Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
“Sophie? Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice filled with worry.
“Yes, Calvin, something’s wrong,” Sophie replied, her voice serious.
“Are you alone? I have something important to tell you, but no one else can know. It’s really serious.”
“I’m alone,” Calvin assured her, his voice low. He quickly slipped into a small room. He had checked this room previously. It was a small storage room, unlikely to be disturbed. There were no security cameras, so it was safe to talk there.
Cautious as ever, Calvin lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Okay, Sophie, tell me what’s going on. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
Sophie took a deep breath and told Calvin everything that had happened in Halsland. She left out the details of her own close call, focusing instead on Leila’s amnesia.
Calvin’s blood ran cold as he listened.
“This is terrible!” Calvin exclaimed.
“I knew Landon was bad news. Elma had a sudden fever this afternoon for no reason. I pointed out that Lacey must have something to do with it, but Landon didn’t believe me and wasted so much time on it. If he had gone to Halsland sooner, none of this would have happened!”
Sophie sighed.
“No one could have predicted this. If Elma suddenly fell ill, would you just leave her alone?”
Calvin didn’t answer. Sophie and Elma were both family, and he couldn’t bring himself to choose between them.
Though Calvin blamed Landon for his delay in reaching Sophie and Leila and rescuing them from danger sooner, he couldn’t help but chide himself for not being strong enough to shield them better. He had vowed to protect them from any danger that came their way, yet here they were, caught in a terrifying predicament.
The thought that Leila had forgotten them all filled Calvin with a deep ache. He asked, his voice trembling with anxiety, “Sophie, is it true that our mom has forgotten us? Why did this happen? Can she get her memory back? Will she ever remember us again?”
Sophie sighed, her brow furrowed with worry.
“I’m not sure, but she may regain her memory one day. I think she might be under hypnosis. She doesn’t even realize she’s lost her memory. Someone must have planted those false memories in her mind. Worse, she even believes Clayton is her husband. I know this might upset you, but we need to ask Landon for help. We’re just kids, Calvin. We can’t do this alone.”.
“Ask Landon for help?” Calvin scoffed.
“We’re better off on our own. I doubt he’d lift a finger to help us. He’s probably thrilled that our mom has forgotten about him. It gives him the perfect excuse to be with Lacey. Our mother’s memory loss must be good news for him. Why else had he left Halsland?”
“I’m not defending him, Calvin,” Sophie explained, her voice laced with concern.
“But I can see that he still cares about our mom. There must be some misunderstanding between them. He was hurt when our mom said Clayton was her husband. Assuming she said that just to push him away, he left in a huff. He just doesn’t believe our mom truly lost her memory. After all, we don’t know for sure what caused her amnesia. My hypnosis theory is just a guess.”
Sophie’s words hung heavy in the air, leaving a thick silence in their wake.
Calvin finally caved, drawing a deep breath to steady his nerves.
“Alright, Sophie, what do you want me to do?”
Once back at the Kensington family estate, Landon shut himself in his study, determined to focus on company business. No matter how hard he tried, the words on the documents before his eyes seemed to blur together.
He couldn’t shake the image of Leila looking at him with those cold, unfamiliar eyes. It didn’t seem like she was faking it. He knew Leila well enough to recognize when she was acting. If she were truly capable of such deceptive acting, she wouldn’t have resorted to drastic measures to push him away back then. She would have used more subtle tactics. Leila wasn’t the type to play underhanded games.
But if she had truly lost her memory, why did she remember Clayton? She hadn’t taken any medication that could cause amnesia, nor had she suffered any head trauma. Even the doctors were baffled by her sudden memory loss.
Landon tried to push these thoughts aside, but the more he tried, the more vivid Leila’s image became in his mind. He couldn’t forget the gut-wrenching moment in the hospital room when Leila had said that Clayton was her husband. So, they had become an item a while earlier, hadn’t they? That must be the case. How foolish he was to almost be deceived.
A bitter smile twisted Landon’s lips. He couldn’t focus on his work. Restless and frustrated, Landon went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. The burning liquid seared his throat, but it did little to calm his turbulent emotions.
He took several large gulps of the whiskey. The alcohol hit him hard, and his head began to spin. But the alcohol provided a temporary escape from the turmoil in his mind.
Suddenly, a commotion outside the window broke through his drunken haze.
Landon frowned and called for the butler.
The butler entered the study, his face etched with concern.
“Mr. Kensington, is everything alright?”
Landon gestured toward the window, his voice laced with irritation.
“I need some peace. Who’s making all that racket out there? Calvin? Lacey? Tell them to take it somewhere else. I have a splitting headache.”
Landon rubbed his temples, trying to massage away the throbbing pain in his head.
The butler shifted uncomfortably, a troubled expression on his face.
“Mr. Kensington, the situation downstairs requires your attention. I lack the authority to dismiss them.”
Landon frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion.
“You’re the Kensington family butler,” he asserted, his voice firm.
“I’ve granted you the authority. Are they more influential than I am?”
The butler’s face creased with a helpless expression. He had served the Kensington family since Roderick’s era and enjoyed a certain level of respect from Landon.
Not wanting to put the butler in a difficult position, Landon reluctantly rose to his feet.
“Alright. Let’s see what the commotion is about.”
The butler nodded gratefully and gestured for Landon to follow.
Landon took a few steps, his movements slightly uncoordinated.
The butler observed him with a worried frown.
“Mr. Kensington, you seem a bit unsteady. Perhaps you should rest for a while. I can have the servants prepare a strong cup of coffee for you.”
“I’m fine,” Landon said dismissively, shaking his head.
“I’m not that drunk.”
Landon didn’t forget the mountain of work awaiting him at the office. Even when drinking, he didn’t allow himself to overindulge. A man in his position had to remain vigilant, always on guard. When was the last time he had truly relaxed? It seemed like a lifetime ago, back when he was with Leila. Those carefree days now felt like a distant memory, a relic from another life. A bittersweet smile touched his lips as he reminisced about those happier times.
Landon regained his composure, his steps growing steadier. No one would have guessed he had been drinking.
Descending the stairs, Landon finally understood the butler’s hesitation. The source of the commotion was Elma, sobbing uncontrollably, with Sophie and Calvin trying to console her. Standing opposite them was Leila, her face etched with a mixture of confusion and discomfort.
Leila took in the scene, her brow furrowed in concern, and then her gaze settled on Elma.
“Hey, don’t cry,” Leila said softly, her voice filled with sympathy. She knelt down and gently wiped away Elma’s tears.
“I don’t understand why you’re saying these things. I don’t know you, and I’m not your mother.”
Elma shook her head vehemently, tears streaming down her face.
“You’re my mommy!” she wailed.
“Do you not love me anymore? Did I do something wrong? You told me to…”
“Be good before you left, and we just talked on video chat! I have pictures and videos of you! Please don’t leave me!” Elma’s lips trembled as fresh sobs wracked her small body.
Leila felt a headache coming on. Who could possibly process such a bombshell? She’d woken up with no recollection of her past, and now someone was telling her she had children? And not just one child, but three! The three children stared at her with wide, pleading eyes. The two girls were already crying, and even the boy, who had been bravely holding back his tears, now had red-rimmed eyes, threatening to overflow.
Leila felt utterly lost. What could she possibly say to these children? Her memories were a jumbled mess, fragments of a life she couldn’t quite grasp. But she was adamant that she didn’t have any children. Surely, she would remember giving birth? But looking at them now, she had to admit, they did bear a striking resemblance to her.