“What’s going on? What’s that noise?” Waylen asks anxiously, “Leilani, answer me. What’s going on?”
Leilani takes a deep breath and turns left into the mall’s parking lot.
“I’m fine,” she says shakily, “Really, I am.”
“Stay where you are,” Waylen says, “I’m coming to get you.”
In a rush, Waylen ends the call and grabs his suit jacket. He’s worried that something is wrong with Leilani—she sounded confused and shaken on the phone. Leilani exits her car and wanders the mall in a daze. She has no idea how she’s going to hide the truth from Waylen, and she’s so preoccupied she barely notices what she’s buying.
By the time she exits the first store, Waylen is waiting. He approached her quickly and took her in his arms. Then he leans down and inhales deeply. Leilani stiffens with surprise.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“I want to see whether you were good or not this morning,” he says with a smirk.
“Are you a dog?” she asks derisively, “Why do you smell me?”
Waylen sniffs her hair and then her neck. He lowers his nose to the shoulders of her dress, and then he takes her hands in his and smells those too. Her scent is sweet, and it produces an instant response—he can feel his heartbeat quickens. Leilani holds a stiff posture, terrified that he’ll somehow detect the odor of disinfectant from the hospital.
“Are you afraid that I smell like another man?” Leilani asks him irreverently.
Waylen stares at her thoughtfully. His jealousy is fierce and instantaneous when she mentions other men.
“I know you wouldn’t dare,” he says with a frown.
His eyes are sharp, and he looks like he wants to read her mind. Afraid that he’ll see through her, she turns her back to him and shakily walks toward a restaurant. As she walks, she tries to take deep breaths, but the smell of the food overwhelms her. Almost instantly, her face pales, and she fights the sudden urge to vomit.
Though her stomach was roiling, she knows she can’t vomit in front of Waylen. If he sees her get sick, he’ll take her to a doctor immediately, and he’ll quickly learn about the pregnancy. She needs more time to make a decision about the pregnancy—if Waylen finds out now, she’ll be stuck.
“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Waylen asks her, worriedly, “Why is your face so pale?”
Leilani tries to calm down and shakes her head.
“No, no, I’m fine,” she assures him.
“Why did you leave the house so early this morning?” Waylen asks her.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I planned to have a nice breakfast and do some shopping,” she replies.
“Okay, let’s have breakfast together,” Waylen suggests.
“Actually, it’s a little late for that now,” Leilani answers.
“What about lunch?”
“No thanks,” Leilani says, “I overate cake yesterday, and I think I should be more mindful about what I eat today. Why are you so concerned about my meals, anyway?”
Leilani fights the urge to grimace. Waylen has grabbed her arm, and they’re standing outside the restaurant. Every breath she takes makes her want to vomit even more.
“I just care about you,” Waylen says sincerely, “Aren’t you hungry?”
He gently touches her stomach, and Leilani flinches. She knows the gesture is innocent, but she can’t help worrying that he knows about the pregnancy somehow.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t touch my stomach,” she says, “If you must know, I feel unwell.”
“Do you think the cake was bad for your stomach?” Waylen asks, “I’ll get a doctor to help you.”
“No!” Leilani answers quickly.
“If you feel bad, you don’t need to pretend that you’re ok,” Waylen says, “I’m worried about you. It’s been a while since you’ve eaten anything, and you need to keep your strength up.”
He gently guides her into the restaurant and sits beside her in a booth. With a quick glance at the menu, he orders the food. Then he looks thoughtfully at Leilani.
“I’ve arranged the pregnancy test,” he says.
Leilani slowly sips a cup of tea, trying to calm her stomach. Her hand begins to shake when Waylen mentions the test.
“Do you still promise me that you can save Gabrielle?” she asks.
“I already have people searching for her,” Waylen replies.
“How long before they find her?”
“They have to cover a lot of ground,” Waylen says hesitantly, “We need at least three days.”
“Three days?” Leilani gasps, “Can’t they work any faster? Who knows what kind of danger might befall her in three days!”
“My men are trying their best,” Waylen assures her.
In spite of his reassurance, Leilani looks worried.
“You know Mr. Clifford; you know what kind of man he is,” Leilani said with a frown, “If Gabrielle stays there longer, she will be in danger. Already it’s been too long. Who knows what he’s doing to her?”
Waylen gazes thoughtfully at Leilani. He knows she’s upset about her sister, but something about her seems off. Leilani blushes and stares at her tea, afraid that Waylen will somehow guess the truth. Just as the silence becomes unbearable, the waiters arrive, bearing trays of food.
A waiter puts an Australian rock lobster in front of Leilani. The fishy smell makes her want to vomit, and she quickly pushes the plate away.
“Don’t you like it?” Waylen asks, “You’ve always loved seafood in the past.”
“I told you, I don’t want to eat now,” Leilani says.
“Just tell me what you want, and I’ll get it for you,” Waylen insists.
“I don’t want to do anything,” Leilani says slowly.
Waylen presses his lips together and regards her sincerely.
“Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” he asks her.
Leilani almost chokes on her tea. She shakes her head firmly as she coughs.
“No, I’ve told you I’m not,” she insists.
“Then why won’t you eat anything?” Waylen demands.
“I already told you that I that I ate too much cake yesterday,” Leilani says, “I don’t feel well.”
Waylen nods and pulls her out of the booth.
“Let’s go,” he says, “If you’re hungry later, I’ll ask the cooks to make something easy to digest.”
Something catches the corner of Leilani’s eye, and she looks down at Waylen’s hand. The watch and the ring she painted on his skin are still clearly visible.
“Haven’t washed your hands since yesterday?” she asks.
“When I washed my hands, I pasted tape over the paint,” he says casually.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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