Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Landon reached out, his voice firm.
“Hand over the medicine. There’s no need for you to linger. Please, head back.”
Lacey’s smile stiffened. Departing now would shatter her carefully laid plan. She couldn’t just walk away.
With determination in her voice, Lacey declared, “Allow me to handle it. I’ve become adept at administering Elma’s medication. More importantly, Elma finds comfort in my presence. Afterward, I need to monitor her to determine if she’s experiencing any other discomforts.”
Her words carried an implication of closeness with Elma.
The servants subtly exchanged knowing looks. History had shown that whenever Lacey was involved in Elma’s care, it inevitably led to arguments. Elma was notorious for her sharp barbs toward Lacey. Although Lacey managed to withstand the taunts most of the time, her demeanor toward Elma was never warm. Their rapport was anything but cordial.
Nevertheless, none of the servants ventured to comment. It was clear that Landon held Lacey in high regard. Unless she committed a significant error, her position was secure. Despite their own reservations about Lacey, they recognized that challenging her would be a risk not worth taking.
Lacey’s argument was compelling, leaving Landon without a solid rebuttal. He merely exhaled a weary sigh.
“Let’s move away from the doorway. Elma isn’t in her room.”
Caught off guard, Lacey realized it was still early morning. Choosing such an early time was her way of ensuring Elma didn’t have the chance to sleep the day away. Elma usually slept in, so it was puzzling to see her missing so early. Before Lacey could ponder further, a rustling sound caught her attention. Footsteps approached from behind.
Suddenly, Elma appeared, bounding over with Sophie skipping along beside her. Elma looked up at Landon, her face lighting up in a warm, radiant smile.
“Dad, good morning,” Elma greeted Landon, her voice bubbling with joy.
Landon’s expression immediately softened at her cheerfulness, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He reached out and gently patted Elma on the head, his voice tender.
“Now that you’re awake, make sure you take your medicine.”
Turning toward Lacey, Elma’s smile vanished, replaced by a marked frown of displeasure that clearly conveyed her feelings. Lacey’s smile stiffened, and she bent down, determined to stick to her plan.
“Come on, Elma, let’s have your medicine,” she said, trying to persuade Elma.
But before Lacey could proceed, Sophie intervened, snatching the medicine with a swift motion.
“I’ll handle this,” she stated with firm determination.
Sophie then tenderly administered the medicine to Elma, blowing gently on each spoonful to cool it, handling the task with evident care and precision.
Lacey watched, her initial plan thwarted, a wave of frustration washing over her. What could have made Elma rush out to get Sophie so early in the morning? Elma didn’t just search for Sophie; she eagerly called Sophie over to join them.
Lacey’s inquiry received a prompt response.
Elma, fed by Sophie, was wholly accommodating. Once done, she playfully winked at Landon.
“Dad, did you manage to sleep well last night?”
Landon caught the underlying hint in Elma’s question and his brow furrowed as he glanced sternly at Elma and Sophie, feigning annoyance.
“So, who came up with the idea last night?”
Elma recoiled slightly, pretending to be scared, yet her eyes twinkled with mischief, not fear.
Sophie exhaled deeply, deciding to take the blame.
“It was my idea.”
“No, no, no,” Elma interrupted quickly, shaking her head vigorously.
“It was all my doing. Sophie had nothing to do with it. Dad, you can scold me as you wish, but you…”
“And my mom seemed quite happy last night, unfazed by the thunder. Look, even after the divorce, you two can still find joy together. So why split up?”
While such remarks might have seemed unusual coming from anyone else, they didn’t from Elma. After all, she was just a kid, and it was typical for kids to harbor such fanciful thoughts.
The moment Elma spoke, the room fell into an uneasy silence, the air thick with tension.
The servants leaned in, eyes wide, exchanging glances that were a mix of shock and curiosity. Sophie, visibly uncomfortable, reached out, her fingers tugging at Elma’s sleeve, a silent plea for her to stop..
Lacey stood frozen, her face the picture of disbelief. Her eyes stretched wide, as though struck by a revelation she couldn’t fully grasp, her mind scrambling to make sense of the words that still echoed in her head.
Elma’s voice blurred into the background, drowned by the ringing in Lacey’s ears. So, Landon had been with Leila last night. Not only were they together, but they had shared the same bed. What else had happened between them?
Staggered by the realization, Lacey’s grip faltered, and the medicine bowl slipped from her hands, crashing to the floor, shattering the moment and pulling everyone’s gaze.
Landon only offered a slight, unreadable frown, his silence speaking volumes.
Sophie’s face, however, twisted into an expression full of mystery.
“Is something wrong, Lacey?” Sophie’s voice was sweet, her smile soft, but her eyes were as cold as ice.
“Can’t even hold an empty bowl? Feeling under the weather?”
Elma added her own jab, her tone rising with exaggerated playfulness.
“Lacey, you don’t look so good. Are you sick?”
A swell of mixed emotions rose in Lacey-grievance, sadness, but above all, a seething anger. She knew exactly what they were doing, trying to get a rise out of her. But with Landon in the room, she couldn’t say a word. She forced down the bitterness that burned in her chest, looking at Landon with a flash of hurt in her eyes.
“Mr. Kensington, is that true?”
Landon’s lips pressed into a thin line, irritation flickering in his gaze.
“Whether it’s true or not, it’s none of your business.”
The words stung like a slap. Lacey’s head dropped, her eyes burning with the tears she refused to let fall. It was indeed none of her business. But how could she accept that? She had been there for Landon during his darkest moments, standing by him when no one else would, and yet he never saw her. Now, the woman who had once hurt him-who had left him-was back with memory loss, and Landon, so easily, was forgiving her and moving on. No. For Landon’s sake, Lacey couldn’t just sit back and watch them fix things. If she had to be the villain in this story, so be it.
Lacey’s head sank lower, her eyes flashing with venom that went unnoticed by the others.
Meanwhile, Leila, still lying in bed, pretended at first to be unaware of the tension outside her room. But as the conversation continued, it inevitably drew her in. With a resigned sigh, she realized there was no avoiding it. She could hear Lacey’s voice-the woman must have been standing at the door.
After a brief pause, Leila decided to get up, her movements graceful despite her disheveled appearance. She smoothed her tousled hair and, with a practiced smile, walked toward the door.
“Good morning,” she greeted, her voice calm but her smile strained.
As soon as Leila’s gaze met Landon’s, the memories of the previous night rushed back, and an awkward flush crept onto her cheeks.
Their brief exchange, the way they quickly looked away, was more telling than either of them realized. It was obvious to anyone watching that both were visibly flustered.
The most observant eyes would notice that while Leila and Landon wore different styles of pajamas, they were in matching colors.
Leila’s cheeks reddened even further as she caught this detail. In truth, she didn’t even realize it until now. If she had, she would have changed it before leaving her room. How embarrassing!
Elma, seeing Leila, beamed and rushed to her, wrapping herself around Leila in a playful hug.
“Mom, you were with my dad last night, right? I wasn’t lying, was I?”
The room fell silent, all eyes now fixed on Leila. Especially Lacey, whose face betrayed little, but the tension rolling off her was thick enough to cut.
Leila felt the simmering anger emanating from Lacey but chose to ignore it, focusing on diffusing the awkwardness in the air. It wasn’t a big deal-after all, she and Landon were both adults. Besides, nothing had happened between them last night.
But still, Leila was uncertain of Landon’s thoughts. She couldn’t help glancing at him every so often, trying to read his reaction to everything unfolding.
To Landon, however, Leila’s silence implied something else. His words felt trapped, lodged in his throat, refusing to come out. If he spoke the truth now, and Leila wasn’t ready to acknowledge what had happened the night before, it would not only make things worse but also make him appear presumptuous, something he wasn’t sure he could bear.
Landon’s jaw tightened as a wave of awkwardness and embarrassment washed over him, unfamiliar and uncomfortable.