Old Dreams No Return (Serena) novel Chapter 127

Chapter105.

But I noticed a telling detail: Leland was drinking water, not alcohol, pretending to be drunk. He occasionally leaned in, murmuring something into the ears of Galen and Harlem.

Seeing Leland, supposedly passed out drunk on the table, while Caitlyn hovered nearby, looking genuinely worried, a low chuckle escaped me.

What game were they really playing?

Just then, Galen and Harlem, holding their glasses and swaying slightly-clearly more drunk than they pretended to be-staggered towards me.”Ms. Perez, have a drink with us! We admire you so much. Everyone knows you’re the most beautiful heiress in all of San Francisco.

An uneasy feeling prickled down my spine. It intensified when one of them reached out, his hand brushing inappropriately against my arm.

Caitlyn’s smile never wavered.”Mr. Odonnell, Mr. Friedman, Mr. Pearson is rather intoxicated. I should take him home. Please, continue to enjoy yourselves.”

It was as clear as day. Caitlyn meant to leave me vulnerable.

But was Leland truly drunk?

That seemed unlikely. Hadn’t he been drinking water?

Leland, did you really intend to abandon me with these men?

Did you care nothing for the danger they might pose?

Leland, did you no longer love me?

Leland, hey, Leland! Are you sure you want to leave me here?” I called out as they reached the door. But Caitlyn yanked him away before he could even turn, shutting the door firmly behind them.

A bitter smile touched my lips.”So you really don’t love me anymore. Leland, I see it now. I was mistaken all along. Do you truly hate me that much?”

Leaving me alone with two drunken men… had he given even a moment’s thought to what might happen?

My hand shot out, grabbing a bottle from the table. My gaze fixed on it, then drifted to my abdomen.

No, for the sake of the child I carried, I couldn’t simply sit back and wait.

With a sudden surge of desperate strength, I brought the bottle down hard. A moment later, the two men nearby slumped onto the sofa, unconscious.

I turned away, tears finally breaking free, streaming down my face. They were for Leland’s utter cruelty, for the bitter, cruel irony of my fate, and for my parents, who had so blindly trusted the orphaned Leland they took into their home.

Life was so fragile, I thought, a mantra of despair. So, I decided to cherish every moment from now on. I quietly opened the door and slipped out, pulling it shut behind me. A part of me, foolishly, almost desperately, hoped he was watching-waiting. But there was no sign of Leland. He wasn’t there.