“What condition?” Leilani asks.
“When she lost the baby, she snapped,” Waylen says. “She spends most of her time at a psychiatric hospital now.”
Leilani swallows and watches Leonie make her way across the garden. It’s shocking how much she’s changed in a month. Her typical arrogance and poise have vanished, leaving her broken and weak. As Leonie walks, she puts her hands on her belly as if she’s still pregnant.
“Come away from there,” Waylen says.
Leilani is about to step away from the window when Leonie’s head swivels around. Her hollow eyes flash, and she begins to giggle. The longer she looks at Leilani, the harder she laughs. Leilani steps away from the window and takes Waylen’s arm.
“Will she stay here tonight?” she asks.
“No she won’t,” Waylen says as he scoops her up in his arms.
Leilani closes her eyes and lets Waylen carry her upstairs. Leonie’s deranged laugh floats in through the windows, and Leilani shudders. She can still see the hatred in Leonie’s lifeless, hollow eyes. Leilani groans and shakes her head, trying to forget the haunting image.
A sharp and sudden pain seizes her—it feels like her forehead is going to split open. Her hands fly to her face, and her body stiffens. She tries to open her eyes, but it only makes the pain worse. From far away, she hears a horrible, twisted scream. It takes her a minute to realize the sound is coming from her own mouth.
“Leilani,” Waylen shouts. “Leilani, what’s wrong? Are you ill?”
She bites her tongue and forces herself to stop screaming. She squeezes her eyes shut and waits for the pain to pass. It vanishes almost as quickly as it came, and she forces her eyes open a crack.
Waylen’s face is pale with concern, and he asks, “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she murmurs. “Just a headache.”
Waylen’s forehead creases, but he doesn’t ask another question. Leilani is grateful for his silence. The pain scares her. She’s had these horrible headaches before, but they’ve never been this bad. She wonders if it’s a sign that the toxin is advancing in her body. She closes her eyes, but she still hears screaming. A moment later, Lucky’s howls mix with the screams.
“Robert,” Waylen roars. “What the hell is going on down there?”
Robert appears at the foot of the stairs and pants, “It’s Miss Summers. Something upset her, and she got away from her handlers. She’s been screaming and smashing things downstairs.”
“Well, make her stop,” Waylen snaps. “Leilani has a headache, and she needs to rest.”
“We’re trying,” Robert says. “But she’s really out of control.”
“Jesus, Robert, just give her some sedatives or something,” Waylen says.
“Well, we want to, but your grandmother won’t let us,” Robert says.
“Goddamn,” Waylen swears. “Tell her to stand aside and let the men restrain Leonie. If she refuses, you can have her taken to the psychiatric hospital too.”
Robert pales, but he nods and rushes away. Waylen carries Leilani upstairs, taking care not to jostle her as he moves. As they go, the screaming fades away, and Leilani feels herself relax.
Waylen lays her on a bed and rushes to the bathroom. She hears the sound of running water, and then there’s a cool cloth on her forehead. She closes her eyes and lets the cold fabric soothe the remaining ache in her head.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Bamford,” Sarah’s voice calls.
“Go away and let her rest,” Waylen snarls.
“What is it, Sarah?” Leilani asks. “You can ignore Waylen and come in.”
Sarah seems to hesitate, and then light footsteps approach the bed. Leilani lifts the cloth from her face and opens her eyes. Sarah is standing in front of her, holding strips of paper in her hands.
“Mrs. Bamford, Miss Leonie had a fit, and she started breaking everything in sight,” Sarah says. “I’m afraid she found your handbag, and well, she tore up all these papers inside it.”
Sarah places the torn papers on the nightstand, and Leilani sucks in her breath. It’s her mother’s sketches. Tears fill her eyes, and she tries to wipe them away before anyone can see.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Bamford,” Sarah says. “I’ll find every last piece of paper and get some glue. We’ll be able to put it back together in no time.”
Leilani nodded weakly. The sketches are all she has from her mother, and she can’t bear to lose them. Waylen strokes her arm, but she pulls away from him and struggles to her feet. She stumbles out onto the landing and rushes down the stairs.
At the foot of the stairs, two bodyguards are holding Leonie flat against the ground. Her dress is even more torn than before, and her hair falls over her face. When she hears Leilani’s footsteps, she lifts her head. For a moment, Leonie stares at her, and then she throws her head back and laughs.
“Bitch,” Leonie shouts in a singsong voice. “Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch.”
Leilani shudders and steps back, and Leonie laughs even louder. The strong guards struggle to hold her down as she kicks and flails. Leonie’s thin arms are covered in scratches and bruises, and the guards frown as they use more force against her.
Leilani steps past Leonie and starts to gather the shredded sketches. Some of the pieces are still large, but many are small, and she drops to her knees to avoid missing any. She picks up a piece of paper that shows part of a ruby, and another that shows part of the golden ring.
Leilani’s so distracted by the ruined sketch, and she doesn’t notice Leonie jerk away from the guards. A thick wad of spit lands on Leilani’s dress, and she flinches. Leonie laughs and lets the guards restrain her and pull her out of the room. As they drag her away, she shouts, “Bitch, bitch, bitch.”
Robert rushes over and offers Leilani a handkerchief. She reaches for it, but Waylen snatches it out of the butler’s hands and bends to wipe Leilani’s dress. Disgust and anger flicker across his face.
“It’s fine, Waylen,” she says. “I can do it myself.”
He continues to wipe at the spit and says, “Why don’t you take the dress off?”
She nods, and he helps her to her feet. With a quick scowl, the hall empties, leaving her alone with him. His hands are slow and gentle as he undoes the pearl buttons on the back of her dress. He peels the outer layer of the dress away, leaving her in nothing but a short, white silk slip.
She steps out of the dress and walks down the long hallway. The dappled afternoon sunlight warms her skin, and she pauses next to a window. She closes her eyes and tilts her head back, enjoying the warmth.
When she opens her eyes, Waylen is by her side—his eyes burning with need. He swallows hard and then lifts her against his chest. His hands are warm and soft on her legs, and she sighs.
“You really won’t give me a break, will you?” he whispers, bending down to nip her shoulder.
She wraps her arms around his neck and asks, “What did I do?”
He chuckles low in his throat and says, “A wrong question. You should ask what we’re going to do.”
Andrew lies flat on his back on a hard metal table. He stares up at the ceiling of the operation room at Misty Mansion. Dozens of machines beep and hiss to the side as they pump his blood and keep him alive. He slowly tilts his head to the side and sees his personal bodyguard, Jamie Winter.
Jamie’s back is to Andrew, and he seems to be staring at the electrocardiogram. Andrew clears his throat, and he hears the beeping get faster on the machine. Jamie jumps and spins around to look down at him.
“Sir, you’re awake,” Jamie shouts.
Andrew blinks and asks, “What happened?”
“There was a bomb,” Jamie says. “You almost died in that church. We got you out and rushed you back here to Misty Mansion. We weren’t sure you’d make it.”
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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