Chapter 471

Jayden's gaze was filled with impatience. "Why are we talking about Pearce when you're doubting my love for you? Haven't I proven my love enough? What more do I need to do to make you believe in my feelings?" he asked, frustration evident in his voice. "Is love supposed to be about showing aggression?"

Elyse rubbed her neck, the memory of his violence still fresh in her mind. After a tense silence, Jayden's impatience visibly grew. Elyse finally responded quietly, "He's just a friend. There was a misunderstanding yesterday; he came to clear things up today."

"Really? Is that the whole truth?" Jayden pressed.

Elyse lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "Yes, that's exactly what happened. You can choose to believe it or not. I'm telling you the truth. If you can't trust me, that's your problem," she asserted.

"Elyse, don't lie to me. If you do, I won't be so forgiving," Jayden warned, his eyes intense, a troubling spark flickering within them.

At his words, Elyse's temper flared. "You accuse me of lying while you're not truthful yourself! Have you ever thought about how that affects me?" she snapped.

Jayden gave a cold laugh, eyeing her defiant stance. "And if I were lying, what could you possibly do? What power do you think you have over me?"

Elyse's eyes widened in shock. Tears streamed down her face as she confronted him. "Do you even realize what you're saying? How do you see me? Have you ever truly acted as my husband or shown me any respect?"

Jayden scowled, puzzled by Elyse's challenging demeanor. She seemed to misunderstand everything and continued to push him.

His voice tinged with irritation, he replied, "How can you question how I treat you as my wife? We've been together for..."

Elyse sat on the floor, tears silently streaming down her face. She placed a hand on her abdomen and muttered sadly, "Baby, I'm such a loser, aren't I? Whether it was Theo or Jayden, my love was always genuine. But why is it always so disappointing? Baby, I yearn to be cherished, to experience real love, yet it seems no one loves with the depth I do."

Elyse's tears became soft sobs, which faded to quiet whimpers. Her tears flowed endlessly. She didn't even care about them anymore.

Downstairs, Driscoll was about to call Elyse to dinner when Jayden stopped him. Jayden glanced at the book in his hand. "Don't call her to dinner tonight. Let her be hungry and think things over."

Driscoll was taken aback. "Sir, are you serious? What has she done to deserve this?"

"What did she do? She angered me," Jayden said with a sneer. "Don't worry. Missing one meal won't kill her."

The extraneous material ("mᵒʳᵉ ᵘᵖᵈᵃᵗᵉˢ ⁱⁿ ᵍᵃˡⁿᵒᵛᵉˡˢ.ᶜᵒᵐ" and "noveldrama") has been removed. The text has been cleaned up for grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Emphasis has been added to some words to improve clarity and tone.