The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 103

A shiver ran down Latisha’s spine, and heat flooded her cheeks. She turned her head, avoiding his gaze.

He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the shower, setting her down in the tub.

Latisha nervously wrung her hands. A part of her wanted to resist; her stomach was already aching. But she knew she had no right to refuse. Any rejection would only be met with more force.

Warm water cascaded over her head, soaking her to the skin in an instant. He was, technically, helping her wash, but his intentions were clear, and they had little to do with bathing. Soon enough, his hands were wandering, his actions turning into something else entirely.

Latisha gritted her teeth against the discomfort, enduring his advances late into the night. By the end, she didn't even remember how she fell asleep. In a hazy stupor, she thought she heard him whisper something in her ear.

She wasn’t sure, but it sounded like, “Let’s have a child.”

Her eyes fluttered open, gazing at the blurry face hovering above her. Then, all the strength left her body, and she plunged into darkness.

He would never say something like that. She must have been so tired she was hearing things.

...

When she woke again, the sun was already up. She glanced at her phone—it was ten in the morning. A heavy, dragging pain pulsed in her lower abdomen. Forcing herself to ignore it, she changed her clothes and swallowed a painkiller. After washing up, she was about to head out for work.

Mrs. Dashiell was already in the kitchen preparing lunch. Latisha was about to tell her not to bother when the doorbell rang.

She went to answer it. A man and a woman stood on the doorstep, both in their late forties or early fifties and dressed in winter coats. They greeted Latisha with wide smiles.

“You must be Mrs. Lambert, right?” the man said cheerfully. “My name is Preston. I’m Hayley’s son. Is my mother here?”

Latisha frowned. She didn’t know anyone named Hayley; she only knew Mrs. Dashiell by her last name. She raised her hands and signed, *I don’t know who you’re talking about.*

The man looked surprised to see her using sign language. Mrs. Lambert was mute? Or was she just a maid?

“Hey, Mom, I need to talk to you about something!” he said, his tone hardening as he wrenched the spatula from her grasp.

“I can’t help you! Get out of here, now! This is someone else’s home, you can’t just barge in!” It was clear Mrs. Dashiell was terrified—terrified that her son would destroy the fragile stability she had found.

“Mom, Kieron’s getting married. I came to tell you,” Preston announced.

Mrs. Dashiell froze. “Kieron’s getting married?”

“That’s right, your grandson is getting married! Aren’t you happy? Don’t you want to come to his wedding?”

Mrs. Dashiell’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. She was too choked up to speak. Her grandson was getting married… she really was old.

But she knew her son. He wouldn’t have come all this way just for that. “Are you here to take me to Kieron’s wedding?”