Torn Between Love and Hate

Chapter 104 He Caressed Deborah's Head

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Ashton got up and had the bodyguards bring a few homeless people in. "I apologize for the next thing," he

said.

He left immediately, and Helen's desperate screams of horror followed him. "Ashton, you scum! You're not

human!"

Jeff closed the door, and after Ashton left, he remembered something and said, "Isn't she Deborah's half-

sister from a different father?

"The possibility of liver compatibility is high. Have a doctor check and see if she can donate her liver to

Deborah."

Jeff replied, "Okay."

Ashton left the basement and went straight to his bedroom upstairs.

This used to be his and Deborah's bedroom, and he remembered that for many years, every time he came back and opened the door, Deborah was often inside.

Sometimes he came back early and found Deborah curled up on the sofa next to Alyssa, or sitting at the coffee table with her computer, drawing design plans.

When she didn't see him, Deborah was relaxed, always smiling whether she was drawing or playing with

Alyssa.

As soon as she saw him, Deborah would always stand up immediately, looking reserved and scared.

At times, he would come home late, sometimes even well past midnight.

When he entered the bedroom, Deborah would already be asleep in bed, yet she would immediately wake up, get up, and draw him a bath while fetching his clothes.

If he did not initiate conversation, Deborah would not dare speak.

Ashton was convinced that Deborah was scared of him, making him believe that when she first slept with him, it was a deliberate ploy to take advantage of him. This fear made him even more sure of her guilt. However, he would always forget that when she first arrived there, she was only nineteen and still in her second year of university.

Deborah was scared of him because she was still too young and inexperienced in matters of love, and she was even more terrified of lying in bed with him.

Ashton recalled how he loathed her and dreamed of her leaving.

Despite being his wife, she always carried herself in a manner lower than the housemaids.

Her presence still lingered throughout the bedroom, but he had already sent her away.

Although they had agreed that it was only temporary, he still felt uneasy and uncomfortable.

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Everywhere was empty and cold, and there was no one to draw him a bath in the middle of the night, no one to lie beside him, anxiously holding him close.

After spending more than five years together, Ashton was accustomed to Deborah's habits, and they had become ingrained in him.

Ashton sat on the bed, feeling out of sorts and not bothering to turn on the lights.

Suddenly, he wondered what Deborah and Joseph were doing at that moment. She must be worried about her

mother.

Her mother was still here, and in a few days, she would likely come back on her own.

Ashton reassured himself in his mind, but after a while, he pulled out his phone and scrolled to Deborah's number.

Just as he was about to call her, his phone rang.

Ashton answered and heard Jeff's anxious voice on the other end. "Mr. Mullen, something has happened. Lydia is not Mrs. Mullen's birth mother, and Mrs. Mullen may not even care about her." Ashton's face darkened, and he stood up immediately. "What do

you mean?"

He had let Deborah go, and Lydia was his only bargaining chip left.

Ashton had known Lydia since Deborah was fourteen, and she had always been her birth mother. This couldn't possibly be wrong.

How could it not be? How could it be possible?

Jeff responded, "I brought Helen to the hospital for a check-up to see if she could donate a liver to Mrs. Mullen. It turned out that the liver wasn't a match.

"Upon further investigation, I found out that Mrs. Mullen is not Lydia's daughter at all. Mrs. Mullen was adopted by Lydia shortly after birth, and they, along with the Bauer family, have no blood relation. whatsoever."

Ashton's heart trembled more and more, and after a long pause, he asked, "Does Deborah know?"

Perhaps she did not know, or even if she did, maybe she would not care about Lydia.

After all, Lydia had raised her for so many years. She must still care about her, right?

The more Ashton tried to console himself, the more anxious he became.

Jeff responded uncertainly, "I'm not sure if Mrs. Mullen knows."

Ashton could not control his emotions any longer and marched out of the bedroom. "Bring Deborah back

now."

Jeff sounded worried. "I sent someone to Joseph's villa, but they're not there. Maybe he took Mrs. Mullen somewhere quieter to recover

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"After all, Lydia had raised Mrs. Mullen for so many years. Mrs. Mullen wouldn't just abandon her like that." Ashton could no longer hear the words and yelled angrily, "Then look elsewhere and bring her back to me!"

He hung up the phone and called Deborah immediately.

Deborah was lying in bed at Joseph's residence, still asleep.

On the bedside table, her cell phone repeatedly rang. Joseph brought in water and pushed the door open, and

as he approached, he saw that the caller ID was Ashton.

He reached out and hung up the call directly, but Ashton immediately called again persistently.

Deborah, who was lying in bed, was annoyed by the noise and frowned.

Joseph reached out and answered the call, and Ashton's rapid-fire voice came through the phone. "Deborah, where are you? I'm coming to pick you up.

"We can handle this ourselves. Let's talk. Joseph is not a good person, and you shouldn't be staying with

him."

Joseph responded, "Deborah is doing fine now. She's sleeping in bed. Don't look for her these next few days. Let her rest, and when she decides where she wants to go, I'll respect her wishes." Ashton shouted in anger, "Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't know about Lydia?"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence, and Joseph asked, "What about Lydia?"

Ashton fell silent for a moment before saying, "Nothing Just send Deborah back to me right away."

Joseph retorted, "Don't even think about it," and hung up the phone.

Ashton continued to call, but Joseph added him to the blacklist.

Soon after, a new number sent Deborah a message: [She must come back before tonight.]

Joseph replied: [You're insane.) and added the new number to the blacklist.

As he put Deborah's phone back on the bedside table, Joseph noticed that Deborah had awakened.

She wanted to sit up, but her body was seriously injured, and she had just had a miscarriage, so she couldn't use the strength

She could only lie there and look at Joseph warily. "Why am I here, and why did you take my phone?" she

asked.

Joseph casually put down Deborah's phone and said, "A real estate agent kept calling, trying to get you to buy a house, so I hung up for you."

Deborah was skeptical and asked again, "Is this your house? How did I end up here?"

Joseph observed her cautious expression and responded solemnly, "Didn't you hear? I already spoke with

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Ashton earlier and convinced him to let me take you away. With that, I won't argue with him anymore.

"He's been having trouble with his business lately and is on the verge of losing his CEO position."

Deborah asked, "And then what happened?"

Joseph reached out and gently stroked her head. "He agreed to send you with me."

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