Bound Hearts: My Vows to My Disabled Spouse

Lanny's Greed

It was understandable, as Mabel was Lanny's daughter. Of course, he cared about

her.

But he didn't treat Elyse the same way.

What did she even mean to him? She couldn't remember him ever taking her as his own child. u're well aware of what happened between me and Theo, right?" she asked in a mocking tone. "Do you honestly think I can just tell him that?"

"Why not? I didn't ask you to get back together with him, all you have to do is convince him to marry Mabel!"

Elyse's anger flared up. "I am a married woman! What will Jayden think if I went looking for Theo?" "Then take Jayden with you," Lanny said dismissively. "It's just as you said, you're a couple. You can ask him to help you, right?"

Elyse was stunned by his audacity. He was really determined to use everything and everyone in order to help Mabel out of the mess she

had made for herself.

When Elyse said nothing, Lanny's expression turned vicious. "What? Why are you hesitating? You don't even want to help your family out? I'm asking for one simple favor in return for raising you all these years, and you can't even do it? It's not like I'm forcing you to

endanger

yourself!"

Elyse took a deep breath and exhaled it in a resigned sigh. "Fine. I'll talk to Theo."

Only then did Lanny's face relaxed. "Good gir, I always knew you were the sweetest. You would

never stand by and watch when your family needs you."

Elyse could no longer stand being around him. How could such a hypocritical monster be her father?

They exited the study, and Lanny asked Jayden to stay for dinner.

Jayden glanced at the still sobbing Mabel and said, "I'm not staying."

Lanny's lips twitched. He had always wanted to get in Jayden's good graces. It was rare enough for the young man to come to their home, but his visit was going to be cut short because of Mabel. This made him even more furious at her.

Meanwhile, Elyse acted like a kind and understanding older sister and walked up to Mabel. "Don't worry. I'll talk to Theo and ask him to explain the situation."

Mabel's head suddenly jerked up. "Why are you going to see Theo?"

"To help you, of course."

"Liar!" Mabel burst out. "You're not doing it for me, you just want to meet with him! You're married now, why won't you just stay still and behave yourself?"

"Oh, that breaks my heart," Elyse said helplessly. "How could you think that of me? I was even

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going to ask Theo to marry you." Then she turned to Jayden. "Let's go home, honey. I won't put

up with this kind of insult."

"Don't dwell on it, dear," Jayden replied without missing a beat. "Come on. Let's leave here." Lanny was wringing his hands as he watched this development unfold. He was worried that Jayden would have a bad impression of him because of it. He trailed after them and sent them off, going so far as to offer them a bow as they got into their car

Meanwhile, inside the car, Jayden glanced sideways at Elyse. He could tell she was worn out. "You know you don't have to bother with them anymore, right? They practically sold you. You have no reason to be good to them."

"Ido know that," she replied with a smile. "But I am still their family at the end of the day. It's a fact I can never change."

Jayden decided to drop the matter and asked a different question. "Were you forced by your father to meet up with Theo?"

"Yes. He wants me to persuade Theo to marry Mabel."

Jayden fiddled with the ring around his finger, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Lanny is too greedy for his own good. I don't think he will ever understand that the Ward family will never allow an ordinary woman to marry their son. They will only accept someone of equal rank."

Elyse nodded in agreement. "He is delusional to think that Theo and I are close enough for me to convince him. Not even an ounce of friendship is left after we broke up. It is simply out of kindness

Planning your weekend reading? Ensure you're on 00005s.org for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click away, exclusively available on our site. Happy reading! that I have refrained from going for Theo's throat."

"Your father's greed will be the very thing to destroy him in the end," Jayden said emphatically.

The ringing of his phone broke through the somber mood in the car. The call was brief. "The old lady in the hospital woke up and is making a fuss," he told Elyse after he hung up. "They asked us to go and see what's up."

For some reason, the thought of that old woman brought a pang of < pain in Elyse's heart. They drove to the hospital and headed to the ward. The old woman was curled on the floor in one corner, looking like a caged animal. Her eyes were flashing wildly, and she hissed at anyone who tried to approach her.

The doctors and nurses were at a loss on what to do.

"Mr. Owen, the patient's memory is severely damaged. She won't allow anyone to get close, thinking that they would eventually hurt her.

"Why is that?" Jayden asked with a frown.

"My theory is that she experienced extreme trauma in the past. Her current behavior is very defensive."

As they were having this conversation, the old lady's eyes drifted over to Elyse. She promptly burst into tears.