Chapter 405

Kayla’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and it wasn’t until dawn that she finally managed to fall asleep. The shock from last night had really messed her up, and sure enough, her old headache came back. Even in her dreams, the pain was there, and when she woke up, it was still nagging at her – a dull, constant ache that just wouldn’t let up for a single second.

‘Great, just what I needed,’ Kayla thought, feeling the ache drag her down and leave her looking pale and tired.

“Kayla, are you feeling unwell?” Maggie asked, her voice full of concern as she sat in her wheelchair.

After all the trouble Joyce caused, the relationship between Maggie and Kayla had actually gotten better. Maggie’s worry was genuine.

Kayla shook her head. “Just didn’t sleep well. I’m fine.”

“Why don’t you try to get some more sleep? Landen’s on winter break, and he’s with your grandma,” Maggie suggested.

“No, I’m good. I’ll push you around instead,” Kayla replied.

Kayla took over for the maid and pushed Maggie’s wheelchair around the garden.

‘Maybe a little walk will help with this headache,’ Kayla thought. The New Year had just passed, but the festive decorations were still up all over the manor, giving everything that fresh, hopeful New Year vibe. As Kayla strolled along, her spirits slowly lifted, and even her headache started to fade away.

But Maggie was tired of staring at the same old walls. Being stuck at home all day was driving her nuts. She just wanted to get some fresh air, but with the cold weather, Tuff used her injury as an excuse to lay down the law: no going out. Tuff was totally whipped when it came to his wife. If Kayla was the one taking Maggie out, he wouldn’t dare say a word.

“Kayla, what do you say we go outside for a bit?” Maggie asked, testing the waters.

“It’s freezing out there. Let’s just stay inside,” Kayla said.

Maggie just stared at her, lost for words.

‘Now even Kayla is keeping me cooped up,’ Maggie thought, feeling a little defeated. ‘Am I really going to be stuck in this house for three whole months until my leg heals?’ she wondered, sighing inwardly.

“Once the weather warms up, we’ll get out and about,” Kayla said softly.

‘The main thing is, it’s just not safe yet,’ Kayla thought. ‘Until we figure out who ordered that garbage truck to hit Maggie, it’s better to stay home,’ she told herself.

Maggie had no choice but to agree. She could only blame herself for going to see Joyce in the first place. If she’d just stayed home on New Year’s Eve and not gone out, she wouldn’t have ended up with a broken leg and all this misery.

As evening fell, light snowflakes began to drift down again. Kayla sat alone beneath the porch, gazing at the falling snow, her thoughts scattered and unfocused. She picked up her phone more than once, her thumb hovering over Brian’s number, but every time, her courage faltered and she put it down again.

‘Brian, I’m so sorry…’ Kayla thought, guilt gnawing at her heart.

“Mommy, what are you doing?” Landen ran over, clinging to her knees and giving her a playful little shake.

Landen’s arrival pulled Kayla out of her daze. She gave him a gentle smile. “Just watching the snow – and waiting for your daddy to come home.”

“Mommy, you slept for such a long time today. Does that mean I’m getting a sister soon?” Landen asked, his eyes full of curiosity.

Kayla paused, a little stunned, then burst out laughing. “Who told you that?”

“Great-grandma did,” Landen said, giving her a conspiratorial wink. “Mommy, is it true?”

“No,” Kayla replied, still smiling as she shook her head.

Kayla shook her head with a helpless smile. “I just had a bout of insomnia last night, so I ended up sleeping all day today,” she said, ruffling Landen’s hair.

“Oh…” Landen pouted, looking genuinely bummed. “I really thought I was getting a sister…”

Kayla chuckled softly, teasing, “You like the idea of having a little sister that much?”

“Yeah!” Landen nodded, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Maybe Amelia could give you a younger cousin instead?” Kayla teased, a playful glint in her eye.

Landen looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment. He’d always liked Amelia, and now that she was officially his aunt, he liked her even more. Any kids Amelia had would be his younger cousins.

Landen thought, ‘If she could have Kimsey, she could totally have another child too!’

“Alright! Amelia can have one then,” Landen agreed, looking completely serious.

Kayla burst out laughing at how adorable he was.

‘Such an innocent kid,’ Kayla thought, her mind wandering back to when she first joined the Limitless Sect. ‘Did Brian tease me like this back then?’

Brian’s face suddenly popped into her head, and Kayla couldn’t smile anymore.

‘Brian…’ she murmured, her heart aching.

“Honey, Landen, I’m home!” Tuff called out as he came in from the snow, his hair and shoulders dusted with white.

Kayla stood on her tiptoes to brush the snow off him. “You’re home early today.”

“Quentin is dead,” Tuff said, his tone grave.

“What?” Kayla’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

‘No way… Quentin is dead?’ Kayla thought, completely stunned.

“They just found his body out in the outskirts today. The coroner says he’s been gone for five or six days. Lucky for him, the heavy snow preserved the body,” Tuff explained.

“Who did it?” Kayla asked, her voice low.

“The police are already investigating. It’s a regular case, so it’s not our department’s business,” Tuff replied.

“Could it have been Joyce?” Kayla asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Hard to say. But…” Tuff let out a sigh. “Honestly, I just don’t think she’s got it in her.”

“But she’s a doctor,” Kayla reminded him, her voice gentle but insistent.

Tuff understood what she was getting at. “I made sure to check. Quentin was killed by a single gunshot. The Lambert family doesn’t even own a gun.”

‘A gun?’ Kayla’s heart started racing. She instantly thought of that blue-eyed guy.

“But Joyce and Quentin had bad blood between them, so of course she’s a suspect. The police already brought her in for questioning,” Tuff said.

Kayla nodded, her mind racing with new possibilities. Ever since that blue-eyed guy mentioned the Limitless Sect, she’d zeroed in on them as the main suspect – and totally missed Joyce in the process.

After Quentin threatened Joyce at the hospital that day, he’d kept pestering her a few more times, but nothing ever really came of it. Kayla had figured maybe he and Joyce had worked something out, but she never expected he’d end up dead.

‘Someone with a gun, able to pull off a clean kill with a single shot… Who killed Quentin?’ Kayla wondered, her thoughts spinning.

“Mom said you seemed a little out of it today. Is your headache acting up again?” Tuff asked, gently touching Kayla’s head, his eyes full of concern.

Kayla lied, “Nope, the chip removal surgery went fine. No side effects at all.”

“Glad to hear it. But if you ever feel off, just let me know. I’ll have Dr. Mitchell take a look at you,” Tuff said, his voice soft but firm.

“Okay,” Kayla replied.

Her headache had been dragging her down all day, leaving Kayla totally drained.

‘Brian… How am I ever going to face you?’ Kayla wondered, guilt weighing on her heart.

“Kayla…” A soft, babyish voice called out, snapping Kayla out of her thoughts. She looked up suddenly. “Kimsey?”

“Yeah, they’re here to see you,” Tuff said with a smile, releasing Kayla.

Gloria showed up with Landon, Amelia, and Kimsey in tow. Landon had his arms full of expensive gifts.

“Mom?” Kayla was caught between surprise and delight. “What brings you all here?”

“We’ve actually been in town for a few days,” Gloria said with a loving smile, stepping forward to gently caress Kayla’s cheek. “Surprised?”

“Yeah!” Kayla nodded hard, her eyes already turning red and misty. She couldn’t help it. Her eyes were already brimming with tears. Funny how, when she was feeling rough, seeing her family was the one thing that could break her and make the tears flow even faster.

“Today’s your birthday, so I’m here to celebrate with you,” Gloria said, her eyes already misting over.

But after she was kidnapped, she’d forgotten everything – including when her own birthday was. Now, the only ID she had was the Dreicean one the Kyle family had arranged for her. Her name was still listed as Paloma Kyle, and her birthday? Just some random date they made up. So, even Tuff had no idea today was Kayla’s birthday.

‘Wait, was I really born on this day?’ Kayla thought, as a snippet of an old conversation suddenly echoed in her mind. It was her grandma and Cynthia, chatting about her with the other relatives over at Kingsley Manor. As the only granddaughter in the Kingsley family, Kayla was never liked by her grandma – not even a little. It used to be no big deal. But now, she was starting to care. ‘Is it because of my hard fate that my life has been so full of hardships?’ Kayla wondered.

“Kayla, happy birthday!” Amelia said, handing her a bouquet so big it filled Kayla’s arms.

“Thank you…” Kayla murmured. She felt almost in a daze.

‘It’s been so many years since I last celebrated my birthday. Suddenly, it actually feels special again,’ Kayla thought, her heart fluttering with a sense of ceremony she hadn’t felt in ages.

“Kayla, you’ve finally made it through the hard times. From now on, just focus on being happy,” Gloria said, pulling out an unusual wallet.

It was beautifully made, with a real gold zipper, but the outside was a patchwork of old fabrics sewn together. Pink, blue, tiny yellow flowers, khaki stripes… It was such a quirky mix.

“When you were little, you were always so mischievous. People used to say that patchwork clothes made from scraps collected from many families would bring good luck and health to kids. So your dad and I went all over asking for old clothes and fabric from other families to make you a special patchwork outfit. Now, I’ve turned that outfit into this wallet for you,” Gloria explained.

Kayla was totally stunned.

‘My mom, who’s always been so pampered and helpless, actually made something by hand?’ Kayla just couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“Kayla, Mom’s saved all your old clothes and stuff from when you were a kid! She even stayed up for nights making this wallet herself,” Landon said, pretending to pout. “I never got anything that special.”

Gloria teased him, “What would you do with a flowery wallet? You’re a guy!”

“Yeah, true,” Landon chuckled, giving a little shrug.

Kayla held the patchwork wallet close, her heart touched by the love stitched into every piece.

“Kayla, we’ve always got your back. Nothing to worry about!” Amelia grinned, giving her a playful wink and a look that said, ‘You can count on us.’

Kayla finally let herself breathe easy. “Okay…”