Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Leila froze, turned around, and stared at Landon with a mix of surprise and confusion. Why was he defending her?
Yet, it quickly made sense to her. She was, after all, representing the Kensington family. If this got out, it wouldn’t sound good.
With a tight-lipped frown, Rachel approached Leila hesitantly. “I’m sorry for misunderstanding you. Regarding the invitation, I had assumed you had ulterior motives.”
The further Rachel went with her apology, the quieter her voice became, and her face flushed with embarrassment. Upon reflecting, Rachel found it ridiculous to think Leila had any malicious intent. Leila was no child. Why would she tamper with an invitation without cause?
The forgery was clumsily done. It was obviously fake at first glance.
Leila didn’t lose her temper. She resumed her explanation about the clothes with the help of her phone. “Miss Simpson, I truly hope you can trust me again. I’ve preserved your mother’s clothes carefully, but they have been circulated outside for a while, so there might be some wear and tear. Once I’ve mended them, I’ll bring them right to your doorstep. Those are your mother’s belongings, after all. Even if I recreated them, you would notice the difference, wouldn’t you?”
Rachel fumbled for words to form a retort.
It marked the first time Rachel had genuinely scrutinized Leila.
Leila’s eyes radiated honesty, making it hard to believe she could be deceitful.
Rachel acknowledged her previous judgments might have been too harsh, yet she couldn’t overlook that Sarah, her close friend, had been harmed by Leila. That incident was swirling around the Internet, seemingly irrefutable.
With a furrowed brow, Rachel hesitated, her mind a whirl of conflicting thoughts. Perhaps Sarah had a point. Leila’s outward innocence might mask a more sinister nature.
“Rachel,” Sarah interrupted, clutching her forehead as if gripped by a sudden pain.
Sarah grasped Rachel’s hand. “I’m really dizzy. Could you go to the hospital with me?”
Mentioning the so-called headache now served as Sarah’s calculated move to remind Rachel of her own suffering, allegedly caused by Leila.
Rachel’s protective instincts flared, her gaze hardening as she glared at Leila. “Forget it. Since those two pieces of clothing seem linked to you, you can keep them. Whether they belonged to my mom doesn’t matter to me.”
Her statement was essentially a subtle dig at Leila.
Leila, feeling a surge of embarrassment, bit her lip.
Before Sarah could pull Rachel away, Leila made a sudden move, grasping Sarah’s wrist.
Caught off guard, Sarah nearly stumbled and lost her footing. Annoyed and embarrassed, she responded with a hint of sarcasm, “Leila, what’s this about? You shoved me before, and now you’re at it again?”
Leila quickly shook her head and replied with the text-to-speech function of her phone, “Your injury looks serious. You mentioned feeling dizzy. Could it be a concussion?”
Sarah frowned, wondering if something was indeed wrong with Leila. Was she trying to be considerate?
Clutching her forehead, Sarah looked at Leila with an accusing gaze. “Isn’t it obvious? Your push was forceful. I obviously took a bad fall. The doctor even mentioned this scar might be permanent.”
Despite Sarah’s reluctance, she gently lifted her bangs to reveal a long scar beneath.
The Miller family had enlisted top-notch doctors, yet the scar remained partially visible. Over time, it had faded to a faint red mark. At a glance, it barely caught the eye.
However, for Sarah, who detested any flaw, even this slight imperfection was unbearable.
Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes, spilling over as she sobbed, “Are you happy now? Everyone’s seen it. I knew your concern wasn’t genuine. You just wanted to humiliate me.”
As Sarah wept, fear etched across her face, and she sought refuge behind Rachel.
Rachel’s face contorted with anger as she gripped Leila’s hand. “What are you suggesting? Still want to insult Sarah?”
Leila, trapped by Rachel’s grasp, shook her head. Unable to speak, she resorted to sign language. Only a few observers understood her silent gestures.
Flushing with embarrassment, Leila hoped Rachel would let go of her hand and allow her to type down her thoughts.
But Rachel’s grip only tightened, her eyes sharp and menacing.
At that moment, Landon’s icy voice cut through the tension.
“Ease up, or you’ll snap her wrist.”
As Landon’s cold stare met hers, Rachel released Leila’s hand with a scoff. “Mr. Kensington, I must remind you that while the woman before you is indeed your wife, she’s nothing but malicious and two-faced, utterly unfit for her role. We see things clearly here-Sarah is the one deserving of your affection. You don’t need to maintain appearances for Leila’s sake. None of us will blame you for this.”
Rachel believed Landon was merely defending Leila to protect his own reputation. Meanwhile, Sarah gazed at Landon, filled with hope.
Ignoring both Rachel and Sarah, Landon walked straight to Leila. He noticed her wrist was slightly reddened, and a flicker of anger passed through his eyes, though his voice grew gentler. “Does it hurt?”
Leila dodged Landon’s extended hand. His moments of kindness were fleeting, and she had learned better than to expect anything. By keeping her expectations in check, she could spare herself the disappointment.
Brushing past Landon, Leila wanted to clear the air quickly. Her response was firm, articulated by her phone’s text-to-speech function. “I never intended to insult Miss Miller. Right now, we need to focus on bringing the true wrongdoer to justice.”
The room fell silent, everyone staring at Leila in bewilderment.
“What is she thinking? Didn’t she push Sarah down? Why is she saying all this now?”
“She’s probably trying to clear her name. Let’s just watch and see what she does next.”
Leila stood there, oozing confidence.
Sarah felt a wave of uneasiness as she clutched Rachel’s clothes. “Rachel, we should leave. She deliberately stirred up trouble at your party to hog the spotlight. If we leave, her show can’t go on.”
Rachel seethed with anger. “Why should we leave? You have to confront people like her when they’re at their peak. Running away just feeds her ego. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here, no matter what she tries to pin on you.”
Despite Rachel’s words, Sarah still felt uneasy.
Upon thinking it over, Sarah was sure she had chosen the location for its lack of surveillance cameras, thus Leila couldn’t possibly have any real evidence.
Feeling somewhat relieved, Sarah watched as Leila waved Donovan over and utilized the projector to show everyone a video.
While there was no surveillance in the stairwell, the building across had one. Sarah failed to see this coming.
The footage was blurry, but one could just make out two figures. Sarah was at the top of the stairs, and Leila was below her. Suddenly, Sarah tumbled down the stairs.
A hush fell over the room as the video ended.
Everyone had been convinced that Leila was responsible for pushing Sarah down the stairs, especially given the extent of Sarah’s injuries. Nobody would willingly throw themselves down like that.
Yet, the video told a different story. It didn’t appear that Leila had pushed Sarah at all.
“No, that’s not what happened!” Sarah protested, her voice rising as she clenched her palm, her face draining of color. “I didn’t just fall-Ethan pushed me! It’s just… There’s a blind spot where the cameras don’t see, and he wasn’t caught.”
Before Sarah could argue further, Leila swiftly moved to the next clip. This video showed Ethan waiting at the bottom of the stairs, timestamped precisely.
Ethan had been downstairs the entire time Sarah fell, only rushing upwards upon hearing the commotion.
Rachel, too, was taken aback, her eyes flicking to Sarah, whose eyes brimmed with tears.
Despite the evidence, Rachel chose to stand by her friend. She fixed a stern look on Leila. “Leila, I know videos can be manipulated,” she remarked firmly.
Leila was at a loss for words in her defense. Sure, someone could have tampered with the video, but what about all the other proof?
Leila composedly retrieved her phone and played a recording. This was from the day she had humbly pleaded with Sarah for compassion.
Engaging in such a low act was a first for Leila, yet it taught her a valuable lesson.
As the recording played, Sarah’s piercing, authoritative voice echoed throughout the room. No one could hear what Leila had responded, given her inability to speak.
Then came the climax of the recording. Sarah had said, “Honestly, I did attempt to shove you that day. I just never anticipated your swift reaction and luck. But at this point, it’s irrelevant. Regardless of my actions, Landon will always be on my side. Had you actually fallen, nobody would have batted an eye.”
Each syllable was unmistakably clear.