Moments ago the crowd lauded Leonie as a generous and caring woman, but their opinion turns quickly. They begin to whisper and exclaim over what a good actress she is.
“Waylen, aren’t you listening to me?” Mrs. Florence Bamford says in a rage.
“Leilani is my wife,” Waylen said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “From today forward, anyone who dares to touch her without permission will be kicked out of the Bamford family.”
He turns to glare coldly at Leonie. Mrs. Florence Bamford trembles with rage. After a long pause, she clears her throat.
“I must have misheard you,” she says, “Did you really just say that to me?”
Waylen casts a condescending look at his grandmother.
“No matter who it is,” he says coldly.
The guests gasp with shock. They can’t believe he would dare to insult his grandmother for a woman.
“Waylen, have you forgotten that I’m your grandmother?” Mrs. Florence Bamford asks.
“Are you deaf or senile?” Waylen asks wickedly, “Didn’t you hear me clearly?”
Mrs. Bamford almost faints with anger. Leilani regards him with surprise and confusion. She’s been married to Waylen for three and a half years, but he’s never intervened on her behalf. He’s allowed these people to humiliate and torment her for years. Just days ago she was locked in a cold, dark room and starved for three days.
Although he saved her life a few days ago, she thought of that as some sort of fluke. Now she feels truly protected.
Waylen holds Leilani tightly in his arms and regards the crowd with a regal glare.
“I will show zero tolerance toward anyone who dares to touch Leilani,” he announces.
Mrs. Florence Bamford presses her hand to her heart and slowly regains her composure.
“I know you didn’t mean to offend me,” she says, “You’re worried about unborn baby in Leilani’s belly, and I don’t blame you. But listen, Waylen. I want to have a great-grandson as much as you want to be a father, but I don’t want you to trust her blindly. We need to be careful as we proceed.”
Her tone and expression are worried. Although the pregnancy test confirmed that Leilani is pregnant, Mrs. Florence Bamford half suspects that Leilani is tricking them all. Mrs. Florence Bamford’s words cut Leilani to the quick. Leilani clearly knows that she’s not actually pregnant. She simply claimed the pregnancy to protect herself, and she planned on telling Waylen the truth in private. Now that Mrs. Florence Bamford has publicly announced the pregnancy, she’s lost her chance to properly explain things to Waylen. Everyone will be furious when the truth gets out.
“You don’t have to worry about it,” Waylen hisses, “I’ll make sure everything checks out.”
Leilani’s back stiffens. Waylen notices and begins to guide her toward the house. Behind her, Leilani can hear the guests murmuring; she turns around and sees they’re all looking up and pointing at the sky.
“It’s a beautiful picture of Waylen and Leilani kissing each other,” she hears one woman exclaims.
“Mr. Bamford is the most romantic man I have ever seen,” sighed another.
“Rumors are so terrible and I don’t believe any of them anymore,” says another, in tears.
“It’s a romantic birthday for Leilani after all,” says one malicious voice, “Leonie invited so many people, but she still lost.”
Leilani looks up at the sky, and she’s stunned by the sight. In the sunset, hot-air balloons dot the sky. From each balloon, there’s a large banner printed with a photo from a different year in her life. Leilani counts twenty-two hot-air balloons floating around the house.
“Mrs. Bamford, this is a birthday gift for you,” Waylen murmurs against her ear.
“How did you get the photos of me as a kid?” she asks.
“In order to find your photos, we almost tore the Peters’ house apart,” Waylen replies, “That’s how I found out that you used to take secret photos of other men.”
Robert clears his throat and approaches the couple from behind.
“Mr. Bamford wanted you to ride in that hot air balloon,” Robert says, “It’s said that the closer you are to the sky, the easier it is for God to hear your wish.”
Leilani’s eyes follow the direction of Robert’s finger and she sees a hot air balloon with a picture of them kissing in the open-air restaurant at the Zuri Hotel.
“But Mr. Bamford said that you are pregnant and it’s not suitable for you to do something so risky,” Robert continues.
Leilani clears her throat. She wants to confess to Waylen that she’s not pregnant, but she can’t work up the courage. She looks across the crowd and trembles to imagine their response to the truth. Instead, she looks up at Waylen’s chiseled face.
“Why are you back?” she asks.
“You don’t want me back?” he says.
“I didn’t say that,” she responds, “I’m just wondering how your grandfather let you go so easily.”
“Is there anything else you’d like to ask me?” Waylen says, stopping suddenly.
“For example, did you miss me?” Waylen thinks, “Why did I save your life with so little thought for my own that day?”
Leilani looks away from his gaze and shifts awkwardly. She wants to ask him why he risked everything to save her life, but she’s afraid that his answer will be beyond anything she can bear. If he said what she’s aching to hear, all of her resolutions would crumble.
“No,” she whispers.
He didn’t expect her to return his love, but he still feels disappointed in her answer. He looks at her seriously.
“He let me go because he heard that you’re pregnant,” Waylen explains.
Before Leilani can decide how to break the news, he steers his into the house, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. He closes the door and pushes her up against it. He takes her face between his big hands and leans forward to kiss her. If it weren’t for all the guests, he would have kissed her already.
The kiss leaves Leilani breathless. She tries to pull away, but he only deepens the kiss. His hot lips cover hers, and his tongue invades her mouth. She clings to his back, and he holds her tight against him. It’s a long time before he lets her go.
“Tell me, are you really pregnant?” he asks urgently.
Leilani feels trapped in a state of physical and emotional chaos and shakes her head blankly.
“I’m not pregnant,” she murmurs.
She knows he’ll discover the truth sooner or later and she doesn’t want to deceive him.
“But my grandfather heard you were pregnant,” Waylen insists.
“I lied to them,” she says.
He presses his body onto her, and she can feel the force of his weight.
“Dr. Walter said you’re pregnant,” Waylen says with complacent certainty.
“No, he was just helping me,” Leilani explains, “While you were away, your grandmother wanted to punish me, and he came to my aid.”
“You should be tested again,” Waylen says.
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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