Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Linsey raised her hand, poised to strike again.
Landon remained silent, and no one else dared intervene.
As Linsey moved to strike again, Sarah spun around and dashed away in terror.
“Enough!” Landon’s voice cracked with annoyance. “Why all the fuss?”
“Landon, she…” Sarah began, but her plea was quickly silenced.
Steven interrupted sharply. “Can’t you see we’re occupied here? Be quiet!”
Sarah pressed her lips together, her gaze turning to Landon with a silent plea, yet he gave no sign of noticing her distress.
Meanwhile, Leila slowly came to.
“How are you feeling? Show me where it hurts, or if something’s not right,” Steven said gently, being the first face Leila saw as she opened her eyes.
“Leila, are you alright?” Linsey hurried to her side.
Leila looked up at Landon, her eyes wide with bewilderment and fear.
“You passed out,” Steven clarified.
As her senses returned, Leila recalled the events that led up to the moment. She shook her head slowly. Honestly, she felt awful all over, but no particular pain stood out, so she opted to act as if everything was alright.
“Do I still need to go to the police station?” Leila asked with concern, signing her question to Steven with shaky hands. “I can explain everything to the police. I didn’t do what they’re accusing me of.”
Steven’s face became a mask of complexity as he glanced at Landon. His silence was deafening, yet his eyes conveyed volumes.
“Would you prefer to deal with the police instead of explaining things to me?” Landon articulated the thoughts Steven hadn’t voiced, his expression darkening.
Leila’s eyes darted downward, her fingers nervously twitching at the bedsheet.
“Why won’t you explain it to me? Look at me!” Landon’s voice grew sharp with anger.
“You’re frightening her! Are you planning to harm her again?” Linsey interjected protectively, positioning herself in front of Leila.
Leila raised her gaze once more. Clad in a hospital gown, her fragile frame made the purple bruises on her delicate neck, left by her earlier assailant, stand out starkly.
“Just explain it to me,” Landon said, moderating his tone, an effort to curb his frustration evident. “I’m listening.”
“I haven’t taken any money from him. Check my bank account,” Leila typed, her fingers deftly managing her phone with her left hand. She activated the text-to-speech function, and a robotic voice relayed her message.
“I’ve got the receipt for the transfer!” the restrained man interjected loudly, desperation in his voice. “It’s in my pocket! She can’t deny it!”
Quickly, someone fetched the receipt from his pocket. The details matched the time of the extortion messages, and the account listed was Leila’s.
“How can you explain this?” Landon challenged, laying the receipt before Leila, his tone deep yet controlled.
This time, Leila displayed neither panic nor fear. She typed once more on her phone. “My account shows no such deposit, and I haven’t made any calls or texts to him. You can verify that with my bank and phone records.”
“Alright, let’s get in touch with the bank and the telecom company right now to confirm this,” Landon directed..
“I swear I didn’t lie…” The man pinned to the floor wailed as Landon’s investigator hovered nearby. Landon watched, his expression unreadable.
Steven couldn’t stand it any longer. He strode over and delivered a precise kick to a sensitive spot on the man’s leg. The man jerked from the pain, his voice cut off by the sudden shock.
“Make another sound, and I’ll cripple you,” Steven warned, his tone cold and threatening, reminiscent of a ruthless mob boss.
Silence fell. The man clamped his mouth shut, fear evident in his eyes.
Shortly after, updates arrived from both the bank and the telecom company. The bank verified the man’s claims. He had indeed initiated a transfer to Leila as the receipt indicated. Yet, it was a scheduled transaction, and the funds had only reached Leila’s account about thirty minutes ago, explaining why Leila hadn’t noticed them yet.
From the telecom company came Leila’s communication logs for the last month. Unable to make calls, her record showed no outgoing calls, only missed ones from delivery services, which she replied to with texts. Occasionally, there were messages to the housekeeper and Linsey, but none to or from the man.
Technicians soon unearthed the truth. The messages allegedly from Leila on the man’s phone were fabricated through a counterfeit base station. It was a clear setup against Leila.
With her name proven innocent, Leila lifted her gaze to meet Landon’s, her eyes brimming with a silent sorrow, dimmed by the ordeal.
Landon’s brow furrowed, a tightness in his throat preventing him from speaking.
Leila picked up her phone, opting not to use the text-to-speech function this time. Instead, she typed out her message and turned the screen toward Landon. “I would never betray you, no matter the offer. I’d never sell your files.”
The words “sell your files” held Landon’s gaze for a moment longer before he reached out, his fingers lightly brushing Leila’s hair. “I know,” he whispered, his voice tinged with warmth. “Is there anything you need? Let me make it up to you.”
Leila was taken aback. She eyed Landon warily before typing once more.
Landon waited with patience, but upon reading her next message, his expression chilled to a stark frost. “Can we divorce now? I can write you an IOU for the twenty million. I promise to repay it.”
“Why? Is that what you really want?” Landon’s voice was low, his teeth clenched to steer clear of the word “divorce” in front of others.
Leila recoiled slightly but continued typing, her head bowed. “I know you don’t care for me, yet I remain your wife. If you can’t even trust me, what’s left for us in this marriage?”
After reading the message, Landon was overcome with silence. The corridor became eerily still. He lingered in front of Leila, then, without a word, abruptly turned and walked away.
“Looks like it’s up to me to manage things now,” Steven declared, his voice heavy with irony. He proceeded to instruct the nurses to transport Leila back to her room.
The authorities detained the man, yet the dilemma of handling Sarah remained unresolved.
“Moments earlier, you were so certain Leila was at fault. Maybe you were part of the plot to frame her as well. Are you planning to explain yourself to the police or to Mr. Kensington?” Steven challenged Sarah sharply.
Sarah, left alone as Landon exited, involuntarily stepped back, stammering, “I… I had no idea. I truly believed that evidence was unmistakable!”
From the floor, the man, strained by a kick from Steven, weakly chimed in, “It was me… I deceived Sarah… I just aimed to swindle her out of money, so I fed her these lies. She was oblivious to the truth.”
“Is that so?” Steven asked, skeptically tilting his head toward the man. “You’re quite loyal, protecting your employer. But you might want to polish your narrative. It’s riddled with inconsistencies right now!”
Soon, only Leila and Linsey remained in the room.
Linsey, still visibly shaken, grabbed the snack bag she had bought earlier and sat down beside Leila. “I’m staying right here with you, I’m not going anywhere,” she declared.
Leila offered a reassuring smile and gently urged Linsey to lie down and try to get some sleep.
“But what did you tell Landon earlier? I thought you guys were smoothing things over. Then suddenly, he shows up and has the cops haul you off without even letting you explain?” Linsey’s confusion was evident in her tone.
Leila remained silent, absorbing Linsey’s words.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay,” Linsey continued, softening her voice. “Let’s try to get some rest, sweetie. Right now, your priority is to recover. Make sure you eat well and build back your strength!”
Thanks to the exceptional care from Steven, Leila’s splint was removed on the second day of her stay in the hospital. By the fourth day, she was nearly back to her old self, though she still sported a few lingering bruises.
“Honey, I’m taking you to the hot springs!” Linsey announced with excitement as she picked Leila up from the hospital. “A few spa treatments should help boost your circulation and speed up your recovery.”
They headed to a newly opened hot spring resort. However, the moment they stepped into the lobby, they bumped into familiar faces, Sarah and her friend, linked arm in arm.
“Hey, I could smell something foul from a mile off. Looks like it was just a couple of piles of garbage!” Sarah’s friend had a razor-sharp tongue and a cruel nature. She pinched her nose, shot Leila and Linsey a scornful glance, and rolled her eyes dramatically.
“People who bark are one thing, but talking dogs? Now, that’s new to me,” Linsey snapped instantly. “This is a club, not a park for dogs to wander in. Hey, manager! Are you really allowing these lowlifes as members?”
“Who are you calling lowlifes?” Sarah’s friend exploded in anger.
Linsey stood her ground, undeterred. “I’m obviously referring to you. Can’t you grasp simple things? You’re really stupid, aren’t you?”
The club manager hurried over at once. These exclusive clubs with membership requirements typically welcomed only the elite. The Brooks family was well-known locally, so the manager recognized Linsey immediately. “Apologies, Miss Brooks, for any inconvenience,” he said, trying to soothe Linsey’s irritation.