Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
She even added, “Tell him I’ve traveled overseas and won’t return anytime soon. You could go to my house and pick up something for me. I’ll give you the password. Once he sees that, he’ll be sure I’ve left the country.”
Hearing Leila’s plan, Calvert finally nodded in agreement. Most importantly, he now had the password to Leila’s home, which he interpreted as her solid trust in him. He felt a rush of excitement.
They spent a considerable amount of time discussing this plan, and throughout, Leila showed no signs of wanting to leave. She only requested that Calvert tell Clayton their relationship was over and that he shouldn’t look for her.
This cleared away any lingering doubts in Calvert’s mind, and his smile widened.
Their conversation had stretched on, and Leila began to show signs of fatigue.
“Why don’t you leave for today? I need some rest.”
Though their discussion had ended, Calvert hesitated to leave. Leila’s cheerful demeanor sparked an intensified longing in him.
“Don’t be in such a rush. How about I stay with you? Didn’t you mention feeling safer with me here?”
Leila’s smile froze for a moment before she playfully protested, “But now, I’m completely worn out, so let’s not do anything until I’m feeling better.”
Yet, Calvert made no move to leave. His gaze grew more intent upon Leila.
“It’s alright. I can help you change your clothes. I’ll just watch over you while you sleep, I promise. Leila, you said you liked me, right? Shouldn’t two people who like each other relate freely together?” Despite the presence of servants just outside, Calvert boldly made such a request.
Leila was taken aback by his brazenness, feeling both revolted and anxious. If she faltered now, all her previous acting would be in vain, possibly even raising Calvert’s suspicions. But the thought of yielding to someone like Calvert was more than she could bear. She’d rather face death.
As Leila struggled to find a way out, a sudden knock came at the door. At that moment, Calvert’s hand was already reaching toward Leila’s collar, poised to pull it open and strip her.
Calvert’s anger surged at the disruption.
“Who is it? Didn’t I mention that I need to perform a thorough examination on Miss Nixon? Please, leave us be.”
The knocking momentarily stopped, but then intensified with louder thuds and furious shouts.
“Calvert Watson, I’m onto you! I’m warning you, don’t let Mrs. White catch wind of this, or it’ll spell trouble for both of us. Get out here now!”
Hearing Florrie’s voice, Calvert felt a mix of reluctance and anger, but mostly panic. He quickly pulled his hand away from Leila.
Leila exhaled in relief, thankful for Florrie’s timely arrival. She had intentionally spoken provocatively to Calvert a moment earlier, partly to lure Florrie here quickly.
Florrie had already been suspicious of their relationship, and learning that Calvert had been alone with Leila for an extended period was enough to alarm her.
However, Leila knew this wasn’t a lasting solution. Calvert would definitely take any chance to harass her later on. She needed to come up with a plan.
Leila quickly thought of something and called out to Calvert, who was about to leave, “Calvert, could you come here for a second? I need to talk to you.”
Even though Florrie was outside, irate and pounding on the door, Calvert turned back to Leila’s sorrowful look and decided to stay with her. His voice grew gentler immediately.
“Leila, what’s the matter? You seem upset.”
Leila peeked toward the door and then exhaled deeply in distress.
“I’m unsure about how Gracelyn feels about me these days. Besides, I’m not related to her by blood. She might see me as just someone to amuse herself with. But Florrie is different. She has been with Gracelyn for years and holds some sway. Please, for my sake, don’t show me too much kindness when others are around. Otherwise…” Leila shivered slightly, her eyes brimming with fear.
Calvert caught on to what she was hinting at and felt a surge of irritation.
“Florrie is just a shrew. Why are you scared of her? Don’t worry. Do you really think she would dare to harm you? Don’t fret. I’m here for you now.”
Leila barely held back a derisive snort and gestured toward the door.
“If that’s so, then go outside and tell Florrie you have no feelings for her and that you want a divorce. That’s the only way I’ll be able to relax.”
Calvert was taken aback. Of course, he wouldn’t do that. After all, he had gotten his current job through Florrie.
Even though Calvert loathed Florrie, he had to admit she still had some value to him. It would be such a loss to let her go at this point. Moreover, he hadn’t gotten what he wanted from Leila yet. He didn’t want to risk losing both his wife and the game.
Bearing this in mind, Calvert quickly adopted a look of resignation.
“It’s not that Florrie scares me. It’s just that we’ve been together for a long time. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her about the divorce when the moment comes. For now, I’ll just keep my distance from you.”
Only then did Leila nod in relief.
As Calvert opened the door, he was greeted by an almost enraged Florrie.
Florrie stormed into the room, eyeing both Leila and Calvert with keen suspicion. Seeing that they were both fully clothed and nothing untoward seemed to have happened, her demeanor relaxed slightly. But she still asked coldly, “Why was she unwell to the point that you had to stay with her for an hour? Calvert, don’t you have a busy schedule every day? How can you afford to spend so much time on someone who doesn’t matter?”
Calvert, irritated by her biting tone, retorted, “Florrie, what are you trying to say? Do you think I’m unfaithful? If you’re so doubtful, why don’t we just end this marriage? Otherwise, you’ll always be suspicious of everything I do.”
The mention of divorce startled Florrie. It stripped away her commanding air and replaced it with a more vulnerable look.
“Calvert, that’s not what I meant. I’m just worried that some scheming woman might be trying to seduce you.”
Calvert responded with impatience, “Enough. I know you don’t trust me. There’s no use talking about this any further. I don’t want to explain myself anymore. I’m leaving.”
With those words, Calvert left quickly.
As Florrie watched him walk away, she felt a mix of reluctance and anger, tinged with helplessness. She considered chasing after him but then remembered Leila was still in the room.
So, Florrie turned back to where Leila was.
Looking at Leila’s beautiful face, Florrie’s anger reignited, and she felt an urge to slap Leila.
Leila, however, faced her with unwavering calmness.
As expected, Florrie restrained herself from slapping Leila.
Through clenched teeth, Florrie questioned, “Leila, what’s so appealing about my husband that you won’t leave him alone?”
Leila replied calmly, “Why would I hold onto him? I’m young and attractive, while he’s old, ugly, and poor. What could I possibly see in him? It seems only you would consider such a man a prize.”
Her words struck a nerve, and Florrie’s anger intensified.
“Stop playing games. If you had no interest in him, why were you alone with him for so long?”
Leila answered nonchalantly, “He was merely examining me. I was feeling under the weather, and he wanted to check to see what was wrong.”
“You!” Florrie was speechless. Her anger was evident as she glared at Leila.
Leila scoffed.
“Upset now? Remember, you were the one who insisted on keeping me here and even drugged me, so you have only yourself to blame. And now, I’m not planning on going anywhere. I’m quite content to just relax here, soaking up everyone’s attention. I have Gracelyn and Dr. Watson looking after me, and there’s nothing you can do to harm me. Isn’t that just perfect?”
Florrie’s face twisted with anger. After holding it in for a while, she finally gritted her teeth and said, “Aren’t you worried I’ll tell Mrs. White? She’s very conservative and will surely think poorly of you. By then, your good days will come to an end.”
Leila arched an eyebrow, unbothered.
“Go ahead. Where’s your proof? You have none. Besides, I can easily tell Gracelyn about your abuse against me. Let’s see who she believes.”
At a loss for words, Florrie glowered at Leila and stormed out, overwhelmed with frustration.
Leila breathed a sigh of relief. For the foreseeable future, Florrie would likely keep Calvert under close watch, keeping him from bothering her. At least this would give her more time to plot her escape. If Calvert really did relay those messages to Clayton, Clayton would surely understand her intentions.
Although Leila was reluctant to seek Clayton’s help, it seemed she had no other viable options now. She was confident Clayton would rescue her from imprisonment. But these thoughts were merely assumptions.
The house password Leila gave Calvert wasn’t for the Nixon family estate but for a property in her name. It contained some valuable jewelry but nothing of great importance.
So, even if Calvert accessed the property using the password and wanted to get some valuables, Leila wasn’t concerned. Losing some money was a small price to pay if it meant she could gain her freedom. From her bed, Leila sighed, looking toward the cliffside.