Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
“Did you rush in here just to say that?”
Sophie nodded, still scrambling for reasons to convince Leila not to stay behind.
“Elma’s condition isn’t stable. Having both you and my dad there might speed her recovery. I do want your company, but more than that, I want Elma to get well.”
Leila was moved by Sophie’s words. She approached Sophie, hugged her, and muttered softly, “Sweetheart, don’t hold back your feelings. You’re still a child and you need us.” Sophie felt a tickle in her nose as she clung to Leila tightly.
“I do need you, but Elma needs you even more.”
Sophie’s resolve left Leila with no choice. Leila looked back at Landon helplessly.
Landon, not convinced, asked Leo to verify Sophie’s claims. Leo did, and it turned out that Sophie was telling the truth.
With this confirmation, Landon found himself without reasons to keep Leila from going.
The day before their trip, Elma came to Leila.
Elma was visibly better than she had been a few days ago and managed to walk a few steps with some help, though she still looked weak and pitiful.
When Leila opened the door, she was stunned to see Elma standing there, clutching her favorite doll. She felt both shocked and concerned about Elma. She quickly embraced Elma and placed her hand on Elma’s forehead to feel her temperature.
Fortunately, Elma did not have a fever, and her temperature was stable.
Leila’s tone was a mix of concern and gentle reproach.
“Why did you come here by yourself? Where are the maids?”
Elma gently shook her head and clung to Leila’s neck. She then muttered softly, “I didn’t want them to follow. I missed you and decided to come look for you.”
Elma’s voice was tender and gentle. Any remaining displeasure in Leila’s heart melted away immediately. She affectionately tapped Elma’s nose and laid her on the bed.
Elma snuggled into Leila’s warm embrace, and a smile finally lit up her sweet face.
In a gentle voice, Leila asked, “What’s the matter, Elma? You look a little sad.”
At first, Elma shook her head, but then she nodded, gripping Leila’s hand tightly as if nervous and scared.
“Mom, tomorrow we’re going to see Lacey’s mentor. I’m nervous but excited. I hope it might help me get better, but I’m afraid if it doesn’t work, I’ll never be like everyone else.”
Leila was startled by her words and asked instinctively, “Why would you think that? Did someone say something to you?”
The thought stirred anger in Leila. Why would anyone sow such ideas in a child’s head?
Elma shook her head.
“No. It’s just my own thoughts. Even though you haven’t said anything, I still sense this might be my last chance. Mom, I’m really scared.”
Leila felt a swirl of emotions. She had overlooked the fact that, while Elma was still young, she wasn’t completely unaware of what was happening around her.
Leila had never brought up this subject with Elma, assuming that a child her age wouldn’t fully grasp the gravity of serious issues like life or death. Besides, she was convinced Elma would live a long, healthy life. As a result, she had always avoided discussing such a topic with Elma.
But Leila had underestimated Elma’s perceptiveness. How could someone as sharp as Elma not understand what was happening?
When Leila caught the fear glistening in Elma’s wide eyes, her heart ached. She wanted to promise everything would be alright, but she didn’t dare. She worried that giving Elma too much hope would eventually deepen her disappointment.
After a pause to steady herself, Leila said softly, “It’ll be okay. Even if Lacey’s mentor can’t cure you, there are countless doctors in the world. It’s impossible we cannot find someone who can treat you.”
Elma listened quietly to Leila’s reassuring words, her tense shoulders slowly relaxing as a sense of calm washed over her. But sadness still lingered in her voice as she murmured, “Mom, I don’t want to be alone. I want to stay by your side. I want to be with you, always.”
Leila’s chest tightened, and tears threatened to spill, but she held them back. Leaning in, she kissed Elma’s forehead tenderly.
“You’ll always have me. I’m not going anywhere.”
That night, Leila held Elma close, her arms a cocoon of warmth and safety.
Elma often struggled with discomfort through the night. At times, she felt unbearably hot, other times, an icy chill crept over her, and waves of pain intermittently coursed through her.
But tonight felt different. Sleeping in her mother’s embrace, Elma felt her eyelids grow heavy. She drifted into slumber naturally, being comforted. Her breathing was steady, her eyes softly closed. For once, she slept peacefully.
After soothing Elma to sleep, Leila soon found herself drifting off naturally as well.
But in the quiet of the night, Leila stirred, sensing someone else’s presence. Her body tensed instinctively. Then, the familiar scent hit her, and she relaxed. She knew who it was.
Landon lay down silently, watching the two of them. A soft smile touched his lips as he took in the serene scene. He had planned to pull Leila into his arms, but she clung tightly to Elma, leaving him no opportunity to do so.
Instead, Landon settled nearby, content to watch over them. Before long, he gave up, and sleep claimed him too.
They all slept soundly until the first light of dawn. They then prepared to set off on their journey.
As they stepped outside, Calvin appeared, rushing back, fresh from a competition. Though he had another event this morning, he made time to see them off. While the competition mattered to him, his family undeniably came first.
Watching their car disappear into the distance, Calvin sighed deeply.
“I don’t understand why they trust Lacey. But I guess there’s no other choice right now.”
Sophie, standing nearby, caught his words and frowned. She thought back to that day, hearing her mother cry through the door. Her chest tightened at the memory.
“Our mom and dad have always been so stressed about Elma’s illness. If Elma can be cured this time, maybe things will finally be better for our family.”
Calvin’s expression hardened as he turned to her.
“Sophie, why are you calling Landon Dad all of a sudden? Just because Elma does? Have you forgotten how he almost failed to save you back then?”
Sophie frowned, nudging him with frustration.
“Enough, Calvin. He might have made mistakes, but don’t you want our family to be whole again? Besides, our mom’s happy with him.”
Calvin couldn’t find a retort. After a pause, he sighed.
“Fine. I have things to do. I’ll see you later.”
After leaving the Kensington family’s house, Calvin went to the competition before returning to the Nixon Group. Because of the competition, he had postponed many things, including the investigation into Lacey.
Recently, Lacey had been acting without raising any suspicion.
However, Calvin came across a new recording of Lacey’s recent call log, expanding into nearly half an hour. His instincts screamed that it was significant. He immediately played the recording, but the encryption blocked him.
This level of security suggested that the phone used to call Lacey had special encryption software. Normally, encryption software like that was only used by high-profile individuals, such as CEOs like Landon, who were particularly concerned about their privacy and security. It indicated that the caller was someone of considerable influence.
Calvin began working on decrypting the recording, his mind racing with possibilities. He even suspected Landon might be the one who called Lacey, given the level of sophistication of the encryption. It was probably developed by some of the best programmers in the industry. While Calvin had an interest in this field, he never considered himself an expert. As a result, it posed a challenge.
Yet, the more challenging it became, the more intrigued Calvin grew. His intuition urged him that there was something important he had to uncover and that once he successfully decrypted it, he might finally expose Lacey’s true nature.
Midway through his efforts, a strange familiarity struck Calvin. He was astonished. He recognized parts of the encryption, but the details eluded him, as he couldn’t recall where he had encountered them.
After an afternoon spent decrypting, Calvin felt the weight of exhaustion settling in. He took a quick sip of water, trying to shake off the fatigue before diving back into the task.
Once something piqued his interest, Calvin tended to lose track of everything else, his focus narrowing entirely on the task at hand.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
Calvin intended to ignore the call until he saw the caller ID. It displayed Leila’s name.
“Mom, what’s up?” Calvin’s voice sounded weary as he answered.