Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Clayton didn’t say a word, but the look in his eyes revealed his intentions. He was going to agree to Gracelyn’s proposal.
A sudden realization dawned on Leila, and she rushed forward, grabbing Clayton’s hand.
“If you hand Landon over to them, I won’t go on living. I mean it!”
Clayton’s eyes flickered with hurt.
“Why, Leila?” he asked, his voice filled with anguish.
“What’s so special about Landon? Look at what you’re going through. It’s all his fault. If he hadn’t made so many enemies, would you have been in this mess?”
Leila shook her head, her gaze unwavering.
“He’s my husband,” she stated firmly.
“Whatever comes our way, we’ll face it together.”
Clayton’s face hardened, his expression turning thunderous.
Leila let go of Clayton’s hand and returned to Landon’s side, her grip on his hand reassuring.
“It’s okay,” she said to Landon, offering him a small smile.
“I’m with you, no matter what.”
Landon’s eyes filled with pain.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Go with Clayton. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Tears welled up in Leila’s eyes.
“No,” she insisted.
“I’m staying with you. Have you forgotten your promise? Or are you going to break it?”
Seeing Leila’s distress, Landon stopped trying to convince her to leave.
Clayton watched their exchange, his face darkening with rage.
“Bring her to me!” he snarled.
Several men instantly lunged forward, grabbing Leila and restraining her.
At the same time, Gracelyn’s men sprang into action, attacking Landon.
Landon was caught off guard. Before he could react, Leila was pulled away from him.
Leila stared at Clayton in disbelief.
“Clayton, have you lost your mind?” she yelled.
“I wasn’t kidding! I won’t go on living without Landon. Go ahead, test me!” Leila was dragged before Clayton, her struggles futile.
Clayton reached out, his hand caressing her cheek.
His touch was cold and clammy, sending a shiver down her spine.
Leila recoiled, disgust washing over her.
Clayton’s face twisted in anger.
“You hate me that much?” he growled.
Leila glared at him, her detestation evident.
“What?” she spat.
“You’re just figuring that out now?”
Clayton’s fists clenched, but he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, his voice low and menacing.
“You’ll soon see that Landon is worthless. I’m the only one for you.”
Leila bit her lip hard, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth.
“I told you, if anything happens to Landon, I’m going down with him.”
Clayton laughed, a cruel sound.
“Leila, I love you way too much to let you die. You’re going to live a good life with me. I’d never be like that loser Landon and let anyone hurt you.”
His words might have sounded sweet, but Leila felt sick to her stomach.
Leila didn’t want to waste another breath on Clayton, so she turned to look at Landon.
That bunch of henchmen had ambushed Landon. In a fair fight, he could probably hold his own.
However, their sheer numbers were overwhelming, and Landon appeared weary.
Landon had already worn himself out fighting those bodyguards earlier. Now, facing a new wave of attackers, he was outnumbered, and it was starting to show.
Gracelyn watched with a smug grin on her face. She even yelled, “Beat Landon all you want, but make sure he’s dead in the end! Whoever takes off his hands and feet gets a million bucks!”
Gracelyn’s words were like throwing gasoline on a fire.
The henchmen, who were starting to slow down, suddenly got a burst of energy, and their attacks became even more vicious.
Leila’s throat was raw from screaming. She couldn’t even yell for help anymore and turned to beg Clayton to stop them.
“I take back what I said earlier,” she choked out.
“Please save Landon! I’ll do anything, anything at all. I’ll stay with you forever, I’ll never see him again… Just let him live.”
Clayton looked down at Leila, and for a second, she thought she saw a flicker of pity or hesitation in his eyes.
Leila thought she’d reached him, but Clayton just said, “Then Landon has to die. You’re too in love with him. As long as he’s alive, you’ll never truly belong to me.”
Seeing the coldness in Clayton’s eyes, Leila just closed her own in despair. She blamed herself. It was all her fault. Landon was in this mess because of her.
Just as one of the henchmen raised a baseball bat-sized club to finish Landon off, the door flew open.
The Kensington family and its bodyguards, coupled with a whole squad of cops, stormed in.
At the front of the pack, panting and drenched in sweat, was Calvin.
Calvin’s heart pounded like a drum as he took in the chaotic scene. He sprang into action, charging forward to tear Leila away from Clayton’s goons.
With the police on the scene, Clayton’s men had no choice but to release Leila.
The moment Leila was free, she bolted toward Landon.
Thankfully, Landon’s injuries were minor-just a few scrapes and bruises. Relief washed over Leila, tears welling up in her eyes.