Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
It was none other than Landon. His voice carried a chill, hinting at his foul mood.
Leila hesitated, aware of his agitation over Sarah’s fall. He was likely here seeking answers.
As she paused, he spoke again, “I know you’re right behind the door. Open up soon, or I’ll make my own way in.”
With no other options, Leila opened the door.
Landon entered, his coat adding to his tall, imposing figure.
The cold from outside seemed to cling to him.
As he passed by, Leila shivered involuntarily.
Landon’s eyes met hers, his look frosty.
Leila quickly began to gesture that she had no idea why Sarah fell and had nothing to do with it.
Landon’s lips tightened. After a pause, he responded, surprising Leila with his words. “I know you didn’t push her. It was Ethan. He’s always disliked Sarah, and in the midst of their argument, he pushed her down by accident. This isn’t your fault, but you need to come with me to apologize to Sarah. It all began because of your involvement.”
Leila’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her movements quickened without her intending them to. She hastily gestured that it wasn’t Ethan. He wasn’t there when the fall happened and only arrived after Sarah had already fallen to the ground.
Landon took a deep breath, his demeanor shifting suddenly as he grasped Leila’s hand and drew her close.
His intense gaze bore into her, his eyes a turbulent sea of emotions that Leila found impenetrable.
Landon’s voice was low and confrontational. “If it wasn’t him, are you suggesting it was you?”
A clarity pierced Leila’s anxious and muddled thoughts, and her heart swelled with indignation. So, that was why Landon accused Ethan.
She fought back tears, her hands trembling as she signed, her gestures practically yelling, “You don’t trust me and believe I did it, but you’re worried about how it would look if that got out. So, you’re shifting the blame to Ethan, aren’t you? And yet, you expect me to apologize to Sarah. But Landon, you know who I am. I would never do such a thing.”
Landon evaded Leila’s question with an icy demeanor.
Instead, he said, “Why won’t you visit the hospital? Do you realize Sarah is suffering from a severe wound? She’s got a huge scar stitched across her forehead. The doctor warned it might be permanent. Imagine how she must feel.”
Leila sensed the accusation in Landon’s gaze, struggling to hold back her tears. She gestured with trembling hands that she didn’t mind Landon showing concern for Sarah, but requested to leave her out of it since she was not to blame.
Landon let out a dry chuckle, tinged with annoyance. “Do I need to spell it out for you, Leila? Why are you so quick to defend Ethan? It makes me question what’s really going on between you two.”
Leila felt her heart shatter. She firmly explained that her relationship with Ethan was none of his business, emphasizing there was nothing going on between her and Ethan, and neither of them would offer an apology over an incident irrelevant to them.
“Oh?” The word escaped Landon’s lips sharply, tightening his features in displeasure.
He stormed off after giving Leila a parting warning: “This is your choice. Make sure you don’t regret it later!”
As the door slammed shut, a chill ran through Leila’s heart. With Landon gone, she no longer felt the need to pretend to be strong. Tears streamed down her cheeks freely.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally and warned herself not to have any illusions about Landon, the pain was still sharp when the moment arrived.
Meanwhile, Landon sat in his car, his expression stern.
Edgar, who was at the wheel, kept silent, not daring to speak.
Landon lit a cigarette, his gaze turning frostier with each puff as he released what seemed like pent-up fury. His forearms tensed, veins standing out as he struggled to contain his rage, like a caged beast on the brink of eruption.
Suddenly, Landon’s phone buzzed. He cast a brief glance at it and then dismissively hung up without a word.
It was a call from the Miller family.
Gathering some courage, Edgar ventured, “The Miller family are all at the hospital, having caught wind of the incident. They’re all pointing fingers at your wife.”
“And? That’s not my problem.” Landon scoffed, his voice saturated with sarcasm. “I tried to help her, but she’s too wrapped up in clearing Ethan’s name. If she’s that obsessed with defending him, why should I even bother?”
Before the fall, only Sarah, Leila, and Ethan were around the scene. Sarah’s bodyguards kept their distance.
By the time Landon arrived after learning of Sarah’s fall, he had only seen Leila and Ethan. Outside, the media swarmed.
Truth be told, the Miller family didn’t bother Landon. However, once the story exploded online, everything changed.
Ethan had his family’s support and could deal with the aftermath if the blame was shifted onto him.
Despite the ongoing investigation regarding the truth, Landon felt shifting the blame on Ethan seemed the wise choice to protect Leila, as it could easily distract the Miller family. Yet, Leila only seemed to care about defending Ethan, negating all of his efforts on her behalf. What was the point, then?
Edgar could see Landon’s anger brewing. “Mr. Kensington, are we really going to just stand by?”
Landon’s eyes shifted toward the room where Leila was. The lights were still on. He responded in a huff, “Yeah. If she needs anything, she can turn to Ethan. Why should I be concerned? Let’s head to the hospital.”
At Landon’s final sentence, Edgar sighed softly. He knew very well that Landon wouldn’t really just sit by and ignore Leila. The couple had their complications, and as an outsider, his opinions were limited.
Leila had endured a turbulent night, her phone inundated with messages by morning.
The incident had ignited widespread gossip, spawning numerous speculations.
Some speculated that Ethan and Sarah had been a couple, with Leila as the interloper. They suggested that during an argument, Ethan had pushed Sarah to defend Leila.
Others believed that Leila and Ethan shared a secretive relationship that Sarah had uncovered, leading the duo to conspire against Sarah.
Regardless of the rumors, the situation painted Leila and Ethan in a deeply negative light.
What added to the complexity of the situation was some insiders leaking details online. “Things aren’t as straightforward as they seem.”
A scandalous narrative of the complex relationship involving Leila, Ethan, Landon, and Sarah quickly circulated across social media channels.
One netizen commented, “So, the injured girl was the other woman, huh? But quiet Leila isn’t as innocent as she looks. Beneath her gentle exterior lies a woman caught in an extramarital affair.”
Another countered, “Hey, don’t spread rumors. I know the real story. Landon and Sarah have been an item since their school days. Leila, using her status as the foster daughter of the Kensington family, coerced Landon into marrying her. Yet, she continued to be involved with other men even after their marriage. She has the audacity to label Sarah as the other woman! If I were Landon, I’d stray as well. You simply can’t pamper a woman like that.”
A third chimed in, “Nah, I think Sarah’s fall was no accident. It reeks of a setup. I suspect a conspiracy…”
The online rage escalated by the minute.
Leila found it increasingly difficult to disregard the harsh words. Though she had always been surrounded by hostility, this was her first encounter with such widespread online condemnation.
Confronted with those vile comments, Leila felt overwhelmed by helplessness and anger, and she was concerned about potentially dragging the Hayes family and Hayden into the mess.
Initially, Leila had intended for Irene to contact them on her behalf, and she planned to stay indoors for a while to avoid any further complications.
However, before Leila could contact Irene, support for Leila had been declared online.
Hayden’s statement, in particular, caused quite a stir. His post read, “I know Leila well. Normally, I would stay out of online controversies, but the level of malice here is astonishing. Why attack someone you don’t even know so viciously? If you’re not privy to the facts, perhaps silence is the wiser choice.”
Several of Hayden’s followers echoed his sentiments by sharing his post.
Leila was initially taken aback, but above all, she felt a deep sense of gratitude.
However, despite these voices rising in Leila’s defense, the onslaught was relentless.
Soon, the Miller family tracked Leila down.
As Leila exited the residential area, several black sedans rolled up, effectively blocking her path. Burly men emerged from the vehicles, each exuding an air of menace.
The group’s leader seized Leila’s arm with a rough grip. “Apologies, miss, but someone’s requesting your presence. You need to come with us,” he stated firmly.
Leila attempted to resist, but her efforts were futile against the man’s strength. Mute and unable to voice her protest, she resorted to typing on her phone: “What do you want?”