?<strong>Chapter 350:</strong>


    After discovering that Glenda and Lanny weren’t her biological parents, Elyse found that many pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into ce. The new revtion exined their years of neglect and the constant preference for Mabel. Inparison to her queries about her biological parents, Elyse was less interested in questioning Lanny and Glenda. All she truly desired was to uncover the truth about her own roots. With a firm voice, she asked, “Where can I find information about my birth parents?”


    Lanny stole a nce at Glenda, a silent conversation passing between them. He cleared his throat. “They… they passed away,” he mumbled, the words heavy on his tongue.


    Glenda nodded in agreement. “We adopted you after they died,” she added, her voice devoid of warmth.


    The news mmed into Elyse. Her breath hitched, the air suddenly thick with a weight she couldn’t quite ce. Jayden, ever the skeptic, wasn’t buying it. He narrowed his eyes at the couple. “Both of them? But how? What’s the connection between you and them?”


    Jayden’s questions caught Lanny off guard. Cold sweat beaded on Lanny’s forehead. He crumbled under Jayden’s scrutiny, pinching his thigh in a desperate attempt atposure. Lanny stammered, “Car… car ident. Shortly after Elyse was born. Elyse’s mother is my younger sister. I felt responsible, so I adopted her.”


    Lanny, fearing doubt, raised a hand. “Swear on it. Every word. God as my witness.”


    “Your younger sister? So you’re my uncle,” Elyse struggled to ept the information, clenching her teeth to conceal her vulnerability and helplessness.


    “Yes,” Lanny confirmed. “We were close. I raised her.”


    Taking a shaky breath, Elyse’s eyes welled up. “Their names,” she choked out.


    Glenda, about to answer, was cut off by Lanny’s hurried reply. “Jazmine Lloyd is your mother. And Rickey Owen, your father… well, he wasn’t a good-for-nothing.”


    A frown etched itself on Glenda’s face. She shot Lanny a confused look but remained silent.


    Jayden stroked his chin thoughtfully. “So there really was a Rickey Owen, but dead. Exins why his searches yielded nothing.”


    Elyse’s face remained an impassive mask. Lanny squirmed under her scrutiny, unable to decipher her thoughts. An idea sparked in his eyes. “Your mother,” he added hastily, “hated your father. He never gave her a decent life.”


    Elyse held up a hand, silencing him. “Where are they buried?” she demanded, her voiceced with steely resolve.


    Lanny blinked, momentarily stumped. “Where had those ashes gone?”


    Noticing his hesitation, Glenda’s anxiety spiked. “They hadn’t bothered with graves. The ashes sat forgotten in the storage room.”


    Jayden picked up on their difort, his brow furrowing. “You threw them away?”


    “No,” Glenda blurted, paning her voice. “The storage room. Our house.”


    Lanny, lost in his own jumbled thoughts, could only stare at her. Elyse’s gaze turned steely. “You put their ashes in the storage room?”


    Flustered, Glenda stammered, “Your mother didn’t want to be buried with your dad. We were so overwhelmed that we forgot about burying their ashes. Forgotten for over two decades.” Elyse didn’t believe a word of it, but it didn’t matter. “If Lanny had truly loved his sister, he would have loved her too, regardless.”


    Fatigue weighed heavily on Elyse. She could barely lift a finger. “I want their ashes.”


    Lanny’s eyes widened. “They’re gone, child. What must you get their ashes? Besides, your mother loathes your dad.”


    Elyse dug her nails into her palms, the pain a dull echopared to the anger burning within her. Her eyes zed. “They’re my parents. It doesn’t matter how they felt about each other.”


    This was the first time Elyse had defied him. Lanny, irritated and flushed crimson, swallowed his anger. Jayden, his voice firm, issued an ultimatum. “Two days to deliver the ashes here. Or you won’t like the consequences.”


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