Chapter 601

Perched on the edge of the bed, Elyse lost herself in the haunting melodies of her violin, a gift from Cody. Her recent, profound sorrow fueled her performance, transforming grief into music for over an hour.

Watching her, Irving felt compelled to intervene. “You should rest,” he urged gently. “Playing that long isn’t good for you right now.” He carefully took the violin from her grasp and offered her a glass of milk. “Driscoll sent this over. Drink it; it’ll help you regain some strength.”

Elyse glanced from her empty hands to the milk, her lips curling in mild defiance. “I’m not in the mood for milk.”

Irving tried to maintain a firm stance. “Please, no fussing. Just drink it.”

With a sigh, Elyse took the milk and sipped it slowly. Meanwhile, Peyton, adjusting to his mobility in a wheelchair—his leg now supported by two slender boards instead of a full plaster cast—held a piece of paper, his curiosity piqued.

“What’s this? It was stuck on your ward door.”

After reading the note, Peyton’s expression darkened. Elyse, noticing the shift in his demeanor, pressed him. “What does it say? You look pale.”

Peyton hesitated, torn between hiding the contents and revealing them. Elyse, tired of secrets and being shielded, felt she was being treated as if she were too clueless to handle the situation. She extended her hand and demanded, “What is it? Show me.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Peyton hesitated.

“Just give it to me,” Elyse insisted sharply.

Peyton’s hands shook. He thought Elyse was becoming increasingly like Jayden—intimidating and fierce when angry. Reluctantly, he handed her the paper.

It was a story. The main character, also named Elyse Lloyd, was portrayed as a scheming woman who stole her sister’s fiancé, then became romantically involved with her sister’s new boyfriend, juggling two relationships simultaneously. The story ended with her character beaten and hospitalized.

Elyse found the situation amusing. She looked at Peyton and asked, “This was taped to my ward door?”

Peyton nodded. “Yes, I saw it as soon as I got here.”

With a grim expression, Elyse slipped into her slippers and strode out of the ward. Each ward door was adorned with the same story. As she walked past, she methodically tore each sheet down.

Driscoll, returning from Jayden’s ward, spotted Elyse and approached her with concern. “Mrs. Owen, someone has posted a story on multiple floors, with you as the villainous lead. They’re quite slanderous. I’m on my way to investigate.”

“There’s no need,” Elyse interjected coldly, her eyes flashing. “Gather all the copies and burn them. I know who did this.”

Driscoll opened his mouth to speak, but Elyse was already striding toward the elevator.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Peyton said, maneuvering his wheelchair to follow. Irving trailed behind, worried about Elyse.

Reaching the 17th floor and finding no sign of Mabel, Elyse inquired about Glenda’s location. Discovering Glenda was on the 2nd floor, she went there immediately.

In Glenda’s ward, Glenda lay unconscious. Mabel was there, pen in hand, crafting another defamatory narrative about Elyse. Now married to Jayden, Elyse was off-limits for direct confrontation, prompting Mabel’s devious tactics.

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