Bound By Love: Marrying My Disabled Husband

"Where are you going?"

At the wedding, Elyse Lloyd was in a panic as she grabbed Theo Ward's wrist to stop him from leaving, her eyes filling with pleading.

The venue was filled with the family and friends of both parties, all seated and waiting. The officiant had posed the question to Theo about his willingness to marry Elyse. Instead of replying, he ignored the officiant, answered his phone, and then abruptly attempted to leave.

"Kaelyn knows about our wedding, and now she's threatening to jump off a building. You are aware of her depression, aren't you? I have to go save her," Theo explained impatiently and pushed Elyse aside.

The push caused Elyse to sprain her ankle, and as she fell to the floor, she awkwardly stretched out her hand, trying to hold him back.

"Today is our wedding day! What am I supposed to do if you leave? Kaelyn Bennett totally stabbed you in the back before. She's caused you so much pain-why the heck must you go see her right now?"

Theo's gaze turned even colder. "You're not in a position to judge what happened between me and Kaelyn. No matter her wrongs or the pain she caused, you don't measure up to her."

A pain struck Elyse's heart. She realized that he had never truly forgotten Kaelyn. To him, she would never be as significant as Kaelyn was.

"What did I do to deserve this? Why are you treating me this way? Please, just wait until the wedding is over. We're almost at the point of exchanging rings. You can leave after that."

Theo dodged her hand and said with disgust, "You're more concerned with your wedding than a living person's life. You're so heartless. Let's reschedule the wedding."

Without a glance at her pale face, he strode away from the ornate altar, oblivious to the puzzled looks of gathered guests.

As the groom left, the crowd erupted into chaos.

"No, please don't leave me, Theo! What should I do if you leave?" Elyse cried out, sitting pitifully on the floor. She trembled, tears ruining her carefully applied makeup.

The man she had loved for three years, disregarding her dignity, had chosen another woman without a second thought on their big day. He was consumed with thoughts of Kaelyn's distress but seemed indifferent to how lost and humiliated she felt, left alone at the altar.

All around her, countless eyes watched, some mocking, some pitying, and others even gloating. Elyse had never felt such torment!

Her father, Lanny Lloyd, approached. She hoped for comfort, but instead, he scolded her sharply, "You can't even keep a man. How useless!" After berating her, he left with his wife, Glenda Lloyd, without a backward glance.

Her sister, Mabel Lloyd, emerged from the crowd with a smirk. "Well, that's embarrassing, Elyse. Your groom ran off, and now you're a laughingstock. I'm embarrassed for you. Imagine how Mom and Dad feel." After saying that, she turned and left.

One by one, all of Elyse's family members departed, leaving her completely alone. Initially, Theo's parents felt guilty, but upon witnessing her family's reaction, all traces of guilt dissipated.

"Even her own parents didn't support her. It seems this isn't entirely Theo's fault."

"Yes, if she were a good partner, why would her fiancé leave her?"

"Did she cheat on him? What else would make a groom leave like that?"

The murmurs of criticism from the surrounding guests grew louder and harsher.

Suddenly, there were noises nearby.

Turning around, Elyse spotted a man in a suit sitting alone in a wheelchair. The officiant, looking flustered, asked, "Where is your bride?"

Wiping away her tears, she halted a passing staff member and inquired, "That man is a groom, right? Where is his bride?"

The staff member glanced at her and responded, "She didn't show up. I heard it was because she couldn't deal with her husband's disability."

"And he's been waiting here all this time?"

The staff member nodded.

The wheelchair-bound groom was facing away from Elyse, and they were a fair distance apart. She couldn't see his expression, but she understood the pain of being left alone.

They were both unfortunate souls, abandoned.

After a moment of reflection, a determined look settled in Elyse's eyes.

She had loved Theo for three years, but he had betrayed her. Why should she remain loyal to him? She realized she didn't need to be with him at all.

As she suddenly stood up, the guests who had been whispering and mocking her fell silent. All eyes instinctively focused on her as she lifted the hem of her dress and confidently walked toward the man in the wheelchair.

The sight of a bride in a white wedding dress approaching left the man's guests equally stunned.

Hearing the rustle of her dress, the man in the wheelchair turned around slowly.

Elyse halted and gazed at the handsome man before her, a spark of surprise in her eyes. She then extended her hand and said, "Hello, I heard you're in need of a bride. My groom just left me. How about we get married?"

"My name is Elyse Lloyd. If it's all right with you, we can get married today," she proposed confidently.

Her bold proposal left the crowd in shock, prompting several to capture the moment with their phones.

"Miss Lloyd, are you certain about this decision? Given my disability, I may not be able to provide the future you envision," the man replied openly, without hiding his condition, and gently urged her to think it over.

"I've made up my mind," Elyse responded with determination.

"I'm Jayden," he introduced himself.

Seeing her resolve, Jayden Owen grasped her hand and shared his concern, "I fear you might regret this choice later on."

Elyse chose not to respond. She was sure of her decision. She had once been solely focused on marrying Theo, who never truly reciprocated her love. Now, who she married seemed inconsequential.

After efficiently wrapping up the wedding formalities at City Hall, Elyse and Jayden were now bound by matrimony, officially united as husband and wife.

With the marriage certificate in hand, Elyse experienced a profound sense of relief.

Theo had broken her heart, and she was resolute in never returning to him.

Regarding her father, since she would not be marrying into the Ward family, he had another daughter to think about.

She understood her little sister Mabel too well. As someone driven by greed, how could Mabel resist the temptation to become Theo's wife and a member of the Ward family?

Thus, marrying Jayden was Elyse's perfect escape from her family's clutches. She had no intention of going back home again.

While she gazed thoughtfully at the marriage certificate, Jayden asked, "What's on your mind? Regretting your decision to marry a disabled man?"

Elyse shook her head, took hold of the wheelchair, and replied, "I think it was a good decision."

Jayden smiled slightly, though his eyes betrayed a hint of skepticism and mistrust.

How could any woman genuinely want to marry a disabled man? He figured she was just putting on an act-an act that couldn't last forever.

He needed a bride momentarily to distract his family while he pursued his own goals. Well, he decided, he might as well see what she was up to.

Elyse helped Jayden into the car, and they drove to his house.

Jayden's home was opulent, complete with a garden and a swimming pool, and staffed with a butler in a tuxedo and uniformed maids.

As Elyse stepped onto the plush wool carpet, she truly realized that her new husband was far from ordinary.

The butler, Driscoll Lee, approached them respectfully and inquired, "Mr. Owen, is this your bride?"

Surveying the opulent house and recollecting her newlywed husband's full name, a sudden realization dawned on Elyse.

The Owens were the most influential family in town, and Jayden Owen was particularly notable among his peers for his business acumen and exceptional talent. He was one of the wealthiest men around. However, after a car accident a year ago that cost him his legs, Jayden had faded from the public eye and his prior achievements were largely forgotten.

So, she had married the legendary Jayden Owen?

Elyse recalled hearing rumors about his engagement to a girl from the Foster family. The bride who had disappeared on her wedding day was supposed to be that Foster girl.

Upon hearing Jayden's full name at City Hall, Elyse hadn't dwelled on it much. If she had known his background sooner, she wouldn't have had the courage to broach the topic of marriage with him.

Jayden noticed the shock and panic on her face but remained silent. He still doubted that she truly hadn't recognized him. After all, his disability was well known.

"This is Elyse Lloyd, my wife. From now on, she will be the hostess here," Jayden introduced her firmly.

"Joanna Foster escaped on our wedding day because she didn't want to marry a disabled man," he added bluntly.

"Joanna Foster disappeared on the wedding day?" Driscoll expressed his surprise. The Foster family had been eager to forge a union with the Owen family through marriage, pushing for Jayden to marry Joanna.

On the wedding day, however, the bride had disappeared. Wasn't this a deliberate humiliation of Jayden?

Driscoll felt sympathy for him and offered some consolation, "Sir, perhaps it's for the best that she left. It seems you might have found the right person after all."

Elyse had shown no concern for Jayden's disability and was willing to marry him. That indeed counted for something.

Looking at Jayden's legs, Elyse felt a wave of sympathy for him. Jayden had once been at the pinnacle of success, and now he seemed so vulnerable. Just because he was disabled, his bride had callously abandoned him at the altar, showing him no respect whatsoever. He must have felt even more devastated than she did during the wedding.

Approaching Jayden, Elyse took his hand and said earnestly, "Don't worry. We are husband and wife now. I will take care of you for the rest of our lives."

Jayden's expression turned rigid. Could she really mean it, promising to take care of him for a lifetime? He doubted her sincerity, thinking she was just putting on an act of compassion.

Without a word, Jayden maneuvered his wheelchair into the study on the first floor.

"I'm sorry," Driscoll said apologetically. "Since his accident, he's been a bit more temperamental."

"It's fine. I understand," Elyse replied, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. Anyone in his situation might change.

She then followed Driscoll upstairs to a room on the second floor.

--

"Sir."

In the study stood a bald man named Vinny Bailey, clad in a tight black shirt that accentuated his prominent tendons.

Respectfully, Vinny ignited a lighter and lit a cigar for Jayden.

"Joanna has gone abroad. The Foster family is desperately trying to come up with a solution."

"They've taken thirty million and five major projects from me. Is this their way of repaying me?"

Jayden let out a puff of smoke and remarked casually, "If I don't teach them a lesson, others will see me as a pushover. The Fosters need to learn a few things."

"Do you want us to bring Joanna back?" Vinny inquired, nodding. "And as for your new wife, should we make some introductions with our men?"

"No need."

Jayden, cigar clenched between his teeth, lifted a document from the desk and strolled over to the window.

The wheelchair was tucked away in a corner of the room, ignored, as he moved fluidly across the floor.

This document detailed Elyse's entire life, from her childhood through to her college life, even including her romance with Theo.

He casually flipped through the pages and drawled, "An ordinary woman. She married me just for my money."

Back then, the Owens had declared their search for a wife for Jayden, aiming simply to secure an heir.

Upon the announcement, no wealthy family was eager to marry their daughter to him, except for the Fosters, who had enriched themselves through their daughters' marriage.

The Fosters' motive was straightforward-to exchange their daughter for resources and money.

Vinny saw no other reason for Elyse to marry Jayden but for financial gain.

Yet, there was another twist. "She was originally going to marry Theo Ward."

"Ward? The Ward family that's well-known?" Jayden lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes. But apparently, the groom ran off to reunite with his ex-girlfriend after receiving a phone call."

Vinny paused, then speculated, "Maybe she married you just to spite Theo Ward."

Jayden ceased perusing the documents and glanced up at Vinny with a hint of annoyance. "You're looking at it too simplistically. By marrying me, she stands to gain more. That's the real reason she married me, despite my disability."

In Jayden's eyes, Elyse hadn't yet revealed her true intentions. But he didn't mind her interest in his money.

He needed a wife to appease his family. If she married him for gain, it would make a future divorce simpler for him.

--

Perched on the edge of the bed, Elysee scrolled through her phone and noticed the trending topics.

#BridegroomRanAwayForHisEx

#BrideMarriesStrangerToAngerHerRanawayGroom

She casually scrolled through the comments. The public deemed the entire situation unbelievable and both parties' actions as unreasonable. Nevertheless, discussions had thrust Elyse's name into circulation because of it.

Some even discovered she was a violinist in an orchestra and stumbled upon a video of her past performance.

Unable to resist, Elyse was watching these videos when Theo called. "Where are you, Elyse? Let's meet and talk."