Chapter 1341:

Elyse remained silent, finding solace in his embrace, a blank expression on her face. Jayden cherished moments like these, always seizing the chance to hold her close. Suddenly, Elyse snapped out of her trance and playfully pinched Jayden. “Don’t start getting any ideas,” she warned, with a half-smile. He sighed, a soft expression on his face; their moments together were always too brief. Glancing out the window at the morning light, he suggested, “You should head home and get some rest. I’ll make sure someone stays with Shaun at the hospital.” Acknowledging his advice, Elyse, visibly tired from the long night, headed for the door. As she opened it, she nearly collided with Dolores. Elyse stopped, taken aback. “Dolores, what are you doing here?” Tears rimmed Dolores’ eyes, her face etched with grief. “Where’s Shaun? Is he alright?” she managed to ask. At the mention of Shaun, Elyse turned to see him lying on the hospital bed, his condition stark against the sterile sheets. Dolores caught her glance and followed it. Seeing Shaun, pale and bandaged, looking as though death had brushed past him, Dolores crumbled, rushing to his side. “No, Shaun!” she wailed, clinging to him, her sobs filling the room. Elyse watched, feeling out of place. She tried to reassure her. “His surgery went well. He’s going to be fine. We just need to wait for him to wake up.” But Dolores seemed to hear none of it, lost in her tears, mourning over Shaun as if he were already gone. Confused by such a profound display of emotion, Elyse exchanged a bewildered look with Jayden, who could only shrug in response. Eventually, Dolores composed herself enough to stand, her eyes fierce with resolve. “Who did this to him? Tell me! I won’t let them get away with it!” “We don’t know yet,” Elyse replied, her voice steady despite the uncertainty and fear that lay beneath. Dolores’ expression morphed swiftly after the revelation. Her eyes, alight with suspicion, bore into Elyse. She probed, her voice dripping with malice, “You’re clueless about who attacked Shaun? Yet, it all went down right outside your doorstep, didn’t it? You’re definitely hiding something. You must be shielding the perpetrator.” Elyse bristled at the accusation, her mind racing. How dare Dolores insinuate they were sheltering the perpetrator when they had been the ones to save Shaun? Before Elyse could retaliate, Jayden gently held her back. With a voice as calm as still water, he said, “If you believe we’re in cahoots with the perpetrator, feel free to inform the authorities. Let’s keep our heads here, shall we?” Dolores squinted. “Guilty conscience, perhaps?” Jayden’s smile was tinged with irony. “Looking for a scapegoat? Sorry, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” A pause fell as Dolores pondered, her silence heavy. . . .