Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
I’ve seen how she treats people when no one’s watching.
She’s good at making people think she’s nice, but it’s all an act.
She was manipulating you, and I was so afraid that if you trusted her, you might end up in a situation where she couldn’t protect you.’
Lacey paused to let her words sink in before continuing:
‘I know I was too harsh before, but I was so worried.’
‘Please, Jeanette, don’t be mad at me.’
Jeanette shook her head, her voice soft and muffled.
‘I’m not angry anymore.’ She no longer felt anger.
She just felt unfairly treated.
Lacey let out a sigh of relief and reached out to gently stroke Jeanette’s head.
‘Do you believe me?’
Jeanette hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Of course she believed her sister.
Ever since their parents had passed away, Lacey had been her only family, her only anchor.
If she couldn’t trust Lacey, who could she trust?
Still, as Jeanette looked up the mountain, disbelief lingered in her heart, and she struggled to reconcile Leila, who had saved her, with the woman Lacey described.
As Lacey’s words faded, Jeanette’s thoughts remained focused on Leila, and she thought Leila didn’t seem like a bad person at all.
Maybe there was just a misunderstanding between Leila and Lacey.
Jeanette noticed that every time Leila was mentioned, a bitterness seemed to boil up inside her sister.
She decided to clear up any misunderstanding later.
In any case, she had Leila’s contact information and could find her at any time.
She just doubted Leila was a bad woman.
After calming Jeanette down, Lacey took her home first.
Lacey said she had some business to attend to and asked Jeanette to wait for her at home.
Jeanette nodded obediently, waving her little hands in farewell.
‘Take care on the way, Lacey!’
Lacey offered a fleeting smile before exiting, leaving Jeanette alone with her thoughts.
Once the door closed, Jeanette’s curiosity got the better of her.
Jeanette quickly pulled out the small piece of paper with Leila’s address and phone number on it, turning it over thoughtfully.
Just as she was about to dial, an unexpected gust of wind blew through the open window, knocking the paper from her hands.
‘Oh, no!’ she exclaimed, watching despondently as the paper flew out of her grasp.
Without thinking, Jeanette ran out, her heart pounding as she chased it across the garden.
The paper danced just out of her reach, finally floating towards the busy street.
Concentrating on retrieving it, Jeanette was about to step onto the curb when a strong arm lifted her up, returning her to the pavement.
Startled, she looked up to find Landon’s familiar face.
Landon had just returned.
‘You can’t cross the street like that, Jeanette,’ Landon said, his voice firm.
His handsome face softened as he set her back on her feet.
‘Always be careful, okay?’
Jeanette gestured anxiously across the street, her face tense with worry.
‘I’ve got to get that back! It’s what the pretty lady gave me.
Without that, I’ll never see her again.’
‘The pretty lady?’ Landon frowned, looking around in confusion.
‘Where’s your sister, Jeanette?’
‘She went to see a friend,’ Jeanette replied, her voice shaky as she looked at him with pleading eyes.
‘Please, can you help me? It’s very important.’
Landon nodded, though his tone remained firm.
‘Okay, but remember, never cross the street alone.
Stay here.’
Jeanette nodded repeatedly, her eyes fixed on Landon as he crossed the street.
Just as Landon bent to pick up the paper, a gust of wind picked it up again, and in a devastating instant, the paper slid down a storm drain.
Jeanette’s face crumpled and she began to cry, the lost paper symbolising the last thread connecting her to Leila.
Landon returned to Jeanette’s side, an expression of regret softening his usually composed features.
‘I’m so sorry, Jeanette.
I tried, but I couldn’t get it back.’
Jeanette let out a sob, rubbing her eyes as she tried to choke back her tears.
‘It’s not your fault.
It’s just…
Now, I won’t be able to see her again.
I wanted to thank her properly.’
Landon paused, thoughtfully.
He remembered hearing Lacey mention a party and a notable rescue.
If this ‘pretty lady’ really did come from the elite circles of Burmoos, maybe there was still a way to track her down.