Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Speechless, Cara shot Leila a venomous look, roughly shouldered her, and stormed into the ward.
Leila watched Cara leave, a scornful smirk playing on her lips. She had realized that to handle someone like Cara, she had to outdo her in audacity.
Previously, Leila had endured Cara’s antics out of respect for Clayton’s past favor, thinking it best to let Cara vent her frustrations and steer clear of such toxicity. Yet, Cara acted like a madwoman, repeatedly targeting her.
“Let’s go,” Leila said, grasping Calvin’s hand as they moved away.
Calvin hesitated, his voice tinged with reluctance. “Mom, she should apologize to me. I didn’t take her things. It’s wrong for her to treat me this way.”
Despite his youth, Calvin was usually poised and rational, seldom displaying such frustration. Clearly, he felt deeply wronged. “Sweetheart,” Leila said, bending down to gently stroke his hair. “Forcing her to apologize won’t result in a heartfelt one. True apologies come when someone understands the consequences of their actions. She made an error, and rather than wait for an empty sorry, she should face the repercussions.” What good would an apology do? Could it really undo the hurt Calvin felt?
Leila pondered whether this conversation was premature for a child, but then she realized it was better to equip Calvin with resilience and strength now than to comfort him after he was bullied. Being kind was commendable, but ensuring he knew how to defend himself was far more significant.
A flicker of comprehension shone in Calvin’s eyes as he nodded. “I understand.”
Watching him, Leila sighed to herself, mixed feelings swelling within her. Calvin was beginning to mirror Landon more each day. If he could master Landon’s decisiveness and strategies, it would serve him well.
Calvin’s injuries were only superficial, mere scratches. Since there was no sign of infection or other complications, he was cleared to leave the hospital.
Leila wasted no time bringing Calvin home.
Before their return, Sophie was beside herself with worry. She had spent the previous night pacing the hospital lobby with Trent. Leila had promised over the phone to come down shortly.
Sophie had been waiting anxiously, her nerves fraying as nearly two hours passed without a word from Leila. She had considered going up to find her, but was stopped by security. As it was a private facility, Sophie felt powerless without permission. Her anxiety reached a peak, and she nearly involved the police.
At that moment, Trent calmed Sophie, suggesting they wait until morning to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Relief washed over Sophie when Leila finally called the next morning.
“Mom! Calvin!” Sophie exclaimed, rushing to embrace them tearfully. She remembered Calvin was hurt, so she was gentle in her movements.
Leila comforted Sophie, patting her back. “I’m sorry if you were worried. But look, we’re both okay.”
Calvin, showing maturity beyond his years, gently wiped away Sophie’s tears. “Don’t cry, Sophie. I’m really okay.”
Sophie balled her fists, her voice thick with anger as she declared, “That evil woman who hurt Calvin will pay. I’ll make sure of it.”
Leila managed a smile and sent the children off to bed, taking a moment to herself afterward.
Whenever Leila closed her eyes, memories of the previous night flooded back. Landon had draped his coat around her shoulders and held her close when fear overtook her. She could almost still catch the scent of Landon, blurring the lines between reality and dreams. Yet, last night had been no dream. The feelings were too intense, too real.
Leila understood Landon deeply. Once he gave his heart to someone, he was theirs alone.
Leila’s mind raced with questions. Did Landon stop caring about Cara? Was he going to betray her? No, that didn’t seem like him at all.
Leila dismissed the thought, knowing Landon wasn’t the cheating kind. But if he truly loved Cara, he wouldn’t have been so close to her last night. Yet, if he didn’t love Cara, then why did they have a child together?
Leila gazed into the distance, a strange mix of emotions swirling within her. It felt heavy, suffocating, like a weight pressing down on her chest.
After checking on Elma, Landon and Cara headed back to the Morgan family estate. The moment they arrived, Landon went to find Clayton. Their conversation quickly escalated into a shouting match.
Cara, who had been on her way to see Clayton herself, was startled by the raised voices. She was about to barge in when Landon stormed out of the room. His eyes were cold, his face etched with fury. Cara was taken aback by his icy demeanor.
“Landon, what the hell was that about?”
At her words, Landon seemed to snap out of his anger. He cleared his throat and his expression softened. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he said dismissively. “Just a minor disagreement with Clayton.”
Cara wasn’t buying it. That had been more than just a “minor disagreement.”
Before Cara could press further, Landon gently took her hand, his eyes filled with warmth.
“It’s such a beautiful day,” Landon said softly. “Why don’t we take a walk in the garden?”
Cara’s heart skipped a beat. “I’d love to,” she replied, a wide smile spreading across her face. This was the happiest she had felt since Landon had entered her life.
After their pleasant afternoon together, Cara was practically glowing. Her usual moodiness had melted away, replaced by a cheerful disposition. She greeted everyone she encountered with a radiant smile.
Cara wasn’t bothered by her lack of intimacy with Landon just yet. He would eventually come around. It was only a matter of time now. Cara had barely stepped back into her room when Keely rushed over to her, practically bouncing with excitement. “Congratulations!” she exclaimed. “You got what you wanted!”
Cara beamed. She casually picked up a piece of jewelry and handed it to Keely.
“Good,” Cara purred. “I appreciate your way with words.” Keely’s eyes widened at the sight of the large, lustrous pink pearl earrings. She smiled, thrilled with the gift, and became even more enthusiastic toward Cara.
Keely rushed to massage Cara’s shoulders, showering her with praise.
“I’ve always said you were the perfect woman for Mr. Kensington,” Keely gushed. “You’re so graceful, beautiful, and intelligent. Of course, he’ll fall for you! He felt trapped before, you know? But now that everyone’s gone back overseas, and you and your brother have given him some space, he’s realized what he was missing. It’s only natural he’d come around. And with little Elma here, how could he stay away?”
Cara sighed contentedly, enjoying the massage. Keely’s words made something click in her mind. “So that’s it,” she murmured. Cara figured Keely was right. That had to be the reason. Landon had always been a proud man, that much she knew. She’d been too pushy before, trying to keep him close. It had completely backfired. Thankfully, things had turned around. She felt a pang of unease, remembering how she’d resented Clayton for insisting they come back.
Cara patted Keely’s hand. “Go tell Clayton we’re having a family dinner tonight,” she instructed. “I’ll cook, and Landon will be joining us.”
“Alright!” Keely chirped, hurrying off to deliver the message.
The mention of dinner triggered an unpleasant memory, causing Cara to frown. “Speaking of which, I have no idea why Clayton and Landon had a massive fight today. I tried asking them, but neither of them would spill the beans. I guess they had some kind of disagreement, but I’m clueless about the reason. Alas! This family will fall apart without me… Clayton was never on board with me keeping Landon by my side. If they keep clashing like this, who knows what will happen? Especially now that things are finally going smoothly between Landon and me.” This thought sent a fresh wave of annoyance washing over Cara.
Keely, always eager to impress Cara, piped up, “Actually, there’s an easy solution. Have you forgotten what you asked me to do a while back?”
Cara shot Keely a puzzled look.
Cara had a habit of conveniently forgetting her actions whenever she lost her temper. She had no recollection of giving Keely any instructions.
Keely smiled and prompted, “I had your daughter deliver that doll to your brother’s study. No one suspects it’s bugged. That little gadget might just solve our problem.”
“You made Elma do it?” Cara asked, fixing Keely with a sharp glare.
Terrified by Cara’s intense stare, Keely immediately assumed she had messed up. She quickly dropped to her knees. “I’m so sorry! It was my fault!” she blurted out. “I shouldn’t have involved your daughter, but it was the only way to get the bug into his study.”
This was Clayton’s private study, a sanctuary where he conducted his research and stored his confidential documents. If they were caught, Keely would definitely be fired, and who knew what else Clayton might do to her. He was a powerful and ruthless man.
Keely had a plan of her own to protect herself. If their scheme was exposed, she would simply pin the entire thing on Elma. Anyway, Cara despised Elma. But Keely hadn’t anticipated the shift in Landon’s demeanor toward Cara. Was Cara going to be nicer to Elma now?
Keely trembled, convinced she was about to face Cara’s wrath. But to her surprise, Cara burst into triumphant laughter. “Excellent!” she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with wicked delight.
Instead of reprimanding Keely, Cara praised her, giving her a pat on the shoulder. “Your plan is brilliant,” she said approvingly. “Just make sure they don’t suspect my involvement. They’re so fond of that little brat, Elma, aren’t they? Let her take the fall for everything.”
A flicker of jealousy crossed Cara’s face as she spoke. Others might not know, but she and Clayton knew the truth.
Elma was actually the child of Landon and that woman, Leila. Elma was Chloe, the child everyone thought had been lost. That was why Landon hadn’t found any discrepancies despite numerous DNA tests. Landon was Elma’s real father.
In the beginning, Cara had told the world that Elma was her and Landon’s daughter, solely to fulfill her dream of a family of three. But over time, Elma became more of a pawn in Cara’s game than a cherished daughter.
Now, as Elma grew older, Cara occasionally caught glimpses of Leila in Elma’s features. This realization filled Cara with a mixture of fear and loathing. She was terrified that everything she had worked so hard to achieve would crumble around her like a house of cards. And with that fear, the last vestiges of love she had for Elma vanished.
Elma’s rejection of Cara had its reasons.
Cara had been so afraid that Elma would be recognized as Leila’s daughter that she had sought out a specialized research team and given Elma a drug to stunt her growth.
This drug made Elma appear much younger than she actually was, like a three or four-year-old. In reality, she was close to Calvin’s age.
However, the drug had serious side effects that could potentially shorten Elma’s life. But Cara couldn’t care less about the consequences.
Every single time, Cara dragged poor little Elma along to those dreaded injections.
Elma had endured those agonizing shots for a whole year, each one a fresh wave of agony.
At that time, Elma was just a baby, barely a year old. It was absolute torture for her.