Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
With a stern gaze, Leila gestured toward the surveillance camera mounted above them.
“Unwilling to confess? That’s fine. I’ll just review the footage. And if I catch you lying, you won’t get away with it.”
This threat visibly frightened the caregiver. In a defiant gesture, she removed her work badge and slammed it onto the floor.
“Go ahead and check the footage. Yes, I spoke ill of her. What’s it to you? She’s brought shame upon herself, so why shouldn’t we discuss it? No respectable woman will find herself in her situation. She must have been reckless, or perhaps she crossed the wrong person. And look at her now, intimidating and fierce. Even if you were to harm me today just to silence me, a great deal of people share my mindset. Do you plan to shut everyone up?”
Leila’s breathing turned sharp and erratic, her anger boiling over, yet she felt there wasn’t much she could do. Muting the murmurs of the crowd was beyond her capabilities.
Leila realized that if Brysen were to remain in the sterile confines of the hospital, the cold stares and whispered disdain would continue unabated. Regrettably, no viable alternative presented itself. Her relentless schedule left no room for her to personally nurse Brysen. Bringing Brysen home would mean the necessity of employing skilled caregivers. Now, any swirling rumor felt like a blade twisting into Brysen’s progress. Things threatened to spiral out of control.
Brysen had finally shown precious signs of recovery and couldn’t afford such disturbances.
In the midst of these heavy thoughts, the door burst open. Neal marched in and delivered a stinging slap to the caregiver.
The caregiver staggered back, nearly losing her footing, her cheek flaming red. Neal’s face was etched with fury as he loomed over the caregiver, his voice low and menacing.
“If you dare whisper one more piece of gossip, I won’t let you off the hook, even if it means going to jail.”
The caregiver, her eyes wide with terror, trembled like a leaf in a storm. With no words left in her, she fled the room as quickly as her shaky legs could carry her.
Leila collected herself and went back to Brysen. Brysen was still shaking, and when she saw Leila, she started to cry uncontrollably. Even though Brysen couldn’t talk or express how she felt, Leila could tell that Brysen felt wronged and heartbroken by the mistreatment.
Brysen had done nothing wrong to deserve the suffering. And despite being the victim, Brysen faced scorn and condemnation from idle gossipers.
Neal walked over, looked at Brysen, who was still shaking, and said, “Let me see if I can calm her down.”
Leila hesitated for a moment but eventually let Neal try to comfort Brysen.
Surprisingly, as soon as Neal held Brysen, she started to relax. She stopped crying and slowly became calmer. Leila was amazed.
“I didn’t expect she would respond to you like this.”
Neal gently stroked Brysen’s hair and smiled.
“She has always been attached to me since we were together. I knew she had changed and didn’t seem to recognize anyone anymore. Honestly, I didn’t expect her to still be close to me.”
Neal looked at Leila, his eyes filled with guilt.
“I should have protected her. Miss Nixon, please give me a chance to make amends. I want to take care of Brysen. You see how it is. Even if we hire other caregivers, they might still talk about her when we are not around.”
“Brysen can’t express herself, and who knows what she goes through when we’re not there. Even if you take her home, there are many inconveniences.”
Neal sounded sincere, and Leila could see the love in his eyes when he looked at Brysen.
Leila thought about it for a moment and decided this was the best thing to do. The doctor had said that Brysen would heal better if she was somewhere comfortable and relaxed. Leila hated the thought of Brysen living like this, confused and scared, for the rest of her life.
Leila sighed.
“Okay. Neal, please take good care of Brysen. I’ll come and see her every month, and if I find out you’ve been mistreating her, I won’t let you off.”
Neal was thrilled. He held Brysen’s hand as if she were the most precious thing in the world. He eagerly expressed his gratitude for Leila’s consent, “Thank you, Miss Nixon! Thank you so much! I promise I’ll take care of Brysen. I’ve always thought of Brysen as my future wife. I love her for who she is, not how she looks.”
Neal seemed so sincere that Leila nodded, hoping he would always be this way.
As soon as Leila was gone, Neal dropped Brysen’s hand like it was a hot potato. He jumped up as if he’d been electrocuted and moved as far away from Brysen as possible. He even brushed off his clothes, as if he’d touched something disgusting.
Brysen watched him, her face expressionless, but tears streamed down her cheeks.
Leila hadn’t noticed that when Neal held Brysen, Brysen wasn’t calm at all. She was too terrified to move.
Brysen’s eyes were wide with fear as she stared at Neal. She was too scared to make a sound.
Terrible memories flooded her mind, making her whole body shake. Neal didn’t feel bad at all seeing Brysen like this. In fact, he smirked.
“I told you to cooperate with us. But you didn’t listen. You have no one to blame for your suffering but yourself.”
Neal continued, stepping closer to Brysen.
“You know, if your face wasn’t messed up, I wouldn’t mind having you around. But I needed Leila to hate you, to keep you away from her. Otherwise, what would I do if she found out the truth? Remember, your curiosity led to this. You brought this upon yourself. Leila’s left you in my hands now. You’re going to have to do what I say. Be smart.”
Brysen froze, her body trembling uncontrollably. Neal’s eyes narrowed, a menacing glint in them.
“What’s the matter? Don’t you understand what I’m saying? Have you already forgotten the rules I laid out for you?” he snarled..
Brysen instinctively dropped to her knees, bowing her head submissively. Neal felt no pity for her, only a surge of twisted satisfaction.
“Good girl. Keep this up, and I might even let you eat today,” he sneered.
With that, Neal pulled Brysen along and marched off to arrange for her discharge.
The nurse eyed Brysen and Neal suspiciously.
“The doctor recommended that the patient stay for observation, especially since her external injuries haven’t fully healed yet.”
“Plus, Miss Nixon has already paid for a month’s stay. So there’s no need to worry about the cost.”
Neal flashed a charming smile at the nurse as he gestured toward Brysen.
“I’m her boyfriend,” he explained.
“I’ve already discussed it with Miss Nixon, and we both agree that she should recover at home with me. Besides, she hates hospitals.”
The nurse was still hesitant.
“But her injuries haven’t healed.”
Neal’s smile vanished, and his voice hardened.
“I said she wanted to leave the hospital. Why are you giving me so much trouble? I’m her fianc?e! I have the right to make decisions about her care!” he snapped.
The nurse, feeling stuck, turned to Brysen.
“Ma’am, do you want to be discharged? We strongly recommend staying until you’ve fully recovered.”
Neal clenched his fists, shooting Brysen a threatening look.
Brysen felt Neal’s eyes on her, and a wave of terror washed over her. Memories, dark and suffocating, flooded her mind. Brysen felt a surge of humiliation so intense that she almost fainted. But she knew she couldn’t give in. If she provoked Neal, who knew what he might do to her?
Meeting the nurse’s encouraging gaze, Brysen shook her head and shrank behind Neal, silently agreeing to the discharge.
Since Brysen was determined to leave, the nurse couldn’t stop her. The discharge paperwork was completed quickly.
As Brysen walked out with Neal, the nurse shook her head and muttered to herself, “That guy seems like a real hothead.”
“I don’t see how he’s going to take care of her. Something doesn’t seem right.”
Leila heard that Brysen had checked herself out of the hospital. She double-checked with the nurse, who confirmed that Brysen had insisted on leaving. Though puzzled, Leila didn’t dwell on it. Maybe it was for the best that Brysen was with Neal.
Brysen had been through a lot lately, and she hadn’t been able to speak up for herself. This was the first time Brysen had clearly stated what she wanted since the hospitalization.
Leila felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. She needed to clear her head, so she decided to head to the nearby hills for some peace and quiet.
The scenery here was beautiful. There was a small warehouse nearby, a reminder that this area had once been a busy industrial zone. But at some point, the locals and the factories had all moved away. The environment had improved dramatically since then.