Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Tears welled up in Beth’s striking eyes as she stepped closer to Clayton.
“When will you realize how much I love you? I’ve swallowed my pride and put up with everything for you. Clayton, I’m not even asking you to love me back. I want you to see that my feelings are real.”
Clayton exhaled slowly. Under Beth’s hopeful gaze, he lifted a hand, brushing his fingers against her face.
Beth’s heart soared. Tears spilled over, running down her cheeks. But she failed to notice the flicker of disgust and impatience in his eyes as her tears dripped onto his hand.
Clayton’s voice was cool, detached.
“Beth, let me make this clear one last time. You made a scene tonight, and you need to leave. If you refuse, I’ll have someone escort you out, and that will be far more humiliating.”
Clayton withdrew his hand and retrieved a white handkerchief, carefully wiping his fingers, especially the spots that had touched Beth’s face, as if he had come into contact with something distasteful.
Beth stood rooted to the spot as her tears spilled faster. Then, unable to contain her resentment, she snatched a wine glass from a passing waiter and hurled it to the floor.
The glass shattered into countless fragments, the sharp sound slicing through the air and startling everyone nearby.
The disturbance was enough to draw Leila’s attention from the second floor. Drawn by the noise, Leila glanced over and saw Beth standing there, on the verge of collapsing. Without a word, she slowly looked away.
Beside Leila, Trent let out a low sigh.
“Miss Fletcher is quite pathetic. She believed she was about to tie the knot with the man she loved, only to realize what kind of person he is.”
Leila, however, held no sympathy. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it.
“She’s indeed pathetic. If none of this had happened tonight, I might have pitied her. Loving someone isn’t a crime. But why take her frustration out on others? If she had lashed out at me, I wouldn’t have cared. But Caitlin did nothing to deserve it. She’s innocent.” A rare trace of anger slipped into Leila’s tone.
Trent smiled.
“You seem to care about Caitlin a lot now.”
Leila rubbed her temples as a dull ache began to set in.
“I used to see her as nothing more than a distant relative. Her father’s actions left a bad impression on me, and I never paid much attention to her. But now, I see a bit of myself in her. I can tell she’s a sensitive girl who hides her feelings and keeps everything bottled up, pretending she’s…”
“She’s fine when she’s not. I won’t solve all her problems, but I hope she doesn’t get trapped in her thoughts.”
Trent nodded in agreement.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure someone watches over Caitlin at all times. If anything bothers her or leads to a misunderstanding, I’ll inform you immediately.”
Leila gave him a small smile.
“Thank you, Trent.”
Little did they know, Caitlin had been standing just around the corner, overhearing every word. Unease gnawed at her. She had never expected Leila to care about her this much. And yet, she had once misunderstood Leila. Thinking back to all the assumptions she had made, Caitlin felt deeply ashamed.
Caitlin took a deep breath, bracing herself to apologize to Leila. She hurried forward, determined to catch up with her.
But before Caitlin could, a group of well-dressed women entered the scene. They greeted Leila warmly, clearly familiar with her.
Immediately, Leila saw them, and her face lit up with an easy smile.
Judging by their poised demeanor and elegant attire, they appeared to hail from wealthy families.
For some reason, a pang of inferiority crept into Caitlin’s chest. If she went to Leila now, she would probably only bring Leila more trouble. She decided it was best not to bother Leila for now. Maybe it was better to wait for another time.
Stepping back, Caitlin stole one last glance at Leila before turning to leave. As if sensing a lingering gaze, Leila glanced over her shoulder, but there was no one there.
Linsey looped an arm around Leila’s neck, pulling her close.
“It’s been years since we’ve seen each other, and you don’t even have the decency to say you missed me? You heartless person.”
Leila shot her a mock aggrieved look.
“Well, maybe that’s because I haven’t actually gotten a glimpse of you in years.”
Linsey rubbed her nose sheepishly, letting out an awkward laugh. Ever since her brother’s incident years ago, she had spent most of her time searching for him. Though she never found him, she had learned to make peace with it. At least now, she and her brother kept in touch occasionally. She learned he was safe and satisfied with his life, with no intentions of returning to the Brooks family estate.
Over time, Linsey had developed a love for traveling and spent years exploring various countries. She only returned home sporadically. The last time she and Leila had seen each other was three years ago.
Linsey quickly shifted the conversation.
“Enough with that. Where’s Elma? Let me see her. She must have grown so much by now!”
As if on cue, Elma came running over.
Elma’s happiness was a rare and bright thing, a feeling she hadn’t known in ages. Her sweet face glowed, a wide smile lighting it up.
Elma, always full of warmth, spotted Linsey and dashed over, wrapping her in a tight, happy hug.
“Linsey! It feels like forever since I saw you!”
Linsey playfully pinched Elma’s cheeks and then looked at Leila with a clear hint of envy.
“Just look at you! Having one child as sweet as Elma is a blessing, and you have three! Everyone we know talks about how smart and well-behaved your kids are. I can’t figure out how you trained them so well.”
Leila paused and then said, “Honestly, I didn’t really ‘train’ them. I hardly have time as it is. They just seem to be naturally smart and kind.”
Several mothers in the group looked at Leila, their expressions a mix of feelings.
“Is that a polite way of bragging?”
“I’m so jealous. She has three incredibly smart kids.”
Leila chuckled at their comments. She softly patted Elma’s head and said gently, “Truly, I don’t care if they’re considered exceptional. I just want them to be happy and live good lives. And they have me and Landon to back them up, right? If they struggle later, it’s our responsibility as parents. All I can do is work hard now to give them a good start.”
Some women thought Leila’s words were off, while others took them to heart. Leila dropped the topic and then turned to Linsey.
“Speaking of which, when are you getting married? How’s that guy from last time?”
“Who are you talking about?” Linsey played dumb.
Leila crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow, clearly waiting for the truth. Even Elma chimed in seriously, “Linsey, quit trying to trick my mom. She’s really sharp. She can tell exactly what you’re thinking with just one look.”
Linsey chuckled and gave Elma’s cheeks another playful pinch.
“Okay, okay, I’ll spill the beans.”
Linsey met Leila’s gaze and sighed.
“Quit digging, will ya? He and I are broken up.”
Leila blinked, surprised.
“What? But I thought you two were hitting it off. He seemed to be treating you right.”
Linsey smiled, a little too brightly.
“We’re just not suitable, you know? His family was pushing for marriage, and you know me, I ain’t ready for that stuff. Anyway, it was a clean breakup, no drama. We’re still cool.”
Seeing Linsey seemed unfazed, Leila breathed a sigh of relief. She squeezed Linsey’s hand and said, “Look, all I want is for you to be happy, married or not. Just remember, if anyone gives you crap, you know I’ve got your back.”
Linsey grinned.