“That’s for the doctor to decide,” Waylen says. “You’ve been running around far too much for someone in your condition. Come on.”
Leilani sits through a long series of tests in the hospital’s maternity wing. They prick her with needles and scan her with ultrasound machines. As she waits for the results, she hears Leonie’s voice from down the hall.
“Waylen, the baby is yours, and you know it,” Leonie says. “That video was obviously edited. I don’t want to abort the baby!”
“It’s not mine,” Waylen says, and his voice sounds impatient.
“It is yours! Waylen, trust me!” Leonie begs. “I’ll do a paternity test or whatever else you want, but I don’t want to abort it.”
“If you insist on keeping it, I won’t stop you, but you have to consider the consequences,” Waylen says.
“I have thought about them, and I’ve decided,” Leonie says. “I think you’re the one who needs to consider the consequences. You may not want to recognize my child now, but there’s no guarantee that Leilani will safely deliver an heir. One day you might thank me for keeping it.”
“Impossible,” Waylen says, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. “I want you to remember that the risks of abortion increase the longer you’re pregnant. It would be safest and smartest to abort it now.”
Leilani hears footsteps, and then Waylen appears in the waiting room door. Leonie runs up behind him and throws her arms around his waist. Waylen unfolds her arms, holding both her wrists in one hand.
“Why won’t you even look at me?” Leonie asks. “Why do you keep choosing Leilani? She’s all wrong for you.”
“Because I love her,” Waylen says.
“That’s impossible!” Leonie wails. “You haven’t seen her for what she really is—she’s a monster, Waylen. Please, just give me a chance. I could make you love me.”
Leonie’s face is flushed a bright red, and she seems to be hyperventilating. She wobbles unsteadily and drops into a faint. Waylen’s tight grip around her wrists keeps her from hitting the floor. Robert calls for a doctor, and two nurses rush over with a stretcher. They wheel Leonie away.
Suddenly, Waylen seems to notice Leilani sitting in the waiting room. “Did you finish your exams and tests?” he asks.
He reaches out to embrace her, but Leilani leans away. “You should be more careful with Leonie,” she says. “Why don’t you go check on her now?”
Waylen scowls, “No, I’d rather not.”
“It’s your fault that she’s like this, you know,” Leilani says.
“She’s the one who tried to seduce me!” Waylen says. “Believe me, I tried to get away from her as quickly as I could, but she was so fierce. She ripped my clothes off and—”
Waylen trails off upon seeing the expression on Leilani’s face. She’s grinding her teeth, and she feels angry tears welling in her eyes. She doesn’t want to remember anything about that afternoon—even if Waylen didn’t sleep with Leonie, the memory is painful.
“You pushed her into bed first,” Leilani says.
Waylen opens his mouth and then closes it. He runs his hand through his hair. “I know,” he said hoarsely, “And I’m so sorry. But why are you trying to make me spend time with her now?”
“Because she needs you right now,” Leilani says.
Leilani wants to hate Leonie—the things she’s done are unforgivable—but she can only imagine what Leonie is going through. Being pregnant is hard enough on its own. Finding out that a stranger is the real father of your baby must be hell. Leonie looked so weak and fragile in the doorway, like a broken doll dangling from Waylen’s hands.
“I never waste my time on irrelevant people,” Waylen says.
“Fine, then I’ll go check on her,” Leilani says.
Waylen hesitates, and Leilani knows she’s convinced him. Though he may not want to check on Leonie, he definitely doesn’t want Leilani to spend any time with her. Leilani watches him go and then finds a chair near the window. The golden afternoon sunlight warms her skin, and she closes her eyes.
Leilani opens her eyes to hear a lot of screaming in the distance. A patient wearing blue and white striped pajamas runs down the hallway, waving a knife in the air. As he passes the waiting room, Leilani meets his eyes. He skids to a stop and runs into the room.
Effortlessly, he grabs her by the arms and pulled her out of the chair. He wraps one arm around her waist and holds the knife at her throat with the other. A group of nurses, doctors, and security guards runs into the room.
“I’m warning you, stay away!” the patient says. “I’m not sick, and you have no right to keep me here. I’m going to find that bitch, and I’m going to kill her.”
He briefly removes the knife from Leilani’s neck and slices it through the air to demonstrate. Leilani tries to squirm away, but his grip is too tight. Within seconds the cold blade is back on her throat.
“Please, sir, put the knife down,” a doctor says, wiping a sheen of sweat from his forehead. “We can talk about this.”
“You won’t fool me like that,” the patient says.
Leilani can feel his breath on her neck—it smells sour and unhealthy. Her stomach turns, and she tries to swallow, but the knife is pressed too tightly to her throat.
“I want you to bring her here,” the patient says. “I want you to bring my cheating bitch of an ex-wife here. I swear to God, I’m gonna kill her.”
Leilani trembles and the man tightens his grip. She has no idea what to do, but she’s seen this sort of thing on TV before, and it never ends well for the hostage. She closes her eyes and tries to think of something useful, but all she can see is her own blood spurting across the room. She opens her eyes and stared helplessly at the doctor in front of her.
“Please let this young lady go first,” the doctor begs. He holds his hands in front of him in a calming gesture. “This woman is innocent. Let her go, and I’ll call your ex-wife.”
“Don’t lie to me,” the patient screams. “You won’t call her. You’ll take her side.”
“I swear, I’ll call her,” the doctor says, slowly reaching into the pocket of his scrubs. “Tell me her number, and I’ll put it on my phone. As soon as you let go of this lady, I’ll hit call.”
Leilani feels the tension leave the patient’s body, and he begins to loosen his grip. Then he pulled her closer to him than before.
“I know your tricks,” he screams. “You’re all trying to hurt me. You and my ex-wife are probably working together. Well, I won’t fall for it. I want her to come here, or I’ll kill this pretty lady. Pretty women are all devils anyway—I’ll kill them all!”
Leilani can feel the knife shaking against her skin. The patient’s entire body is taut and trembling, and his voice sounds unhinged. The doctors look terrified and helpless.
“Please, calm down,” Leilani says, trying to control the shaking in her voice. “I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”
“Shut up!” the patient screams. “All of you shut up!”
Waylen’s cold, authoritative voice shouts from the door, “Let go of her!”
The doctors and nurses part to allow Waylen to cross the room. His eyes are dark and fierce, and his face is stormy with rage, but his voice is calm.
“I can bring you the woman you ask for, but only if you let go of this woman at once,” he says.
Waylen looks at the knife pressed to Leilani’s artery, and his eyes flash briefly with terrible fear. The look is gone so quickly Leilani wonders if she imagined it. The patient steps backward, tugging Leilani with him.
“I don’t believe you,” the man says. “Is this your woman? Trust me, and I’ll be doing you a favor if I kill her. Pretty women like her are all bitches. She’s probably cheating on you right now, and you don’t even know it.”
A doctor steps forward and whispers something in Waylen’s ear. The room is so quiet, Leilani can hear every word.
“He’s suffering from a psychotic break,” the doctor explains. “He’s paranoid and violent. His ex-wife apparently cheated on him. She took all his money and went abroad with her lover.”
Leilani feels her stomach sink. If the patient’s ex-wife is abroad, there’s no way to meet his demands. It seems that the longer he waits, the crazier he gets. It’s probably only a matter of time before he snaps and kills her.
“What are you whispering about?” the patient shouts. “I know you’re talking about me. I’m not crazy. I swear, I’ll kill her, and I’ll kill myself too.”
The patient digs the sharp knife deeper into Leilani’s skin. She feels the warmth of the blood before the pain of the cut. She wonders if it’s bad—her neck feels really hot. She sees Waylen clench his fists, and she looks at him desperately, hoping he won’t do anything stupid.
“Trade her for me,” Waylen says. “I’m the Bamford family heir and the president of The Bamford Group. You won’t find a more valuable hostage than me.”
“Waylen!” Leilani shouts. “You can’t—”
The sharp blade presses into her neck, silencing her.
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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