The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 213

Clifford gently cupped her cheek. The side of her face that had been struck was already swollen, with tiny beads of blood that felt rough to the touch.

"Does it hurt?" he asked softly.

Latisha pressed her lips together and shook her head.

He carried her into the emergency room without another word. The doctor carefully used tweezers to remove the larger pieces of glass from her knees, then cut away her pants to clean out the smaller shards.

Latisha turned her head slightly to watch Clifford, who stood beside her, his eyes fixed on the doctor's hands as he worked on her wounds.

It took nearly an hour to clean everything. "It's all superficial, thankfully," the doctor said. "No damage to the bone. Keep the wounds dry, change the dressing regularly, and she should be healed in three to five days."

Clifford nodded. "Thank you."

He lifted Latisha again, left the hospital, and drove back to the villa. He was meticulous in his care, never letting her feet touch the ground the entire time.

Back in their room, Latisha sat on the bed and watched him move about, bringing her water to wash her hands and face, then going downstairs to fetch some food. She clasped her hands tightly, leaning back against the headboard with her eyes closed, silently chanting to herself not to fall for this fleeting tenderness. The memories of his coldness and cruelty were still too vivid. To fall into the same trap again and again would be pathetic.

Clifford returned with a bowl of soup and sat beside her. "Eat this, then get some sleep."

Latisha opened her eyes and looked at him. A thousand words seemed to hide in her gaze, but after a moment of silence, she simply opened her mouth and accepted the spoonful of soup he offered. He fed her, spoonful by spoonful, and she ate in silence.

When she finished, he carefully tucked her in, stroking her hair. "Rest well. I've changed the code on the main gate. Don't open the door for anyone. Understand?"

Latisha managed a weak smile and nodded.

"My heart is broken," Polly sobbed, her eyes red and swollen. She clutched at her chest, struggling to breathe.

"You know how much he's cared about that mute girl since we were kids," Renata said. "How could he not be furious when you treated her like that right in front of him?"

"Then what about Yesenia? What's going on there?"

Renata had no answer. She didn't understand Clifford's motives either. It was hard to call him a womanizer when he'd only had these two women in his life for years, but you couldn't call him faithful when he was entangled with both at the same time. He would push Latisha away for Yesenia's sake, yet he refused to divorce her. He was a complete enigma.

After her tears subsided, Polly's eyes glinted with malice. "That damn mute… it seems we can't let her stay. She's actually managed to turn Clifford against me."

Until now, she'd never really considered Latisha a threat, seeing her as little more than an annoying pet the family had taken in.