?<strong>Chapter 458:</strong>
Jayden’s expression darkened as he sat, “Let’s drop this discussion. All you need to understand is that being near me isn’t safe at the moment. Be more careful.”
Elyse bit her lip. Jayden was doing this to her again! Sadness overwhelmed her, making it hard to even breathe. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then asked, “Is Peyton badly hurt?”
“His right calf is broken, and he is covered in bruises,” Jayden replied. “He has to stay in the hospital for now.”
“Okay, I understand.” Elyse nodded and walked out of the room, fearing that if she lingered any longer, her tears might begin to run down her cheeks.
She stepped into the stairwell, leaned against the wall, and wiped away the tears from her eyes. Jayden truly didn’t want to share anything with her, nor did he ever ask anything of her. He always opted to handle issues on his own. The only thing she felt she could offer Jayden was to fulfill his sexual needs.
Elyse constantly reminded herself that their marriage hadn’t been easy and that she shouldn’t overthink things. Since Jayden didn’t love her, she resolved that she could decide not to love him either. She repeated to herself that she didn’t love him, thinking perhaps it would shield her from the pain.
However, the more she said it, the deeper her sorrow and bitterness grew because she realized she truly did love him—so deeply that she couldn’t even lie to herself.
As she thought about this, her grief deepened. She wiped away her tears, gently touched her stomach, and murmured sorrowfully, “Baby, what should I do? Should I tell him about the pregnancy? If he finds out, he’ll probably not want me to keep you.”
But the thought of not keeping the baby was unbearable to her. She wanted to keep her child. She longed to have a baby of her own. It would be her family.
“Why are you crying here?” Pearce walked down the stairs with a mild smile on his face.
Elyse looked up at Pearce in surprise, quickly wiped her tears away, and asked, “Why are you here?”
Pearce’s smile broadened, “I was about to ask you the same thing. Are you hurt?”
“No, it’s my friend who was in a car ident and got hurt. I’m here to visit him,” Elyse exined, shaking her head.
Pearce nodded and approached her slowly. He bent down to look into her eyes and asked, “Then why are you crying?”
“I’m not crying,” Elyse replied embarrassedly as she ced her hands over her face.
“It’s not good to lie,” Pearce said as he plucked a hair out of her head.
Elyse felt a sharp pain and rubbed her scalp, frowning. “Why did you pull my hair? That was painful!”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to hurt you,” Pearce apologized. “I’m here to visit a friend too. I need to go get some medicine for him, so I’ll be on my way now.”
Pearce left immediately after he said that.
Still rubbing her sore scalp, Elyse thought Pearce’s behavior was odd. But then she remembered the ICU was upstairs. Was he really getting medicine for a friend in the ICU?
Once Pearce walked away, he examined the hair in his hand with a hopeful glint in his eyes. He had been looking into Elyse’s parentstely, but it was as if they had vanished without a trace. The more he found nothing, the more suspicious he grew of Elyse. She bore such a striking resemnce to someone he had longed to see again.
Pearce thought for some time. He decided he needed to conduct a paternity test to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, Elyse returned to the ward, still rubbing her scalp. She found Jayden sitting in a wheelchair, with his gaze fixed on Peyton. She couldn’t grasp what Peyton meant to Jayden, but Jayden’s expression was undeniably sad. She thought Jayden might be ming himself at that moment.
The idea briefly crossed her mind, but she immediately dismissed it. How could she feel sympathy for a man like him? She resolved never to feel sorry for men again!
As Elyse was caught up in her thoughts, Peyton stirred awake. His eyes opened groggily, and upon seeing Jayden’s stern expression, he pointed at Jayden and blurted out, “I don’t like this escort! I want another one!”
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