Chapter 255
Landon finally rushed back in a hurry.
On the way, his mind was filled with all kinds of guesses about what might have happened.
“Don’t be nervous, it’s all over now,” Amelia said for what felt like the hundredth time, holding their son close and trying to comfort
him.
When Landon arrived home, Kayla had already taken a short nap after the initial excitement.
Tuff and Brian were with her, but Gloria was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Mom?” Amelia asked.
“I sent her away,” Kayla replied, her voice weak and her expression exhausted.
Landon’s anxiety spiked. ‘She didn’t want Mom to know? Does that mean the kidnapping is connected to our family? Or was Kayla’s past even more tragic than we thought?‘
“Everyone, please sit down. I’ll explain everything,” Kayla said, her voice calm but serious.
They all sat down, waiting for her to continue.
“The person who kidnapped me when I was seven was Shelby,” Kayla said, her voice steady but heavy with emotion.
“What?”
Everyone was shocked.
Shelby was Gloria’s older sister–their actual, blood–related aunt.
The two families had always been close. After Kayla went missing, the Young family kept searching for her for years. Their aunt even put everything aside and moved into the Kingsley family’s house to keep Gloria company for a long time.
Everyone was in disbelief. How could it possibly be her?
“Her real target was Landon–she wanted to kill him. As for why, she never told me,” Kayla said, her voice steady but heavy with
emotion.
“It just so happened that we were playing a game that day and swapped clothes. That was the only reason Landon survived.”
“But after I was taken and saw my aunt’s face, I knew there was no way she’d ever let me go home.
“She would never let anyone find out what she’d done!
“The only thing I can be thankful for is that she didn’t actually kill me.
“She handed me over to the kidnappers, telling them that as long as I never showed up in Norava again, they could do what they wanted with me.
“The kidnappers sold me to a couple overseas–a pair of mad scientists in pharmaceuticals. Besides me, they had taken in a bunch
of other kids too.
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Chapter 255
“They treated us like lab rats. If we didn’t obey, they’d beat us, starve us, and abuse us.
“I was always looking for a chance to escape, so I pretended to be weak and obedient.
“But as the experimental drugs built up in my body, my mind started to get all fuzzy. In the end, I even forgot my own name and where I came from.
“The only thing that kept me going was my obsession with escaping. The first time I tried to run, they found me almost right away They dragged me back and beat me senseless, over and over, until I finally begged them to stop, Kayla recalled, pain flickering in her eyes.
“After that, they never trusted me again. Every single day was just beatings and yelling. I gritted my teeth and endured it all, just waiting for another shot at freedom.
“But my body was already falling apart. After a few days on the run, I just blacked out and collapsed. When I woke up again, I found myself in the Shawn’s House.
“I was so terrified back then that I couldn’t even speak for a while. By the time the Shawn family helped me recover, I couldn’t remember anything from before.
“And after that, well, you all know the rest,” Kayla finished, letting out a long, shaky breath.
After so many years, thinking back on that darkest time in her childhood didn’t hurt as much anymore.
Guess fate was looking out for her after all, letting her make it back to Norava and her mom.
Good thing she was tough enough to make it through.
“Big sis…” Landon’s voice trembled, his eyes rimmed red and brimming with tears.
His chest tightened with pain and a crushing sense of guilt.
If he hadn’t switched clothes with his sister that day, she never would have had to suffer through all that.
“Landon, it’s a good thing it was me,” Kayla said softly, trying to comfort him. “If it had been you, you wouldn’t have made it. Mom and Dad would’ve been devastated. And Uncle would’ve taken over the Kingsley family ages ago.”
Landon nodded, choking back his sobs, too upset to get a single word out.
“But how are we even supposed to break this to Mom?” Kayla let out a soft sigh, her voice full of helplessness.
The Kingsley family and the Young family were in–laws. They might not have been super close these past years, but Gloria always held her own family in high regard.
If she found out the one who destroyed her daughter was Shelby, just imagine how much that would hurt her.
“Kayla, we have to tell her,” Amelia said firmly. “If someone does something wrong, they need to pay the price. The Young family has gotten plenty of favors from the Kingsleys over the years. We can’t let them keep benefiting at your expense!”
It was always easier to see things clearly from the outside.
Tuff and Brian felt the same way.
They shouldn’t let the culprit escape punishment.
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“Landon, what do you think?” Kayla asked, completely out of ideas.
Back then, when she saw her aunt among the kidnappers, her heart shattered.
For the longest time, she just couldn’t believe that the aunt she loved most would actually want to hurt her and the Kingsley family.
“Tell her,” Landon said, clenching his fists tightly.
Kayla let out a sigh and said nothing more.
The memories were just too painful, leaving her completely drained. All she wanted now was to sleep.
“Tuff, take her to get some rest,” Brian said, immediately noticing how unwell she looked.
Tuff quickly helped Kayla back to her room so she could sleep.
The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, the weight of sorrow pressing down on everyone.
Why was it always their own flesh and blood who hurt them the most? Uncle’s family would do anything for the inheritance, but how could even their aunt turn so cold–hearted?‘
“Aaron, I need all the information you can find on the Young family,” Landon said, his voice cold and commanding as he made the
call.
Amelia knew he was about to make a move against her mother’s side of the family.
“Let’s not tell Mom today. Tomorrow, we’ll pay the Young family a visit,” Landon said.
“Okay,” Amelia nodded.
They would start by scoping out the Young family, to see for themselves what kind of person their Aunt really was.
After that, they would take their time to settle the score.
“Make sure she takes these,” Brian said, pulling out a strip of capsules.
There were no labels on them.
Landon asked, “Brian, Kayla’s pretty much recovered by now, right?”
“These are antidepressants I made specifically for Kayla,” Brian replied.
Landon was shocked again. “Are you saying my sister has depression?”
“Yeah,” Brian nodded. “She was already showing symptoms when she escaped to my house.”
Landon’s heart twisted with pain. “Was it because of the experiments? Or was it all the psychological trauma she went through…”
“Both,” Brian replied. “Actually, after she lost her memory at the Kyle family, her depression went away.”
But now that her memories have come back, so has the depression.
‘I honestly don’t know if Kayla getting her memories back is a blessing or a curse,’ Landon thought, his mind a tangled mess.
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As the sky slowly darkened, Gloria came back home.
She was totally blissed out, completely unaware of what had happened.
“You’re back from Lunova? Where’s my grandson?” she asked, her voice full of excitement.
“The nanny’s with him,” Amelia replied.
“Amelia, you take care of these, I’m off to see my grandson!” Gloria said, dropping off today’s haul and practically skipping off to the nursery with a huge grin on her face.
Amelia started sorting through the bags–it was all baby stuff and things for Landen.
Suddenly, a black traditional–style dress caught her eye.
“This really isn’t Mom’s style, and the size is off too,” Amelia said, frowning
Landon glanced over and let out a cold snort. “It’s Aunt’s”
Amelia was lost for words.
Gloria was so nice it was almost dumb.
Her own sister had plotted against her daughter, and she didn’t have a clue.
“Honey, tomorrow, it’s a war between women,” Landon said, his voice low and serious.
“Got it! Leave it to me!” Amelia replied.
The next afternoon, the Kingsley family headed to Young Villa in Peasera City.
Ever since Landon’s car accident, Gloria hadn’t been back to her parents‘ place.
Today, she was super excited.
“Kayla, do you remember your grandparents‘ house? They had that big loquat tree you used to love climbing when you were little,” Gloria said, her voice full of nostalgia.
“And that huge koi fish your aunt raised? Your cousin ended up roasting it and eating it,” she added with a laugh.
Gloria was chattering away, excitedly reminiscing about all the funny things that happened back at her family home.
Kayla, looking pale, just nodded along listlessly.
Something had clearly been off about her ever since yesterday.
Landon’s heart was burning with hatred, but he forced himself to keep a calm face.
