Chapter 8
Benjamin watched Layla and Seth’s argument unfold from where he stood quietly in the corner. He had heard Layla openly denying him as her son and watched as she had left the infirmary with someone else’s child.
Furious, Benjamin threw himself into Seth’s arms and hissed, “That woman is not my mother! She never will be!”
Seth cut the boy a withering look. “Trust me, she thinks even less of you than you do her. What’s the matter with you? Why did you lock that boy up in the equipment room?”
Benjamin’s cheeks puffed up as he lowered his head in shame, mumbling, “I just wanted him to in there for a bit. I didn’t want him dead.”
“If you did, I’ll break your legs right now,” Seth said grimly.
Suddenly fearful, Benjamin shook his head vehemently. “I really didn’t! I was
and wanted to punish him.”
at him
Seth flicked the boy’s forehead. “Were you jealous because your mom was nice to him?”
“No! And she’s not my mom. She can be nice to whoever she likes,” Benjamin argued.
Seth did not call his bluff. Benjamin was only eight years old, and children his age tended to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Such was the naivety of children.
Gently ruffling the kid’s hair, Seth said, “You’ll Have to take responsibility for your mistakes. Start on that apology essay when we get home, and remember to apologize to William
tomorrow.”
Benjamin looked as if he would rather swallow a jar of bugs. “Isn’t there any way out of this? I don’t want to apologize to William in front of everybody. It’s embarrassing.
Seth’s brows furrowed. “Would you rather I have your mother fired instead?”
Upon hearing this, Benjamin chewed on his bottom lip. “No. Okay… fine! I’ll write the apology essay and apologize to William tomorrow.”
Seth could tell by the nervous look on Benjamin’s face that the kid had been lying earlier. He had been jealous of William, but he was too embarrassed to admit it.
Amused, he rapped his knuckles gently on Benjamin’s head and said, “When we get home, I want you to think about what you did.”
Meanwhile, Horace was relieved that the usually fearless little tyrant had agreed to apologize. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he interjected tentatively, “Mr. Parker, I knew Ms. Jenkins had what it takes to discipline children. I’m sure Benjamin will be straightened out sooner or later if he stays in her class.”
Seth glanced up at the principal and drawled, “Take good care of Layla. If she so much as gets picked on while in your employment, I will have you fired.”
Horace gulped and nodded. “Of course, Mr. Parker. You can rest assured that I’ll take good care of Ms. Jenkins. No one will pick on her on my watch!”
Satisfied with the promise, Seth nodded and left with Benjamin.
Layla’s words played over and over again in his mind.
She claimed to have coagulopathy, but he couldn’t understand why she would keep such vital information from him. Even more baffling was her accusation that he had set her up to get pregnant so that he could have a son.
Had she forgotten how she’d had too much to drink that fateful night and refused to let him go? It was bad enough that she had gotten her way with him for free, but to keep her condition a secret from him was beyond reason.
Seth began to wonder just how true Layla’s love for him had been during their four–year marriage. Had she been lying when she had told him that she loved him and the home they’d built together?
Outraged, he slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
His thoughts were cut off when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the number flashing on the screen and put the call through.
“Mr. Parker, I’ve looked into Ms. Jenkins‘ activities from the last four years and found something interesting,” his assistant informed over the phone.
Seth frowned slightly at this. He grunted and said hoarsely, “Tell me.”
“After leaving the Parker family, Ms. Jenkins returned to the orphanage she had stayed in. She met Mark Kirkland while he was a therapist there, and they got close,” Seth’s assistant said. ” A year later, Ms. Jenkins gave birth to her daughter.
“However, her daughter was diagnosed with mild autism. Her condition has improved after years of treatment, but she is still non–verbal. As such, Ms. Jenkins has returned in hopes of finding better treatment options and facilities for her daughter.”
Seth’s heart tightened when he heard this. All he could think about was the way Daisy had smiled at him. There was something healing and comforting about the little girl’s smile. It was as if she had unknowingly soothed his deepest wounds.
Logically speaking, he ought to hate the little girl She was, after all, a product of Layla’s relationship with another man, and the reason why Layla had so readily abandoned Benjamin.
However, Seth couldn’t bring himself to hate Daisy. If anything, he was inexplicably enamored with her. It broke his heart that a little girl as adorable and pretty as Daisy was plagued with a
disorder like that.
Chary
He opened the glove compartment and found the lollipop that Daisy had given him. He took a whiff of it, picking up on the faint powdery scent interlaced with the fruity sweetness of the candy. A part of his heart crumbled at the little girl’s plight.
He even thought about doing what he could to get the child to speak to him, which was funny, considering that she had nothing to do with him.
Seth figured his intention to help Daisy must come from a place of guilt. This was just his way of making it up to Layla.
As such, he ordered his assistant, “Find the best therapist in all of Kingsville to treat Layla’s daughter.”
His assistant replied, “Alright, Mr. Parker. There’s something else I’ve discovered during the investigation. Ever since Ms. Jenkins left the Parker family, several renowned wedding dress designer brands have reached out to her and offered her the role of chief designer. But she’s turned them all down.”
Seth’s brows creased. “Why?”
“Well, she claimed that her well of inspiration has dried up,” his assistant explained. “But she did guide one of the contestants of the Wainwright Wedding Dress Designing Competition, and that contestant won first prize.
Wainwright was a prestigious international designing competition, and its accolades were equally valuable. Layla had always dreamed of winning the competition, and she had wanted the world to be stunned by her designs more than anything.
Why would she direct another contestant and guide them to victory when she could have participated in the competition herself?
Seth was still trying to make sense of it when a horrific thought suddenly crossed his mind.
It was so bone–chilling that he couldn’t help the cold sweat that broke out over his back as he demanded with rare urgency, “Go find out what manner of injury Layla had sustained four years ago!”
Chapter 9
It was out of character for Layla to work in the shadows and help someone else achieve their dreams when hers had just been within reach. She’d had a clear goal in mind since she was a child, which was to become the best wedding dress designer in the world.
She had worked her entire life to accomplish that goal. Even when she was just Seth’s secretary, she had never stopped participating in various competitions to further her ambitions.
How could someone so driven choose to abandon her dreams just like that? Unless, of course, something was keeping her from pursuing her dreams.
Seth’s heart dropped to his stomach as he entertained that possibility. If his memory served him well, Layla had been injured once. He was away on business at the time, but when he returned, her wound had already healed.
She had told him that she had accidentally cut herself with some broken glass. Could it be that
the cut was more serious than she had let on?
The more Seth thought about it, the more frustrated he got. Not wanting to go in circles anymore, he called Rowan Sinclair, the Parker family’s doctor.
A beat later, Rowan’s lazy drawl sounded from the other end. “Hello, Seth. Miss me already? We just saw each other not long ago, didn’t we? I’m starting to think the reason you’re holding off on marrying Clarissa is because you’re secretly in love with me.”
Seth was already annoyed to begin with. After hearing Rowan’s sarcastic taunt, he grew even more irritated. He gritted his teeth and snapped, “Screw you!”
“I’m flattered, but I don’t swing that way. Sorry to disappoint you. There are other fish in the sea,” Rowan countered insouciantly.
“That’s enough. There’s something important I need to ask you.”
When Rowan heard how grave Seth sounded, he dropped the jokes and asked, “What is it? Why are you being so serious?”
Seth pressed, “Have you known about Layla’s coagulopathy all this while?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Then, why didn’t you tell me about it?”
Rowan answered frankly, “She told me to keep it a secret from you. She was afraid that you might persuade her to terminate the pregnancy If you knew she had a bleeding disorder and that you’d become overprotective of her.
“Hold up, Seth. Are you telling me you had no idea about her coagulopathy until now? Didn’t
you ever wonder why she had nearly bled herself to death during childbirth?
“This isn’t like you, Seth. You brought Clarissa to all the clinics available just because she had. a mild case of low blood sugar, but you didn’t even know that your wife–whom you’d shared a bed with–had coagulopathy?
“Tsk, tsk. Layla must have truly loved you. The poor thing risked her life to give you a child.”
Seth’s heart tightened at Rowan’s words. He had no reason to doubt the latter, who happened to be the Parkers‘ family doctor. Rowan had also tended to Layla’s injuries on multiple occasions, and he had assisted during her delivery.
As it turned out, Layla hadn’t kept her condition a secret from Seth because she didn’t love him, but rather out of fear that he would worry.
Seth had no words for what he was feeling right now. Not only had he betrayed Layla’s love and trust in him, but he had also doubted her dedication to him. No wonder she wanted to cut
him off.
He cursed himself for it and immediately dialed Layla’s number. However, after a long while of ringing, she did not pick up. She did not answer any of his follow–up calls, either.
Seth turned the car around and dropped Benjamin off at the Parker residence. He then headed
to Layla’s place.
Meanwhile, Layla’s phone had rung several times in a row, but she silenced it after glancing at the caller ID.
When Mark saw the name on the screen, he looked at her and suggested, “Maybe you should answer it. It might be an emergency.
Layla said bluntly, “There’s no rule that says a teacher has to entertain calls from parents after work hours. Come on, I’ll help you with dinner. Daisy should be hungry soon.”
With that, she tossed her phone on the couch and went to the kitchen with Mark.
At that moment, Daisy padded out of her room to watch television. She circled the coffee table in search of the remote but to no avail. Gripping the edge of the couch, she heaved herself onto the cushions to continue her quest.
She did not find the remote, but she did come across Layla’s plione wedged into the corner of the couch. The name “Benjamin’s Dad” was flashing on the screen.
Daisy’s doe–like eyes widened as she stared at the screen curiously. She vaguely recalled Benjamin. He was the good–looking, older boy who didn’t like her that much.
Without hesitation, her chubby little fingers swiped the phone screen and put the call through.
At once, a low, male voice rang out from the other line. “I’m at your place, Layla. Come down right now. We need to talk.”
