You should’ve come in sooner if you weren’t feeling well. Putting it off just makes it worse. And you aren’t much of a good boyfriend. Didn’t you know your girlfriend was this sick?”
Clayton opened his mouth to explain, but Leila beat him to it. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my friend.” Clayton’s smile vanished, and his expression dimmed.
The nurse was flustered and awkwardly adjusted her glasses. “Oh, sorry. He just seemed so concerned when rushing you in.”
Leila shook her head, offering a small smile to show there were no hard feelings.
Clayton cleared his throat, eager to change the subject. “Will she need to be admitted? Make sure she gets the best treatment available. Money’s not a concern. I don’t want her suffering any long-term effects.” The nurse nodded and left the room.
Leila sighed. “I’ve been so caught up with Elma and Landon that I didn’t realize how bad I’d gotten. I should’ve been paying attention.”
Clayton’s expression shifted, but he stayed quiet. Leila noticed the change and eyed him suspiciously. “Are you hiding something from me?”
Clayton quickly shook his head. “No. You’re just overthinking.”
Leila grabbed his wrist, her tone serious. “You’re hiding something. Clayton, if you keep lying to me, we can’t even be friends.”
Clayton let out a long breath. “Leila, right now, you need to focus on getting better. I’ll tell you everything once you’re better.”
But Leila wasn’t having it. She moved to pull the IV from her arm.
Startled, Clayton grabbed her hand. “Don’t! Don’t do that.”
Her tone was cold and resolute. “I’ll find out myself if you won’t tell me. I promised I’d find Landon, even if it’s only his corpse.”
Clayton lowered his gaze as mixed feelings surged inside him. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
A sinking feeling washed over Leila, but she nodded. “Tell me.”
“The police found something.” He paused, pain flickering in his eyes. “They found Cara’s body near a river a few miles from Burmoos.”
Leila’s heart pounded in her chest. “And Landon? What about him?”
Clayton shook his head. “They still haven’t found his body yet. Maybe the river carried him somewhere else.” Leila’s expression hardened. “Do you mean ‘his body’? He could still be alive.”
Clayton looked at her, his voice soft but firm. “Leila, you need to accept it. Cara wasn’t harmed when she fell into the river, but she is already gone. Landon was injured then. How could he have…”
“Shut up!” Leila’s voice cracked, her composure shattering.
Leila’s breathing was heavy, her eyes swollen and red, her whole demeanor one of deep disturbance.
Clayton kept quiet, giving her time to find her composure. With several deep breaths steadying her, Leila declared, “Just continue to search for Landon. I refuse to believe he’s dead until I see proof with my own eyes.”
Leila shut her eyes, exhaustion etched on her face. “I need to be alone. Please, just go.”
Clayton paused, giving her a final lingering look, before reluctantly walking away.
Outside, Clayton’s assistant was waiting. He looked visibly upset on Clayton’s behalf as Clayton emerged, clearly disheartened. “Why does Miss Nixon have to be like this? She has no idea how hard you’ve been working to find Landon and Cara. You’ve barely slept. Doesn’t she notice how much weight you’ve lost?”
Clayton shot his assistant a stern look. “I’m exhausted. Isn’t she exhausted as well? Don’t make comments like that again. I’m doing this because I choose to.”
The assistant said softly, “She doesn’t even care about you, Mr. Morgan. Why do you care so much for her when others value you more?”
At his words, a chill swept through Clayton’s eyes, instantly freezing the air between them.
Sensing the shift, the assistant’s heart sank. He quickly bowed his head, too afraid to meet Clayton’s cold stare.
Clayton’s voice sliced through the tension, cold and threatening. “If I ever hear you speak like that again, I won’t be so forgiving. Do you understand? Another word, and you might find yourself unemployed.”
Under Clayton’s menacing gaze, the assistant felt his nerves fray.
Though Clayton had been accompanied by various women in the past, he had never shown such deep commitment to any single woman. The assistant was baffled by it. Sure, Leila was both beautiful and talented, but she wasn’t the only one out there. More perplexing was how she continually rebuffed Clayton. What was it about this woman that had such a hold on him?
As they prepared to leave the hospital, a sudden recollection stopped the assistant. He asked Clayton cautiously, “Mr. Morgan, your sister is still in a deep coma, yet you told Leila she had already died. What should we do now?”
Clayton’s eyes flashed with a dark light. “Once everything calms down, I’ll find a way to send Cara off. She won’t have any chance to return. For now, we’ll let the doctors do what they can for Cara. If she doesn’t recover, so be it.”
Clayton knew he and Cara truly owed Leila a great deal, but Cara was his sister. He couldn’t simply disregard her. It seemed unlikely that Cara and Leila would cross paths again. He figured he might as well let Leila assume Cara had died. He planned to keep Cara secluded and deal with her in his own way.
“Oh, right.” Something else came to mind, and Clayton signaled for his assistant.
The assistant quickly stepped closer, waiting for Clayton’s instructions.
Clayton murmured a set of instructions into the assistant’s ear.
After delivering his orders, Clayton’s look was dark and foreboding. “If you mess this up, you know the consequences.”
The assistant nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry, Mr. Morgan. I’ve got this.”
After several days, the rain finally showed signs of stopping. Due to the severe flooding, leaving the village was still out of the question.
Landon’s mind was occupied with thoughts of departure, his anxiety palpable. Yet, it was undeniable that Lacey’s medical expertise had worked wonders.
Thanks to Lacey, Landon’s injuries had improved significantly, allowing him some mobility, though he remained cautious to avoid aggravating his wounds.
That day, a disturbance outside abruptly drew Landon’s attention. The sounds of an argument escalated into aggressive shouting.
Suddenly, Jeanette rushed to him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Please hurry out with me! My sister is in trouble. Those men are bullying her, and they’re really intimidating. I’m terrified!”
Landon’s face hardened with resolve. “Lead the way.”
As they reached the scene outside the courtyard, Landon found Lacey encircled by a menacing group of men. Typically poised, Lacey appeared visibly shaken, attempting to reason with them to no avail.
Lacey’s efforts were met with hostility as one man pushed her forcefully, sending her tumbling to the ground. Jeanette cried out in distress. Landon hurried over, yelling, “Stop! What do you think you’re doing?”
As Landon approached, the mood among the group shifted visibly, their expressions growing tense.
“Who are you? This has nothing to do with you. It’s our issue with Lacey. Step aside, or there will be trouble!” one of them hissed, his tone menacing.
Landon, clad in simple attire, still managed to command attention effortlessly. Standing there with a stern expression, he radiated an undeniable sense of authority. His piercing gaze, filled with hostility, seemed to weigh heavily in the air.
One of the men made the mistake of locking eyes with Landon and instantly felt a chill run down his spine. Landon’s background remained a mystery to them.
With a slight, cold smile, Landon surveyed the group. “I’m eager to see who among you would dare to touch me.” The bald leader saw the fear Landon instilled in his men, and his anger flared. “You think you’re something special, huh? Just a pretty face. I could take you down with one hit. You should know my father’s the wealthiest man around here. At that time, Lacey needed money to start her clinic and borrowed heavily from us. Years have passed, and she’s still in debt. It’s only fair she pays back what she owes, one way or another.”
Lacey, visibly shaken, had distress written all over her delicate features. “You’re mistaken. I settled that debt a while back, yet here you are, acting like loan sharks. I established this clinic to help the villagers, and even your own family has benefited from it. How can you be this ungrateful?”
The bald man chuckled, treating her words as nothing more than a joke. “Gratitude? Who needs that?” He leered at Lacey. “Remember our deal? If you couldn’t pay, you’d either marry me or care for my father. And you know, treating my father could take up to three years.”
The thought of spending three years in this man’s house made Lacey shiver. Her complexion went ashen as she turned to Landon for support.
Understanding the situation, Landon gave the man a sharp look. “You’re charging illegal interest rates. Without a written agreement, your verbal claims don’t hold up legally. She’s paid her dues. Any further threats, and she might just involve the police, landing you all behind bars.”
Though the bald man initially felt a twinge of unease, he quickly masked it with a smug laugh.
“Go ahead and call the police. With the flood blocking all the roads, I’d like to see how they’ll get here.”
“Oh, really?” Landon’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Let’s see if you’re brave enough to lay a hand on the girls while I’m standing here.”
The bald man cocked his head, narrowing his eyes as he gestured to his men. “What are you waiting for? Take the girls away.”
Chaos erupted in an instant as a fight broke out.
To everyone’s surprise, Landon stood his ground, easily fending off the men. His opponents, untrained brutes relying solely on instinct, were no match for Landon’s skill.