Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Jeanette looked at Leila with a hard-to-read expression.
‘Why are you being so nice to me, are you planning to trick me and take me away from home?’
Her question came out of nowhere.
Leila burst out laughing, assuming it was a playful joke.
He replied with a touch of humour, ‘Sure, I’m planning to take you away.
Any favourite destinations?’
Jeanette bit her lip and let out a nervous laugh.
Leila shrugged and went to get some gauze for Jeanette’s wound.
As she turned from the cabinet, Leila noticed Jeanette awkwardly trying to pour some water.
Jeanette held out the glass to Leila and commented, ‘You’ve done so much for me.
Please have some water.’
Admiring Jeanette’s thoughtful nature, Leila smiled and drank the water in one smooth, quick gulp.
At that moment, someone rushed up to Clayton with an expression of urgency.
They quickly informed him that Leila and Freya were on the verge of a confrontation and urged him to intervene immediately.
Clayton was typically a cautious man, but anything to do with Leila had the capacity to make him abandon all caution.
His heart pounded with urgency as he said, ‘Then get me there quickly.’
Clayton hurriedly followed the guide to the cabin, and hearing Leila’s voice inside, he did not hesitate to open the door.
The moment he did so, Leila came stumbling out, her clothes in disarray.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her complexion alarmingly red.
When Clayton saw the state Leila was in, he understood the gravity of the situation.
Shocked and furious, he wondered how such a thing could have happened, especially considering Leila’s constant alertness.
This kind of betrayal could only come from someone she trusted completely.
But who could it be? The thought of the boy she had encountered earlier crossed her mind.
But no, that seemed too far-fetched an idea.
The boy was no older than Elma.
He was unlikely to have such means.
‘Heat.’ Leila’s voice was a weak whimper, her eyes filled with tears and her breathing labored.
Seeing Leila in that state stirred something deep in Clayton.
With his fists clenched at his sides, he struggled to keep his composure and asked, ‘Leila, do you recognize me?’
Leila seemed to understand what he was asking.
Struggling, she raised her head to look around more intently.
Her vision was blurred, shapes and colours merging into a blurred dusk.
Overwhelmed by the most primal instincts, the air around her felt unbearably warm.
Suddenly, for reasons she couldn’t understand, Leila felt herself craving Landon.
It was a new sensation.
She had never felt like this with him before.
Weakly, Leila tried to push Clayton away, whispering in a raspy voice, ‘You’re not Landon.
I want Landon.’
These words destroyed any vestige of reason in Clayton.
The veins in his forehead throbbed visibly.
As Leila oscillated between consciousness and unconsciousness, Clayton’s gaze darkened with a savage obsession.
He pulled her to him, imprisoning her in his embrace, his breath hot against her ear.
‘Why do you only see Landon, haven’t I done everything for you? Even knowing he’s gone, you still cling to the memory of him.
Will he always be the one you treasure?’
Tears streamed down Leila’s cheeks as she unknowingly mirrored Clayton’s pain.
‘Landon is the only one in my heart.’
Refusing to accept her words, Clayton’s eyes filled with tears.
‘I’ve sacrificed so much for you, Leila.
I won’t allow it.’
With those words, Clayton lifted her up, his actions swift and decisive as he closed the door behind them and walked to the only couch in the room.
Meanwhile, Lacey was navigating the party with Landon, but they hadn’t seen Leila or Clayton.
A wave of panic swept over Landon.
Lacey noticed the worry on his face.
‘If you want, I can ask around,’ she said quietly.
‘Maybe Leila just went somewhere.’
Landon shook his head.
‘No, it’s okay.
We can’t make a fuss.
If we cause a fuss, we’ll draw too much attention.
We don’t want Clayton to find out.’
Lacey’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t say anything.
Just then, the crowd began to grow restless.
‘What’s going on?’ someone asked.