Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Suddenly, Leila sensed movement behind her. Landon shifted, pulled away the bothersome cables, and wrapped an arm around her. His entire body pressed against her back, and his warm breath on the nape of her neck made her stiffen.
Fortunately, Landon did nothing more. He simply held her, and his breathing soon evened out.
After a while, Leila tried to shift slightly, but Landon’s deep voice halted her. “Stop fidgeting. Remember, this is a hospital.”
Leila held her breath, too afraid to even inhale deeply. She couldn’t recall how she eventually drifted off, but a sudden noise abruptly awakened her.
The door to the hospital room swung open with a click, followed by the echoing tap of high heels and then a piercing scream.
Startled awake, Leila instinctively tried to sit up, but Landon’s firm arm kept her in place, and she slumped back onto the pillow.
It was Sarah who had burst in. The hospital room lacked a lock, allowing Sarah to enter without knocking and catch Landon with his arms around Leila.
“What… You two…” Her eyes wide with disbelief, Sarah nearly let the breakfast tray she was carrying clatter to the floor.
“What’s with all the noise?” Landon grumbled as he sat up slowly, irritation coloring his tone.
Leila scrambled out of the bed, her cheeks flushing as she noticed several of her shirt buttons had come undone. She quickly fastened them, but her hurried movements only seemed to inflame Sarah’s anger further.
Holding back from lashing out in Landon’s presence, Sarah approached cautiously. “I brought you breakfast, but I certainly didn’t expect to find this…”
“There were no spare beds for family members last night, so she ended up here,” Landon said nonchalantly.
As Leila adjusted her shirt and looked down, a pang of sorrow struck her. She was Landon’s wife, and here they were, having to justify their closeness to his mistress.
“After the blood draw, you can have breakfast,” the nurse announced, entering the room with a cart equipped for drawing blood.
Leila moved to the side, while Sarah stayed quiet.
“Everything appears in order,” the nurse commented as she skimmed through the records from the heart monitor that had tracked the previous night. She added with a note of caution, “You will be on the path to recovery as long as the readings stabilize further.”
“Stabilize further…” Those words echoed in Sarah’s mind like a stark warning. What had Landon and Leila done last night to cause instability? This was supposed to be a place of healing!
Sarah was far from reconciled. She had spent years with Landon and never succeeded in getting intimate with him. How could Leila, a mute woman she deemed unworthy of a man like Landon, get so close to him?
A surge of frustration gripped Sarah, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to keep her face unreadable.
“Alright, time for breakfast,” the nurse announced, breaking the tension. She completed her task and departed, leaving the three of them alone in the quiet room.
“Landon, I brought your favorite porridge,” Sarah said, arranging a small table and setting a thermos of food on it. She smiled at Landon, perched gracefully on his bed, making Leila feel awkward and out of place by comparison.
As Sarah lifted the lid, steam wafted up, yet it carried no tempting scent. “It’s from your favorite restaurant. I managed to persuade them to open early just for you. Chef Damon personally prepared it, ensuring it’s far superior to any home-cooked meal!” Sarah boasted, her gaze pointedly drifting toward Leila, her words laced with condescension.
“And as an extra treat, I’ve brought some freshly flown-in fruit,” Sarah added, casting a dismissive glance at Leila, who stood by, feeling a pang of inadequacy at the comparison.
Standing at the threshold, clutching the container of food, Leila couldn’t shake the sense of being an outsider despite being Landon’s lawful spouse. Mere moments ago, Leila had labored over preparing a meal for Landon, striving to convey her care and concern through culinary efforts. Now, in the presence of Sarah’s effortless elegance, she felt as though her efforts had been in vain. All Sarah had to do was make a phone call for the arrangement.
“What’s that smell?” Steven’s voice pierced the air, drawing attention to his presence as he stepped into the room.
In his hand, he held equipment for the IV drip, his features contorting in distaste upon encountering the aroma emanating from the container Sarah had just opened.
Despite Sarah’s intentions to please Landon with a gourmet meal, Steven’s reaction was far from positive. “How much artificial flavoring did this chef add?”
Steven’s tone was accusatory, his concern for Landon’s well-being evident in his inquiry. “You intend to feed this to the patient? Do you seek to nourish him or poison him?”
Sarah faltered under Steven’s scathing criticism, her attempt to rally Landon’s support falling flat as she faced his silent demeanor. “Landon, this is from your favorite restaurant…”
But before Sarah could finish, Steven’s reproachful gaze turned toward her, his words cutting through her attempt at explanation. “What’s that smell on you? Are you trying to suffocate others with your perfume? They might as well post a sign outside the hospital: ‘Perfume-free zone! Say no to pollution!'”
Steven wrinkled his nose disdainfully and said, “Please take this stuff and leave. I beg you!”
Sarah began, her voice tinged with hurt as she glanced at Landon, seeking some form of validation.
Yet, Landon remained silent, his gaze fixed ahead, his response curt and final. “Just listen to the doctor.”
Underscoring Landon’s directive, Steven added, “Yeah, that’s right. This is a hospital, and patients have to listen to the doctors!”
As Sarah stormed out, her eyes bore into Leila like hot daggers, laying blame without a word. She seemed convinced Leila had orchestrated Steven’s rebuke.
“Done and dusted,” Steven announced, his movements brisk as he attended to Landon’s IV.
Then, with a theatrical flourish, he remarked, “Oops, slipped up there! A needle’s in your right hand. Guess you’ll need someone to help you eat today.”
Landon’s stare turned frosty. “Slipped?”
“Yeah, it’s been a hectic day, feeling a bit dizzy,” Steven admitted, his tone lacking remorse. “But no harm done.”
Then, Steven shifted his attention to Leila. “Mrs. Kensington, since you are still around, why don’t you take over feeding your husband? I can’t exactly redo the needle now, can I? Thanks!”
Feed Landon? The suggestion caught Leila off guard, causing her cheeks to flush with heat as she froze in place.
Leila’s single glance almost drove Sarah to the brink of madness. Sarah had always maintained a dominant demeanor around Leila. Now, her anger was palpable, yet she restrained herself, unwilling to unravel in Landon’s presence.
“Have you eaten yet?” Just then, the door swung open, and Steven entered, dabbing at his lips.
Landon looked at Steven with a mix of disdain. “Why that look? I skipped the end of my breakfast to come check on you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Steven, his hands slick with grease, wiped them on his white coat as he spoke. “Time for your tests!”
Leila, puzzled, believed Landon had completed all necessary tests. Steven clarified, “We need a thorough brain scan today to check for any potential complications. Yesterday, we merely ruled out immediate issues.”
The specter of the brain ailment that claimed Roderick loomed large, its hereditary nature a constant threat. Even though Landon was currently healthy, his future remained uncertain. The possibility of illness sinking its claws into Landon weighed heavily on Leila’s heart. She tried to push the dread from her mind, clasping her hands in silent prayer.
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Landon, oblivious to Leila’s quiet pleas, stood up and followed Steven. Sarah caught sight of Leila’s gesture and scoffed, dismissing it as childish. “Do you need a wheelchair?” Steven quipped as they made their way down the corridor. “You’re outpacing me, yet you’re the one who’s ill!”
“I have to get back to work after this,” Landon replied, his tone sharp. “I have projects waiting.”
“That’s just like you, always pushing yourself too hard,” Steven shot back. “It’s no wonder you ended up fainting.” Landon walked into the examination room.
“The detailed scan will take about half an hour,” Steven explained to Leila. “You can find a place to wait.”
Leila nodded silently. She was restless, preferring to wait just outside the examination room, her nerves evident as she stood in the hallway.
Sarah joined Leila, exuding a calm that bordered on arrogance. She scoffed at Leila. “Stop pretending. Who are you trying to fool here?”
Leila returned Sarah’s look with a cold gaze, her eyes conveying a message clear as day that Sarah, merely the mistress, could never comprehend.
Enraged by the silent rebuke, Sarah stepped closer, her voice tight with anger. “I should be the one who’s worried! What about me if something happens to Landon? You’ll still have your wealth, no matter what.”
Leila pulled out her phone. “Trying to argue with me? I’m just stating facts. Even if Landon wanted to leave me anything, his family would never agree. You, as his mistress, will always be the first in line. Who are you trying to fool?”
Instead of shooting another look at Sarah, Leila typed a message on her phone and turned the screen toward Sarah. It read, “Would you dare let Landon hear your words? Picturing his demise and speculating about the aftermath, I’m sure he’d find that fascinating.”
Sarah’s expression grew stormier. “You know nothing! Even if you told him, he wouldn’t believe a word!”
Leila offered a slight smile and swiftly typed another message on her phone. “I recorded it.”
Those three words set Sarah off. She made a grab for Leila’s phone, but Leila hugged it close to her chest. “Recorded it? How could you be so cruel? What do you gain by turning against me?” Sarah’s accusations filled the air just as the doctor’s office door swung open.
“What’s happening here?” Steven demanded, his brow furrowed in disapproval at Sarah. “Why are you making a scene in the hospital?”
It was well-known that Steven sided with Leila, so Sarah expected little compassion from him. She withdrew, half-heartedly saying, “We were just fooling around.”
Steven gestured upward. “There are cameras here,” he stated, making it clear that it wasn’t for Sarah to determine the intent of her actions.
