Chapter 238 It's thief!

Chapter 238 It's thief!
♡Leila♡

A sudden shout jolted me out of the heavy darkness.

My eyes fluttered open halfway.

Everything was blurry.

Shapes moved around me, unfamiliar and hazy.

“It’s a thief! It’s a thief!”

The voice rang through the room.

Too familiar.

My eyes flew open.

I jerked upright from the couch.

“Kayla?” I whispered.

My gaze darted around the room.

My heart skipped.

I was… home.

Back in Las Vegas.

Back in my house.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

I thought I was going to die.

I thought those men who captured me were taking me somewhere to kill me.

So why—

Why on God’s earth was I back here?

Was this a dream?

“Leila?” Kayla said slowly.

The broom in her hand slipped and clattered loudly to the floor.

Her eyes widened.

“Leila!”

Her voice rose sharply, and I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to steady my mind.

Before I could say anything, she rushed forward and pulled me into a tight embrace.

“Is it a dream?” she said breathlessly against my shoulder. “You came back. You’re so good at surprises. And here I thought I was the ace.”

My lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

My eyes moved around the room again.

Mia.

Was Mia alright?

The memory of her being pushed to the floor flashed in my mind.

“Kayla… I need to go,” I stuttered.

“Go where?” she asked immediately, pulling away to look at me. “Back to Bali? Do you like that place more than your girlies?”

She pouted slightly.

“You know you hurt June and I, leaving without a word. Even Tobias’s family were surprised.”

Her rambling flowed easily, but most of it barely registered in my mind.

I looked down at the couch where I had been lying.

My phone wasn’t there.

My head throbbed faintly.

How did I get here?

I couldn’t remember anything after losing consciousness.

Was Mia alright?

Was Cain alright?

I stood up and began pacing nervously, my hand resting against my neck.

“Are you okay, Leila?” Kayla asked carefully. “You’re acting weird.”

“I need some money, Kay,” I said after a pause.

Her brows lifted immediately.

Her eyes slowly scanned my face.

“Uh… why?”

“I need to book a flight to New York,” I replied quietly, biting my lower lip.

The confusion between her brows deepened.

“And why is that?” she asked slowly. “Is that your next destination?”

She exhaled, clearly struggling with her thoughts.

“Look, Leila. I can’t believe I’m saying this.” She paused before continuing softly. “I know something bad happened to you, but you shouldn’t be running away.”

Her voice softened.

“You’ve got a family who loves you. You’ve got June and I. You’ve got college. You’ve got your baby and—”

She stopped suddenly.

Her eyes dropped to my stomach.

Silence stretched between us.

“Leila,” she said slowly, her voice uncertain. “I’m no expert, but I know there should be at least a little bump right there.”

Her expression changed.

Fear crept into her eyes.

“Did you… abort your baby?” she asked quietly, her voice cracking.

“Is that why you—”

“No. No,” I cut in quickly, feeling the pressure building inside my chest.

My throat tightened.

“I lost the baby.”

Kayla’s hands slowly dropped to her sides.

The color drained from her face.

“I don’t understand,” she said quietly. “What do you mean you lost the baby? How did that happen?”

I let out a long sigh.

Now was not the time to relive that sadness.

Or the anger.

Those emotions had already destroyed enough.

“It just happened,” I said flatly as I walked past her.

There was no way I was telling Kayla the truth.

I wasn’t telling anyone.

The truth was dangerous.

This lie was safer.

“Are you okay? Are you—” Kayla hurried after me.

“It’s fine.”

I stopped abruptly, and she almost ran into my back.

She flinched.

“I’m fine,” I repeated as I turned around to face her.

Kayla paused, clearly unsure of how to respond.

“O… okay,” she said slowly. “You still need that money for the flight ticket?”

I sighed again.

Great.

Now I was making her uncomfortable.

My mind spun.

Should I even go back?

What if I went there and met my death?

What if Cain was already—

My stomach suddenly twisted.

“I’m hungry,” the words slipped out as I placed a hand over my stomach.

Kayla blinked.

“You’re hungry? Uh— I should make something. What will you eat?”

A wave of irritation hit me out of nowhere.

“Seriously, Kayla?” I said sharply. “You want to cook? Can you act normal?”

Kayla’s lips parted in mild offense before she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“You’re right,” she admitted sheepishly. “I can’t cook to save my life.”

She nodded to herself.

“Let’s order something instead. I should go make a call.”

As Kayla left the room, I collapsed back onto the sofa.

My hands moved to my hair, gripping it tightly as despair washed over me.

Everything was spinning.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Just then, I felt something hard pressing against the inside of my jeans.

Frowning, I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.

My phone.

But something else was stuck to it.

A small sticky note.

My fingers trembled slightly as I peeled it off and read the words written across it.

DON’T COME BACK

My breath caught in my throat.

“What…?”

I quickly switched on the phone and tried to call Mia.

Or anyone.

But the moment the screen lit up, my heart dropped.

There was no SIM card.

And the phone had been wiped clean.

No contacts.

No call history.

Nothing.

It was like the phone had never belonged to me.

Like New York had never happened.

Like Cain… never existed.

I stared at the screen blankly.

There was no trace of anyone I knew there.

I was completely cut off.

Lost.

Slowly, I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling while forcing myself not to cry.

I needed to live.

But how?

I couldn’t stay here.

And yet I had no money to leave.

I couldn’t even imagine facing Tobias’s parents.

How could I stand in front of them and say I had simply lost their grandchild?

And their disowned son been dragged her into this mess.

And now he might be dead because of me.

How could I look Lia in the eyes and tell her I might be the one who killed her brother?

My chest tightened painfully.

The entire situation was suffocating.

And the worst part was…

I had no answers.

No clue what was happening.

My hands tightened in my hair again in frustration, tugging hard enough to sting my scalp.

My fingers suddenly paused.

The bandage.

It was gone.

My eyes widened slightly as my hand moved over my head again.

No bandage.

No wound dressing.

What happened to me after I lost consciousness?

Before I could process the thought, the bedroom door suddenly burst open.

I flinched violently, my heart slamming against my ribs.

Kayla would never open the door like that.