Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
With nerves fluttering, Leila sat and immediately voiced her concern through her phone, “Is my baby in any danger?”
The doctor exhaled deeply. “It seems you can sense that something is off.”
Leila’s anxiety spiked, and she nearly let her phone slip from her grasp as she typed hastily, “What’s wrong with my baby? Please, be straightforward with me!”
The doctor took out her medical report and explained, “Basically, your physical weakness, coupled with your stress and emotional turmoil, is impacting your baby. The likelihood of your baby being born healthy is low, and even if the baby does survive, there might be significant weakness. You’ve experienced a miscarriage previously, haven’t you?”
Leila was taken aback by the sudden question. She merely nodded.
The doctor’s face quickly grew serious. “It appears your uterine wall is unusually thin. Additionally, you should be aware that terminating this pregnancy may prevent you from conceiving in the future given your current condition.”
Leila’s hands clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms. A wave of heartache and helplessness washed over her.
Noticing Leila’s pale and frail demeanor, the doctor softened his voice. “I suggest you have a detailed discussion with your family. This decision impacts your body significantly, and it should not be taken lightly.”
Leila shook her head, hiding the bitterness in her gaze. Her phone articulated her response with the text-to-speech function, “I don’t have any family.”
The doctor was stunned. “What about your husband?”
Leila bit her lip, too weary to engage with more questions.
The doctor seemed to grasp the gravity of Leila’s situation and cleared his throat. “You need to think this through carefully. For the time being, my recommendation is that you stay in the hospital for treatment and come in for regular check-ups. If you don’t have other options, I will arrange for you to be admitted right away. What do you think?”
Leila shook her head again, her eyes wide with a hint of panic. Her response was firm on her phone. “No, I can’t stay in the hospital.”
The Miller family, along with Landon, were at the hospital. Leila couldn’t bear lingering around any longer.
Noticing Leila’s resolved demeanor, the doctor didn’t push her. Instead, he handed her a prescription and directed her to the pharmacy downstairs.
With a heart weighed down by sadness, Leila approached the payment desk, prescription in hand. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a familiar figure.
The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, and as Leila looked up, she saw Landon heading her way.
Her heart surged to her throat, her grip on the prescription tightening.
It seemed Landon hadn’t seen her yet.
The hospital bustled with people through the corridors. Amid the crowd, Landon’s tall frame was unmistakable.
As Landon drew near, Leila clenched her teeth and made her way to the nearby emergency exit. She hurried down the stairs to avoid being spotted by him.
Unbeknownst to her, Landon caught the whole scene. His lips formed a tight line, and with a scoff, he remarked, “Look at that, avoiding me as if I’m a virus.”
“Am I truly that frightening?” Landon asked.
Edgar offered no reply but merely laughed with a hint of awkwardness.
After a brief pause, Edgar suggested, “Mr. Kensington, I saw your wife with a prescription. Perhaps she’s unwell. Maybe I should inquire about her health? Or perhaps I should just keep an eye on her for now?”
Landon’s expression hardened as he pieced something together and dismissed the idea with a scoff, “Her business is her own. If she feels like sharing, she will. Otherwise, she can find someone else to confide in.”
Respecting Landon’s stance, Edgar chose to remain silent.
Just then, a doctor passed by, muttering to himself, “It’s troubling, really. Pregnant and yet in such a condition. I advised her to stay at the hospital, but fear drove her away instantly. She doesn’t appear to be struggling financially, so what could she be thinking?”
The doctor’s words trailed off into the distance.
Landon suddenly halted, overhearing something like “pregnant,” and turned his gaze toward the doctor, his expression inscrutable.
He was about to catch up with the doctor when a nurse interrupted urgently. “Mr. Kensington, Miss Miller just fainted, and it seems serious. Please come and check on her quickly.”
Landon didn’t hesitate for a moment. He quickened his pace and dashed over, pushing everything else aside.
Leila had believed the ordeal with the Millers at the hospital was over and that tranquility would soon return.
Little did she know, it was merely the start.
The location of her residence had been compromised. Occasionally, media personnel in disguise would confront her on the streets, demanding explanations for her actions.
Leila’s frantic efforts to slip away were not only caught on camera but also circulated online, twisted into various malicious videos.
Even her images were doctored onto tombstones.
“She’s quite the actress, pretending to be innocent. I wonder who she thinks she’s fooling.”
“I think it’s going too far. Remember, she’s disabled.”
“Are you out of your mind? Sympathizing with someone like her? Watch out, she might seduce your boyfriend next and shove you down the stairs too.”
“Am I the only one who’s enjoying this? People are too soft on her. We need to toughen up.”
Under relentless scrutiny, Leila felt as though every breath was a battle. She had made it clear that she couldn’t have been the one to push Sarah down the stairs that day.
But it was all in vain. Right or wrong no longer mattered. The storm had been raging for ages, with the Miller family stoking the fire from behind the scenes. They were bent on seeing her break.
But Leila stood firm, refusing to yield.
Luckily, there had been some developments. Donovan was preparing to return home soon. Despite his hectic schedule, he seemed aware of the recent events. He didn’t have all the specifics, but he quickly committed to securing the surveillance footage from the area once he was back.
Meanwhile, Vernon firmly supported Sarah, asserting that the campus surveillance clearly captured Leila and Ethan pushing Sarah down the stairs. This confirmed the presence of cameras in that vicinity.
Leila gathered her belongings and made her way back to Landon’s residence.
As she stood before the familiar door, her heart raced. Who was Landon, after all? Those hackers would certainly think twice before revealing Landon’s address.
She reassured herself internally. Since they were still technically married, it wasn’t out of line for her to return. Besides, Landon was preoccupied with attending to Sarah at the hospital, likely too occupied to return home.
Leila extended her hand to input the password.
“Wrong password.”
“Wrong password.”
After several attempts, she was met only with the impersonal rejection of the automated voice.
Leila hesitated, pondering if she had made a mistake with the password.
At that moment, the door unexpectedly swung open.
Leila was greeted by the sight of Sarah standing there, and they both stood motionless, caught off guard.
Sarah was quick to react, folding her arms and giving Leila a scornful once-over. “Well, well, if it isn’t Leila. Did you run out of places to go, and now you’re hoping Landon will take you back?”
Leila noticed Sarah was dressed in simple loungewear, which set off alarm bells in her head. Her phone articulated her questions with the text-to-speech function: “Why are you here? Have you moved in or something?”
Sarah’s smirk was impossible to miss. “Yeah, I told Landon how lonely I was feeling staying at the hospital, so he invited me to stay here,” she explained, her voice dripping with self-satisfaction. “He thought it’d be easier to look after me here. Leila, do you get what I’m saying? You’re just in the way now. Why don’t you just go?”
Leila felt a heavy weight compress her chest. So, this was why the door code had been changed. Had Landon really become that impatient? Then why was he stalling on the divorce?
“Oh, by the way,” Sarah interjected, as if suddenly remembering something. She disappeared back into the house, only to return with a suitcase in tow.
Sarah dropped the suitcase harshly at the doorstep and kicked it a couple of times, as if it were trash. “All your stuff is right here, packed up by me. Just leave. No thanks needed.”
Leila steadied the teetering suitcase and looked up at Sarah, her gaze icy.