The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 46

“I’m probably going to die,” she thought. “That’s okay…”

Her entire existence was meaningless anyway. If Clifford hadn’t saved her all those years ago, if he had left her then like he did now, would she have found even a little bit of happiness?

Just as Latisha gave up, a beam of light cut through the leaves, piercing her vision.

Her eyelashes fluttered. She forced her head up and saw the silhouette of a person through the shrubs.

Clutching her stomach, she used every last bit of her strength to crawl out of the bushes. The figure was far away, over a hundred yards at least.

Unable to make a sound, she could only crawl, desperate to get closer.

She had to save her baby…

The light was from a flashlight, carried by a security guard on patrol. But she was too low to the ground for him to see her. The beam swept over her hiding spot and moved on. The guard kept walking.

Latisha watched him disappear. Her fingers went limp, her hand falling uselessly to her side.

The last flicker of light in her eyes went dark.

...

“Ouch!”

Yesenia yelped, shooting upright on the sofa where she’d been reclining.

“Be gentle! That really hurts!”

Clifford was holding her injured foot. The gash on her calf was deep, the wound still raw. Dried blood was caked around the edges, and the surrounding skin was a bruised, purplish-blue. It looked nasty.

He had just been applying antiseptic, but the cotton swab had poked right into the wound, and the pain nearly brought Yesenia to tears.

Clifford glanced down at the swab in his hand, his expression distant.

“Don’t move,” he sighed.

Ziven hung up, frustrated. He was certain Clifford was awake. He was ignoring his call because he knew exactly what it was about.

“Mr. Lambert understands everything,” he thought, “he’s just too cold-blooded.”

Yesenia, seeing Clifford’s silence, picked up her own phone and started scrolling. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she sat up again.

“Darling, do you remember when my birthday is?”

“November twenty-fifth,” Clifford answered without looking up. His tone was flat, but the fact that he knew gave Yesenia a rush of satisfaction. A man like him probably didn’t remember many birthdays.

A radiant smile bloomed on her face. “I’m glad you didn't forget. But don’t be so half-hearted about it this year.”

“It’s done. You should get some rest.” Clifford set her foot down and stood up. “I’m leaving.”

The smile vanished from Yesenia’s face. She grabbed his arm in a panic. “You’re leaving again?”