Chapter 1005:

Elyse gasped, her body suddenly weak. Before she could understand what was happening, she crumpled backward. Mabel caught her before she hit the floor and dragged her limp body toward the back door with surprising ease.

It was hard to tell how much time passed before Elyse slowly regained consciousness, her mind clouded with grogginess. She tried to scratch an itch, only to realize her hands and feet were bound tightly.

Her heart raced as she slowly lifted her head, taking in her surroundings. She was in the back seat of a car. Through the glass, she saw Mabel pacing and ranting on her phone.

“Why aren’t you answering my calls? What are you doing? Even if you’re going to dump me, you can’t just ghost me like this!”

Mabel sobbed uncontrollably, her face a mess of tears and smeared makeup. “Seven days! That’s all it took, and now you won’t even keep up the lie? Hyde, pick up the phone!”

Elyse watched in silence, unfazed by the spectacle. She had grown numb to Mabel’s hysterics. Glancing at the window, she saw her reflection. As her head cleared, Elyse banged on the window, startling Mabel. “Enough already! Stop your whining. You’re giving me a headache.”

Mabel turned around, her eyes wide in surprise. “You heartless bitch! You don’t understand how much I’m suffering!” Her voice trembled with anger and hurt.

Elyse scoffed, her patience long gone. “Suffering? You’re crying about suffering? You brought this on yourself. You threw yourself at a man you barely know. Do you even know anything about that man?”

Mabel, desperate to defend herself, shouted back, “Hyde isn’t just some random guy! He was introduced to me by Kaelyn! He’s someone with a real background!”

Elyse raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, Kaelyn introduced you to him? Well then, I’m sure Kaelyn knows Hyde. But how much do you know about his past?”

For once, Mabel was struck silent, as if the realization hit her all at once. Elyse pressed on, her tone unrelenting. “Hyde and Kaelyn have likely known each other for years, so of course they understand each other well. But tell me, how much do you know about him? Forget Hyde—how much do you really know about Kaelyn?”

Mabel’s face flushed, but she straightened up, stubborn as ever. “I know everything about her! She’s from Liverton, her birthday’s on February 10th, she loves animals, and she’s been donating to shelters since she was a kid.”

Elyse offered a sympathetic smile. Everything Mabel shared aligned with the information Theo had previously given her, and she knew even more than Mabel did. She was aware of Kaelyn’s family background. However, all this information was false and utterly useless.