Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
“Why won’t you just do it? Is it because you truly can’t? Or because you’ve been lying to me all along?”
Calvert drew a deep, shuddering breath, closed his eyes, and decided to betray Leila. He said carefully, his voice strained, “Mrs. White, I swear I’m not lying. I can’t summon him, but there’s someone else who can confirm what I’ve seen. Leila saw him too.”
“Leila?” Gracelyn stiffened, momentarily caught off guard. But then, her doubts began to melt away. It made sense. Her grandson must still hold affection for Leila, his childhood playmate. And that was why he had returned to Leila-but not to her. But why? Why wouldn’t he let her see him?
A flicker of something dark passed through Gracelyn’s mind. Could the spiritual advisor have been right all along? Then, suddenly, her eyes gleamed with newfound determination. She turned to Calvert and gestured sharply.
“Go bring the spiritual advisor here. I have questions that need answers.”
Calvert understood immediately-Gracelyn was reviving her original plan. She still intended for Leila to bear a child with him-one that would supposedly serve as the reincarnation of her grandson.
There had been a time when this prospect would have pleased Calvert. But now? Now, he felt nothing but dread. It seemed his deception had summoned something far worse than suspicion. It had brought a ghost to his heels. And that ghost-the very spirit of Gracelyn’s grandson-never left Leila’s side. Calvert’s throat tightened. How could he possibly follow through with Gracelyn’s plan, knowing that something unseen was always present, watching?
He was always watching? But one glance at Gracelyn’s cold, expectant gaze told him there was no room for refusal. Swallowing his fear, he turned and left to find the spiritual advisor.
Meanwhile, Leila remained unaware of the storm brewing around her. She had no idea that Gracelyn’s twisted idea had resurfaced. She was too busy plotting her escape with Landon.
“Calvin is extraordinary-a genius, really,” Landon said, his voice filled with admiration.
“In just three days, he’s already hacked into the signal-blocking system. Soon, we’ll be able to send our exact location to our people outside. Once they receive it, they’ll come straight for us.” His expression darkened.
“But I won’t just sit around waiting. I’ll gather evidence of Gracelyn’s crimes. She needs to pay for everything she’s done.”
Gracelyn had been slipping into madness for years. After the White family dwindled to just her and her paralyzed husband-who could neither move nor speak-her grasp on reality had begun to unravel. She was unpredictable. On one hand, she played the role of a benevolent benefactor. But on the other hand, if a young person caught her interest-especially someone who resembled her lost grandson-she would find a way to keep them permanently. They became nothing more than substitutes for the boy she had lost.
Many had tried to resist, but none had succeeded. The White estate wasn’t just a home-it was a prison. And those who defied Gracelyn met a fate worse than death. Like her husband, they were driven to madness, broken until they were nothing but husks of their former selves. No one ever escaped, their cries for help falling on deaf ears.
So, when Gracelyn had set her sights on Leila, her methods were swift, practiced, and seamless. Leila didn’t even sense the danger. She wasn’t the first to be ensnared. But she was different. She was special.
Landon let out a slow breath, his expression grim.
“I can tell I’m next on Gracelyn’s list. But if I can get you out of here, Leila, I’m willing to take that risk.”
Panic surged through Leila, and before she could stop herself, she grabbed Landon’s hand, gripping it tightly. She shook her head fiercely.
“No. I won’t let you do this. After all these years, we’ve finally found each other again. We were supposed to have a good life-together. I won’t let you face this alone.” Her voice wavered as a sudden tickle burned in her nose. A moment later, warm tears spilled down her cheeks.
When Landon saw Leila like this, his heart ached. He couldn’t bear to watch her crying.
“Okay, okay,” Landon wiped away Leila’s tears with a resigned look.
“I’m just speculating. All I have right now are rumors and nothing concrete. I have to get you out of here and make them pay for what they’ve done. It’s the only way to ease the hatred consuming me inside.”
Leila shook her head.
“If I have to choose, I’d rather see you return home safely. Neither I nor our kids want you to take any risks.”
Landon’s heart softened, and he chose not to argue. Instead, he offered a gentle reassurance.
“Alright, I won’t go.”
Leila remained skeptical.
“Unless you swear that putting yourself in danger again would mean breaking our promise, giving me the right to leave you without question. If we break up, you won’t be able to find me again. Whoever I’m with by then, that’s my right.”
Landon’s chest panicked at her words, his brows knitting in alarm. He gazed at Leila with an aggrieved look.
“Would you leave me?”
Leila looked away, her resolve unshaken.
“If you go through with it, so will I. Call me heartless if you must. Anyway, you’re the one who breaks our promise.” Seeing Leila’s unwavering stance, Landon abandoned his original plan. He thought carefully before saying, “We’ll take it slow, and things will gradually improve.”
Leila nodded and fell into Landon’s embrace.
Just then, a sudden knock echoed at the door, followed by Charli’s voice.
“Mrs. White, what brings you here? Are you here to see Miss Nixon? She’s exhausted and needs her rest.”
Leila had made it clear to Charli that she hated being disturbed while sleeping. If anyone showed up, they would be turned away at the door.
Already feeling guilty toward Leila and eager to stay in her good graces, Charli considered this request trivial.
However, Gracelyn struck Charli across the face without a moment’s hesitation. The next second, Gracelyn snapped, “Who do you think you are to stand in my way?”
Feeling extremely wronged, Charli reluctantly stepped aside, allowing Gracelyn to push the door open.
Calvert trailed behind Gracelyn, accompanied by the spiritual advisor.
As Calvert looked at Leila’s familiar room, his legs felt like lead, unable to move. He watched as Gracelyn entered, and for a brief moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to retreat.
Gracelyn walked in, but all that met her eyes was Leila, sitting silently by the window.
Leila was yet to react. She hadn’t anticipated Gracelyn’s sudden arrival and was caught off guard. Still, she managed to put on a bright smile.
“Gracelyn, what brings you here? Do you need something?”
Gracelyn nodded.
“Yes, I have something to discuss with you, good girl.”
As Gracelyn spoke, she settled beside Leila and gently patted her hand.
“Be honest with me, did you see my grandson’s spirit?”
Leila had played with Gracelyn’s grandson when she was a child. Therefore, Gracelyn didn’t doubt for a second Calvert’s claim that Leila had seen her grandson’s spirit.
Leila’s eyes flickered as she instinctively glanced at Calvert standing behind Gracelyn.
Gracelyn quickly added, “Calvert has told me everything. I believe he was only doing what was best for you.”
Hearing Gracelyn defend Calvert, Leila had a sinking feeling, but she kept her true feelings masked. She just put on a hesitant look, as if unwilling to say a word.
Though a bit anxious, Gracelyn gently coaxed, “Just tell me about what you have seen of my grandson. I am filled with longing for him, and any information about him is enough to delight me. Please, just tell me.”
Seeing Gracelyn’s unwavering resolve, Leila sighed and said, “I saw his spirit, but it seems he doesn’t want me here. Otherwise, why would he keep showing up just to scare me?”
Honestly, Leila didn’t want to say so, but with Calvert present, denying everything would only render her previous plans useless and raise Calvert’s suspicion. So, even though the whole “seeing Gracelyn’s grandson’s spirit” was a ploy to keep Calvert away from her, she had to make it believable.
Gracelyn’s eyes lit up after hearing that. She squeezed Leila’s hand tighter.
“Tell me more. When and where did you see him?”
Leila gritted her teeth and spun a convincing version of the incident at the garden’s small wooden house. Anyway, the terrified Calvert had been there as a witness.
Right after Leila finished speaking, Calvert nodded in agreement, reinforcing her story.
Tears shimmered in Gracelyn’s eyes as she sighed wistfully.
“Leila, maybe you’ve forgotten, but that little wooden house was once my grandson’s favorite place. It seems he truly misses you and all of us.”
Gracelyn suddenly fixed Leila with a deep, searching gaze.
“Then tell me, is he here now? Right beside us? Maybe he chose to let you see him for a reason. He surely still holds deep feelings for you.”