Chapter 6

“Just doing the right thing,” Carter chimed in from the driver’s seat, casually inserting himself into the conversation.

“I recognized you the moment I saw you. Uncle William heard me out and decided to help. That’s just how he is—he can’t stand owing anyone.

“Am I right, Uncle William?” Carter asked.

William remained silent.

Taking his uncle’s silence as confirmation, Carter raised an eyebrow smugly. “They say blessings and misfortunes go hand in hand. I’ve seen it firsthand today. Sis, you might’ve been rear-ended by us, but I’d say your good fortune is just getting started!”

“And now you’re acting like it’s a good thing you drive recklessly?” William’s deep voice cut in, sharp and disapproving.

Carter chuckled sheepishly. “I was just trying to cheer her up. After everything she’s been through, her mood must be awful, right?”

“I’m fine,” Layla said with a faint smile. “And you’re not wrong.”

Blessings and misfortunes go hand in hand.

She had fallen ill, but in doing so, she had gained clarity about the people and events around her.

For the first time in years, she felt truly free. Today, she was no longer Sean’s fiancée or the Xander family’s daughter. She was simply herself.

The only regret was that the time she had left for herself was limited.

Layla took a deep breath, letting it go. “One day at a time. That’s enough,” she muttered to herself.

When they arrived at her apartment building, Layla offered them a sincere thanks. “Thank you for driving me home. It was just an accident and I wasn’t seriously hurt. You don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

With that, she stepped out of the car and walked away.

Watching her retreating figure, Carter let out a heavy sigh. “She seems like such a good person. How did she end up with a terminal illness?”

He glanced over at William. “Uncle William, do you think she’s letting everything go because she knows she doesn’t have much time left?”

Carter’s mind wandered back to the engagement banquet, and he slammed the steering wheel in frustration. “Those people are unbelievable. They’re supposed to be family, yet they care more about saving face than someone’s life!”

For a long moment, William stared silently out the window, his expression unreadable as the shadows obscured his eyes.

“Uncle William, are we really just going to leave her like this?” Carter asked, his naturally warm-hearted nature making it impossible to let go of Layla’s situation.

“I overheard the doctor say her brain tumor doesn’t look good.” Carter added, his voice trailing off, worry etched across his face.

“Give me her medical report,” William interrupted, finally turning his attention back. He leaned into his seat and closed his eyes, signaling he wasn’t in the mood to discuss further.

Carter gaped at him in shock. “Uncle William, are you actually getting involved? Wow, I didn’t see that coming!”

“Shut up,” William growled, his tone low and irritated.

Carter swallowed hard and immediately went quiet. But inwardly, he couldn’t stop thinking, “Something’s off. Uncle William’s acting really strange,” he thought.

…

The next morning, Layla woke up feeling refreshed after a rare good night’s sleep. She got ready for the day, popped on her headphones, and headed downstairs to grab breakfast. Humming softly to herself, she felt completely at ease.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her shoulder with such force that it yanked her backward a step, nearly causing her to stumble.

Sean’s angry face came into view, instantly shattering her good mood.

“What’s your deal now?” he snapped. I’ve been calling you, and now you’re pretending not to hear me?”

Layla calmly removed her headphones. “The noise-canceling works so well, I couldn’t even hear the sound of dog barking.”

“You…” Sean faltered, his expression shifting. He suspected she was insulting him but couldn’t believe that the woman who had once doted on him would do such a thing.

Remembering why he was there, Sean swallowed his anger and forced a more measured tone. “Oh, you had headphones on. I guess I got ahead of myself and let my tone get out of hand.

“Layla, let’s not dwell on yesterday’s engagement banquet. I won’t hold it against you. As long as you’re happy, you can do whatever you want. Just stop being mad at me, okay?”

As he spoke, Sean reached out to take her hand, but Layla sidestepped him, leaving his hand hanging awkwardly in the air.

Stepping back, her gaze shifted to Xena standing behind him. “Sean, we’re over. Stop pretending otherwise.”

“Layla, stop saying things you don’t mean.” Sean’s patience was wearing thin. “You’ve taken it too far this time.”

“Sean’s been looking for you all night, Sis,” Xena chimed in, her voice dripping with concern. “He was so worried about you.”

Her tone softened even further as she added, “He loves you so much. How can you bear to put him through this?”

“So, the two of you were together all night?” Layla asked nonchalantly, catching the key detail in Xena’s words.

Caught off guard, Xena’s face turned pale. “I… I only stayed with him to help find you and apologize. There’s really nothing improper between me and Sean. If you don’t trust me, fine, but you should trust Sean, shouldn’t you?

“You’ve known him for so many years. Don’t you know what kind of person he is?” Xena glanced at Sean, her eyes welling up with tears. “Yesterday, Mr. Lucas humiliated him so much just to defend you. Do you know how awful it was for him?”

Sean’s expression darkened at the mention of William. Turning to Layla, he demanded coldly, “Where did you go with William last night? Layla, you’re good at keeping secrets. How long have you known him?

“He stood up for you at the engagement banquet. Was that all part of your plan? Did you deliberately ruin the engagement and throw dirt on me and Xena just to make it look like this was my fault?”

Layla let out a bitter laugh, unable to believe what she was hearing.

With Sean’s limited imagination, there was no way he came up with these suspicions on his own. It was almost certain that Xena had subtly planted the idea during their conversation last night.

All the years Layla had devoted to Sean couldn’t compare to a few manipulative words from Xena, which were enough to make him doubt her loyalty and suspect an affair with William.

How utterly ridiculous.

“What’s so funny?” Sean’s expression darkened as he spoke. “I’m saying this for your own good. If you stop now, it’s not too late. I won’t dig into it further. Do you even know who William is? You’re no match for him.”

“So, you believe her, don’t you?” Layla asked, pointing directly at Xena, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.

Sean froze, caught off guard.

“Layla, I didn’t…” Xena stammered, quickly waving her hands as if to deny the accusation.

“If you have nothing to hide, then you shouldn’t care what others are saying behind your back.”

Sean instinctively stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Xena, making his allegiance painfully clear.

Layla clenched her fists tightly. If she held back any longer, she might win a medal for patience.

“Fine.” Taking a deep breath, Layla raised her voice and began. “Let me spell it out for you all—just how ‘innocent’ you two really are.

“Sean, where were you last year on our anniversary? You were at Xena’s wrap party.

“I spent weeks planning a surprise for you. When I called, you told me you were working late and forgot about the date. But guess what? I saw you in Xena’s social media photos that very night.

“And last month, when my headache was so unbearable it felt like I was dying, I tried calling you repeatedly, but your phone was off. I passed out and was rushed to the hospital. You showed up only on the next day.

“Where were you that night? Oh, right—you were with Xena, because she had cramps and needed someone to keep her company.”

Her voice was calm and steady, but Layla’s heart ached with every word. Sean had abandoned her so many times. It was only fair for her to do the same now.

“Sean, we should’ve ended a long time ago.”

“I…” Sean’s voice cracked, and just as he opened his mouth to defend himself, his eyes caught a figure approaching from the distance. His expression shifted, his gaze darkening ever so slightly.