Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Landon emerged from the shadowed entryway. Though a trace of weariness lingered in his features, there was a faint smile tugging at his lips, and his eyes held a rare, radiant sparkle. His thoughts, occupied by Leila, seemed to lighten his usual coldness.
Seeing the butler near tears, Landon’s voice took on a gentle tone.
“I’m fine,” he said, his words calm but firm.
“I took a fall and got a bit banged up, but I was lucky to run into some kind-hearted people who helped me.”
The butler nodded quickly, relief flooding his face.
“Mr. Kensington, you should rest. Please, allow me to call for a doctor to examine you properly.”
Landon nodded absently, but his mind was elsewhere.
“What about the kids and Leila?” he asked, his tone urgent despite his outward calm.
“Are they here, or are they still at the Nixon family estate? If they’re there, I’ll head straight over, and you won’t need to call the doctor.”
The butler’s face grew uneasy, a shadow of hesitation crossing his features. He opened his mouth as if to speak but quickly closed it again. Landon frowned slightly, confused by the butler’s expression, but he chose not to linger on it. Instead, he strode past the butler into the house, his voice echoing in the spacious halls as he called out, “Leila!”
The house remained eerily silent. His voice hung in the air, unanswered.
Landon, his patience wearing thin, gestured toward the butler.
“Give me a phone. I need to contact Leila now.”
The butler hesitated, his expression tightening with worry. Finally, he stepped closer, his voice trembling.
“Mr. Kensington, please don’t rush to contact Mrs. Kensington. You’ve been through enough already. Let the doctor examine you first. Rest for a while, please.”
The butler wasn’t intentionally withholding information, but fear held him back. Landon’s miraculous survival after falling from such a height seemed almost impossible, and the butler was convinced Landon must have hidden injuries. If he revealed the truth now, Landon might push himself too far.
The butler resolved to break the news gently.
But Landon, sensing the butler’s hesitation, pressed harder. His tone sharpened, his voice low and commanding.
“Where’s Leila? Did Clayton take her? Did he do something to her?”
The butler’s hesitation only made Landon more frantic.
“Tell me!” Landon barked, his jaw tightening.
“If Clayton is behind this, I’ll deal with him myself!”
Landon turned abruptly, ready to storm out, but the butler stepped in front of him, his voice trembling and tears threatening to spill.
“It’s not Clayton, Mr. Kensington. Please listen.” The butler took a shaky breath and then dropped the news that made Landon’s blood run cold.
“Mrs. Kensington is missing. She disappeared while searching for you. The police have been looking for her for weeks, but there’s no news.”
The world tilted for Landon, his knees nearly buckling as the weight of the revelation hit him. He stumbled back, clutching a nearby table for support.
The butler wiped his tears, his own voice cracking.
“Mr. Kensington, you need to stay strong. Take care of yourself first. If you fall apart now, who will find Mrs. Kensington?”
Landon sank onto the sofa, his head in his hands. Regret, guilt, and fear churned in his chest. His voice broke as he spoke.
“It’s my fault. She disappeared because of me. Her life is in danger, and here I am…” He clenched his fists.
“I have to find her. Assemble the team. I want the entire cliff searched!”
The butler rushed to block Landon, desperation clear in his voice.
“Mr. Kensington, I understand your anger and fear. But think about your kids! They’re terrified. Their parents disappeared without a word, and now that you’re back, you want to leave them again? What will they do?”
The mention of his children jolted Landon back to reality. His knuckles, which had gone white from clenching, loosened slightly as he forced himself to take a deep breath. At this moment, he knew he had to pull himself together while trying to locate Leila.
Landon’s eyes remained bloodshot, his jaw clenched as he spoke through trembling lips.
“Have doctors check on me. Get the tech team working immediately to locate Leila’s position. And bring me every single detail you’ve gathered during the search.”
The butler let out a breath of relief, finally seeing Landon agree to stay inside the house.
“Yes, Mr. Kensington. Right away.”
Without another word, Landon turned to climb the stairs, his steps slow but determined.
However, halfway up, a wave of dizziness washed over him. The room spun violently, and before he could steady himself, everything went dark.
His body crumpled, and the last thought racing through his mind was of Leila-her face, her voice, and the haunting question of whether she was safe.
When Landon opened his eyes again, the sterile scent of antiseptic filled his nose. It was late at night, and the dim glow of a hospital room surrounded him.
An IV needle was taped to his hand, and the soft hum of medical equipment buzzed faintly in the background.
Sitting beside Landon was Sophie, her figure still and her face turned away. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but her voice was steely as she sensed him stir.
“You’re awake.”
Landon’s lips curved into a faint smile at the sight of her.
“Sophie.” For the first time since Leila’s disappearance, his eyes showed a flicker of hope.
“What are you doing here?”
Sophie kept her face turned, her tone sharp.
“What did you expect? You’re my father. I couldn’t just stay away.”
Landon didn’t flinch at her cold tone. Instead, his expression softened, guilt etched deeply into his features.
“This is on me,” he said quietly, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
“If I hadn’t fallen, Leila wouldn’t have searched for me and later gone missing.” His breath hitched as he closed his eyes, the weight of his regret bearing down on him like a mountain.
“Sophie, do you resent me? I wouldn’t blame you if you did. If I had a choice… I’d have traded places with Leila in a heartbeat.”
Sophie’s composed facade crumbled. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she tried, and failed, to keep her emotions in check.
Landon’s words cut deeply, echoing the fear and anger that had been simmering within Sophie and her brothers over Leila’s disappearance. The lack of any sign of Leila, despite the search, had deepened their resentment toward Landon over time. The bond Leila shared with her children was deep and irreplaceable.
Calvin, in particular, had been inconsolable. He had refused to eat or drink for days, his guilt consuming him. He hated himself for ever defending Landon in Leila’s presence. If Landon and Leila hadn’t chosen to confront their issues, they wouldn’t have ventured to the cliff’s edge in the first place. Landon wouldn’t have slipped, and Leila wouldn’t have disappeared trying to find him.
But what haunted Calvin most wasn’t the chain of events-it was himself.
When word came that Landon had returned safely, that resentment reached its boiling point.
Sophie, driven by frustration and a desperate need for clarity, decided to confront Landon. She had questions, and she demanded answers. She needed to know what had happened at the cliff. Why had Landon returned, yet there was no sign of Leila?
Sophie turned to face Landon. Her piercing gaze fixed on him, brimming with both urgency and fragile hope. Landon faltered, the weight of her expectation pressing down on him. Finally, he closed his eyes, his voice thick with emotion.
“Sophie, I don’t know. I didn’t see Leila. If I had…” His voice broke.
“If I had found her, I wouldn’t have come back alone. Believe me, Sophie, I would trade my life for hers right now. I want to find her just as much as you do. I need to.”
