Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
“Will you have another drink for me?” This time, Landon didn’t reach for the glass.
They both knew how strong the drink was. Considering Landon’s low tolerance for alcohol, one more glass and he’d be thoroughly intoxicated.
Landon’s eyes seemed to clear for a moment. It was as if he sensed what was coming, his gaze shifting to Leila with a quiet sadness.
“If this is our last time together, will you tell me what’s really going on inside your head?”
Leila’s resolve wavered, but thoughts of Elma steeled her heart. She met Landon’s gaze, her voice steady.
“I have nothing to hide from you. I’ve already told you, it’s just that I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and feeling unwell. It’s not what you think. I just needed a drink to take the edge off. If you keep pushing, I’ll leave and rest.”
Leila used retreat as a strategy, placing her glass down and stepping away from Landon, signaling her intent to leave.
“Leila!” Landon’s voice cracked with desperation. He rushed to her, pulling her into his arms. His body trembled against hers.
“Please, don’t leave. I’ll drink, okay? Anything you want. Just don’t leave.” Leila had never seen Landon so vulnerable, and it hit her like a physical blow. Her heart ached at the sight of him, her resolve weakening. Watching him release her and return to the table to finish his drink, Leila’s eyes began to blur with tears. She couldn’t comprehend. If he didn’t love her, why go to such lengths to pretend? If he didn’t love her, why give her false hope and trap her in this cruel illusion?
After draining the last of the glass, Landon’s body swayed dangerously, unable to hold himself upright.
Unable to watch him falter, Leila stepped forward, offering him support.
Landon teetered on shaky legs, his mind swirling in a fog, trying to latch onto the fading fragments of sense. He recognized Leila standing next to him, her presence undeniable.
Though Landon wavered, he tried not to impose his full weight on her, fearing it might cause her harm.
“Leila, I finished it all,” Landon stated, his voice slurred by intoxication. His eyes, alive with a poignant mix of feelings, sought hers, radiating the earnest hope of a child yearning for affirmation.
Leila, observing Landon’s state, felt a growing discomfort. She posed a question, tinged with raw vulnerability.
“Do you truly love me, Landon? Or is all of this just for show? There’s no need to keep up the facade if it’s not real-it’s just too tiring.”
Her words, sharp and cutting, were not meant to comfort but to challenge him.
Landon, however, missed the biting tone in her voice. Instead, he looked visibly distressed, his brow furrowed, eyes glistening with the threat of tears. He shook his head emphatically, desperate to clarify, but the alcohol had scrambled his thoughts, rendering him unable to articulate a clear response.
Leila’s patience thinned as she watched him struggle. Tears welled up in her eyes, not from pity but from a sense of betrayal.
“Landon, your act is too convincing-it’s deeply unsettling,” she said, her voice cracking slightly.
Landon stood bewildered, unable to grasp why Leila was upset. If he had been sober, perhaps he would have delved deeper, asked probing questions. But in his current state, his mind was a chaotic tangle, and his speech broke apart like shattered glass.
Leila inhaled sharply, her patience frayed. With a firm shove, she pushed Landon into a nearby chair, her gaze averted, unable to bear the sight of him any longer.
As dusk crept in, a sense of urgency washed over Leila. It was now or never-if she didn’t make her exit soon, she feared she might never manage to escape.
Resolute, Leila turned on her heel and departed without a backward glance.
Silently and unseen, just after Leila’s departure, the room’s atmosphere shifted as Lacey slipped through the doorway.
The sight of Landon, visibly inebriated, a lone tear lingering at the edge of his eye, ignited a tumult of emotions in Lacey.
Right from the start, Lacey had been privy to Leila’s scheme to get Landon drunk.
The hotel buzzed with the presence of Clayton’s men, each corridor and corner under strict watch.
Infiltrating the place with loyalists had been a formidable task, yet Lacey, the unsuspecting traitor embedded beside Landon, made it feasible.
Once informed of Leila’s intention, Clayton adapted his strategy with swift precision. He dispatched an antidote to Lacey, with strict orders for her to return to Landon’s side the moment Leila vacated the premises. Clayton’s plot thickened with a sinister twist. He instructed Lacey to seize the chance to administer poison to Landon.
While Clayton cloaked his directive under the guise of merely incapacitating Landon to prevent any resistance, Lacey’s acute medical acumen unveiled his deadly agenda. Clayton’s objective was clear and chilling-he aimed for nothing less than Landon’s demise.
Overwhelmed by the thought, Lacey made her way over to Landon. She knelt beside him and tenderly caressed his cheek.
Landon, completely lost in his drunken haze, mumbled on without a clue. Intrigued by his words, Lacey leaned closer, her face shifting as she deciphered his slurred speech.
Tears streamed down Landon’s cheeks as he whispered Leila’s name over and over.
In all the years Lacey had stood by Landon, she had never witnessed him display such raw emotion. Not even when he was hurt did he let his guard down. He would simply clench his jaw and push through with unyielding resolve. Yet, here he was, a broken remnant of his former self, crumbling over the thought of Leila.
In a sudden outburst of rage and despair, Lacey seized a bottle from the table and hurled it to the floor, shattering it, as a way to release her pent-up anger and ridicule her own naivety.
It dawned on Lacey in that heated moment-no matter what she tried, Landon’s heart was tethered to Leila. Her attempts to win him over felt futile, like a cruel joke.
The fire in Lacey’s resolve flickered, threatening to extinguish, yet she couldn’t bring herself to retreat. Having invested everything, the mere idea of surrendering was excruciating, more unbearable than enduring any physical pain. She recalled the woman she once was: strong, dignified, never succumbing to sentimental weaknesses.
As the echo of the breaking bottle faded, Landon remained undisturbed. Lacey rose to her feet, her fingers tightly wrapped around the vial of poison. Tears pooled in her eyes as she fixed her gaze on Landon.
“I’m willing to let you go. That’s a good thing for me…”
“You, right? I won’t cling to you or cause you any more trouble.” Lacey’s words were soft, almost gentle, but her tone abruptly grew sharp like a blade.
“But part of me resists.”
Her voice turned icy, her stare hardening as she looked at Landon with chilling detachment.
“I can’t stand it.”
Meanwhile, Leila and Elma made their descent, soon catching sight of Edgar.
Leila struggled to place Edgar’s face, but his name echoed in her mind the moment she saw him, a sign that her memory was inching back. Edgar had successfully slipped his men into Landon’s territory without leaving a single clue behind.
Elma spotted Edgar from a distance and waved exuberantly.
“Edgar!” she exclaimed, her vibrant energy masking any trace of her previous ailments, her youthful charm radiating.
Edgar couldn’t help but smile back, reminded of his own young daughter, who was close to Elma’s age. The fear of possibly never seeing his daughter again clouded his heart.
Edgar harbored a sadness within him, yet his expression remained carefully neutral.
With brisk steps, Edgar closed the distance to greet them, offering a deferential bow to Leila.
“Miss Nixon, it’s been some time. How have you been doing?”
Leila’s smile was gentle, yet a hint of melancholy lingered.
“I’ve been well, but…” Her gaze drifted to Elma, her eyes shadowed with concern. Catching her drift, Edgar let out a soft sigh and comforted her.
“Elma is in good spirits, and I bet she’ll recover.”
Elma, who was fond of Edgar, greeted him with a warm handshake.
“Edgar, it’s been a long time! Are you coming back to Burmoos soon? My siblings and I miss playing with you.”
Edgar responded with a warm smile.
“I am indeed considering a move to Burmoos, though I may need to settle a few things beforehand. However, my family will be coming.”
Leila caught the underlying meaning in his words and offered eagerly, “Once your family is there, let me know. You’re welcome to stay at the Nixon family estate for a while. Your daughter will be great company for Elma. Don’t worry. I’ll ensure you’re all well looked after in Burmoos.”
Leila thought Edgar was turning to her for assistance with his family, oblivious to the fact that he was leaving their well-being in her hands as he prepared for the worst.
Loyalty earned Landon’s protection, but disruptions in his territory were met with swift and resolute action. He was a man who didn’t waver. Edgar chose not to correct Leila’s assumption, merely offering a grateful smile.
“Thank you.”