Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
“Go on, before I change my mind.” Without hesitation, Elma took a step forward, but after a few paces, she suddenly remembered something and dashed back. She approached Landon and stood in front of him. She looked up at him, her expression serious, displaying a maturity far beyond her age.
“Mr. Kensington,” Elma addressed him formally and seriously by his title, refraining from calling him Dad.
Landon’s eyelid twitched at her words, but seeing the unshed tears in Elma’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to feel anger. He simply grunted in response, his gaze darkening.
Elma said, “You shouldn’t have gotten engaged to that awful woman. If you hadn’t, my mom wouldn’t have been so upset.”
Landon’s expression shifted, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Did your mom tell you that?”
Elma shook her head.
“No. Mom wouldn’t say that, but I figured it out.”
The light in Landon’s eyes dimmed as he spoke dejectedly.
“You’re not her. You don’t know what she’s thinking. Maybe she doesn’t even care about something like that.”
Elma grew anxious and retorted, “But you’re not her either. You can’t just assume she doesn’t care!”
Landon was silent for a moment before speaking earnestly.
“Elma, adult problems are complicated. I’m sorry for upsetting you today. Now, go back to your mom.”
Elma didn’t fully grasp his words. She couldn’t understand why adults couldn’t simply talk things out. Would sharing their troubles make adults’ world crash down?
Elma couldn’t quite comprehend it. She felt as if the sky had come crashing down around her.
A couple of hours later, overcome with grief, Leila collapsed. When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. Groggily, she opened her eyes, memories rushing back like a flood. Suddenly, she recalled something, including thoughts of Brysen and something concerning Elma.
“Elma… Elma?” Leila called out weakly, panic rising in her chest.
The unexpected explosion had left Leila with no chance to free Elma from Landon’s hold. She was now unsure of Elma’s condition.
Pondering this, Leila tried to rise from her bed and reached to pull out the IV from her arm, despite being weak.
Just then, Leila heard a young girl’s clear voice.
“Mom, the doctor said you need to rest, so you can’t move around.”
Noticing Leila’s attempt to remove the IV, Elma quickly moved to her side and gently held her hand to stop her.
Visibly distressed and weak, Leila raised her pale face to the source of the voice. Her anxiety began to fade when she saw Elma, safe and sound, standing before her.
A sense of relief washed over Leila. Yet, still concerned, she questioned if this was a dream. She gently touched Elma’s head and asked, “Elma, are you alright? Did that scoundrel, Landon, hurt you? I’m sorry… I failed to reach you.”
Shaken by the explosion, Leila struggled to regain her composure, and tears welled up in her eyes.
At this juncture, Sophie and Calvin entered.
Seeing all three of her children unharmed brought Leila immense comfort.
The doctor came to give Leila some medication. Slowly, she began to calm down. However, she clung to Elma’s hand, fearing that Elma might disappear if she even blinked.
Sophie looked concerned as she asked, “Mom, what exactly happened? And who tried to take Elma?”
Elma was about to say it was Landon, but recalling that he had ultimately let her go made her hesitate. She struggled to find the right words to describe what had happened. She turned her gaze to Leila for help.
With a sorrowful smile, Leila spoke with a shaky voice, “Brysen is dead. I went to see her, hoping to bring her back home. But soon after she entered the building to retrieve her medication, it exploded. No one inside survived, including her.”
Sophie gasped.
Calvin’s expression turned grave.
“An explosion? This serious? Have they found out the cause?”
Leila shook her head. The investigation was still underway, with no conclusive findings yet.
Despite her reluctance to entertain such thoughts, Leila couldn’t shake off a persistent suspicion. It was her private retreat. A mistake of that magnitude seemed implausible, but the idea that it was an intentional act felt far-fetched. Who would dare target her private retreat? There were no notable figures there. Could the explosion have been directed at her? But she visited Brysen irregularly, without a set pattern. Sometimes, she wouldn’t even inform anyone of her visits.
A sudden realization struck Leila. She looked up at Sophie, her face pale and serious.
“Sophie, you’ve been going to see Brysen more frequently these days, haven’t you?”
Sophie nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. The doctor mentioned that Brysen needed a familiar face around her. Since you and Elma were overseas for treatment, I visited Brysen often. I grew quite fond of her.”
Leila’s hand trembled slightly.
“Did you go there at regular intervals?”
Upon hearing Leila’s question, Sophie’s expression changed. A hint of fear appeared in her striking eyes.
“Yes, usually every other day. I was actually supposed to visit today, but something came up last minute, so I couldn’t make the visit.”
Silence enveloped the room. Even the youngest girl, Elma, understood what it meant. Unable to contain her emotions, she burst into tears and hurled herself into Sophie’s arms. She cried silently, not wanting to bring trouble to others.
They had initially thought it was merely an accident. Now, it appeared to be deliberate. The mastermind behind the explosion likely targeted Sophie. However, in an unexpected turn, Sophie hadn’t visited today, but Leila had. Even more surprisingly, Landon’s phone call had distracted Leila, preventing her from entering the building.
A rush of images overwhelmed Leila’s thoughts. She took a sharp breath and turned to Elma.
“Elma, can you explain to me why he let go of you today? Did he mention anything else?”
Elma knew whom Leila was referring to. She raised her head from Sophie’s arms. Her adorable face was still marked by tears as she responded to Leila’s question amidst sobs.
“He took me to the car and seemed to be waiting for something. But perhaps my crying annoyed him too much, and that’s why he let me go.”
Leila’s face hardened with seriousness. She kept her thoughts to herself and murmured weakly, “You should go home now. I need some time alone.”
Sophie and Calvin had no option but to take Elma and leave.
With them gone, Leila could no longer suppress her weakness, and tears streamed down her face. She desperately hoped her suspicions were wrong, but she couldn’t think of any other explanation.
By the time Landon received the news, he had already returned to his office. Upon hearing about the explosion at the private retreat, his expression turned grave.
Learning that the explosion had occurred at one of Leila’s retreats sent Landon into immediate action. He quickly grabbed his suit and made to head out. At the same time, he said to Leo, “We’re heading to the Nixon family’s house straight away. I need to make sure Leila is alright.”
Leo quickly followed, reassuring him, “Mr. Kensington, there’s no need to worry. Mrs. Kensington is safe. The Nixon Group has already announced they’re looking into the explosion and are taking care of those who were hurt or deceased.”
Landon stopped in his tracks. A wave of relief washed over him, and his expression softened.
“As long as she’s okay.”
Landon’s feelings were conflicted. He still wanted Leila to be safe, although she had repeatedly tried to kill him, which had prompted his thoughts of revenge.
Leo said cautiously, “Mr. Kensington, our priority should be finding out the cause of the explosion. We cannot dismiss the possibility of foul play.”
Landon’s eyes changed.
“That’s for the Nixon Group to handle. If I intervene, it might look like I’m overstepping my boundaries. She’ll sort it out, or turn to Clayton for help. She won’t involve me.”
Leo wanted to add more but ultimately remained silent.
Despite his earlier words, Landon still gestured to Leo and ordered, “Keep an eye on the situation. Since the Kensington Group and the Nixon Group are now competitors, if there’s any foul play involved, we might be considered suspects.”