?<strong>Chapter 349:</strong>


    Lanny and Glenda arrived at the hospital, making their way through the inpatient wing. Suddenly, Mabel’s voice caught their attention. Glenda instinctively clutched her head, realizing she had forgotten about Mabel amidst everything.


    Mabel, gripped by fear and crying uncontrobly, sat alone by a window, her distress drawing the attention of passersby. Tears streaming down her face, Glenda rushed to the window and took Mabel’s hand. “Honey, don’t cry. I’ll find a way to get you out.”


    Seeing Glenda unexpectedly, Mabel cried louder. “Mom, the food is terrible and my body hurts. Elyse refused to help me, iming she isn’t my sister anymore.”


    Glenda’s expression shifted from sadness to rigid disbelief. Theforting words she intended to say were stuck in her throat. “Mom, is it true what she said? Is she really not my sister? Then where is my real sister? Can she save me?” Mabel’s voice wasden with sadness, shattered by the belief that her elder sister would rescue her.


    Embarrassed, Glenda released Mabel’s hand. “I’ll tell youter. Your father and I have something else to handle right now.”


    Mabel was shocked, her tears subsiding momentarily. “Mom, what could be more important than me right now? Aren’t you going to try to get me out? Are you still my mother?”


    Lanny remained silent, his gaze fixed on the impatient bodyguards. “Stop talking. We need to get down to business and go,” he scolded, grabbing Glenda’s arm.


    Glenda hesitated, her eyes on Mabel. She didn’t want to leave, but she felt she had no choice. Mabel was devastated; it felt like a bolt of lightning. Did her parents no longer want her? Overwhelmed by despair, she cried louder, her sobs drawing even more attention.


    In the VIP single ward, Elyse sat in a daze when the door swung open, and two bodyguards ushered in Lanny and Glenda. Glenda tried to appeal emotionally, tears in her eyes as she eximed, “Honey, what’s wrong with you? You look so pale.”


    “I look pale because I now know you’re not my biological parents,” Elyse replied, her voice devoid of emotion. The warmth that once filled her eyes had vanished, reced by indifference and detachment.


    Glenda felt the distance growing between them, realizing any attempt to bridge it would only be met with Elyse’s coldness, which stung anew each time. Holding back tears, Glenda managed an awkward smile, unconsciously rubbing her hands. “Even if the report says we’re not mother and daughter, haven’t I raised you all these years? I am like a mother to you in any case.”


    Instead of responding, Elyse turned her gaze to Lanny, who had remained silent throughout. She offered him a smile, but it was distant, highlighting the gulf between them. “Do you think she has ever been like a mother to me?” Elyse asked.


    Caught off guard by her question, Lanny opened his mouth to respond but found himself at a loss for words. They had raised her to adulthood, yet they had never truly acted as caring parents. In fact, the benefits they derived from her far outweighed their efforts on her behalf. Previously, Lanny hadn’t anticipated Elyse discovering they weren’t biologically rted. He had used her and caused her pain. Now, with the truth revealed, he regretted not being a better father to her, fearing recent events had disheartened her to the point where she might no longer recognize them as her parents.


    Tears welled up in his eyes as he faced this harsh reality. “I didn’t expect you to find out. We are indeed monsters. We’ve never really been kind to you.”


    “I knew I wasn’t your biological child, so you hurt me and took advantage of me. I can understand that,” Elyse said coldly. “But where are my biological parents?”


    Glenda and Lanny exchanged a worried nce. The question they had feared most had finally arisen.


    .


    .


    .