Walking Away While Pregnant: Dear Ex-Husband, I Don't Love You Anymore

Chapter 117: Chapter 117

Taking a deep breath, Fleur adjusted her breathing, which had grown slightly erratic from nerves.

Then, she raised her hand—

Knock, knock.

The sound of her knocking echoed. After waiting for a few seconds, there wasn’t a sound from inside.

Fleur knitted her brows and knocked again, harder this time.

Knock, knock!

Yet, the study remained dead silent. Fleur found it strange. Lowering her voice, she called through the door, "Dylan? Are you asleep?"

No one answered.

Could he have fallen into a deep sleep because of the alcohol from his dinner?

With that in mind, she glanced at the door handle, bit her lip, and gathered the courage to reach out and grasp it.

The door wasn’t locked.

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Fleur’s eyes. She pushed the door open, only to find the room pitched in total darkness. Using the light spilling in from the hallway behind her, Fleur stepped into the study and scanned the room, but Dylan was nowhere to be seen.

She froze in place. Where was he?

Just as she was standing there in confusion, a sharp click sounded, and the study lights flooded the room, illuminating every corner.

Fleur spun around violently and gasped––Elise was standing at the entrance of the study, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. Her delicate brows were arched slightly, a look of pure amusement written across her face.

Fleur’s face turned deathly pale. "E-Elise..."

With utter composure, Elise raised her phone and snapped a few quick, high-definition photos of Fleur’s current state.

"Elise! What—what are you taking photos for?!"

Panic-stricken, Fleur frantically pulled up her slipping robe, trying desperately to cover up her intentions. But since one of her hands was still holding the glass of honey water, she only had one free hand, making her movements look incredibly clumsy and ridiculous.

Watching her chaotic flailing, Elise’s lips curved upward. "Fleur, just a friendly heads-up: Dylan went back to the master bedroom to take a shower. If you head over right now, he should be just about finished."

"Elise, how can you say such things! I-I saw that Dylan had been drinking at his dinner tonight. Knowing that you’re pregnant and it might be inconvenient for you to take care of him, I just wanted to bring him a glass of honey water. Please, don’t misunderstand!"

Elise offered her a faint, chilling smile. "Fleur, there’s no one else here right now. You might as well be honest."

"I am telling the truth!" Fleur’s eyes flushed red with anxiety and anger.

Elise looked at her coldly. "I know exactly what thoughts you have regarding Dylan. Rest assured, I won’t stand in your way. Dylan and I are already completely estranged. If you successfully manage to take my place, Dylan might actually agree to divorce me sooner. To me, that would be a good thing."

"Elise, what kind of nonsense are you talking about! I-I have no such thoughts about Dylan! I only see him as a younger brother. Saying things like that is no different from insulting me! How am I supposed to face Robin after this, or Robin’s late father..."

Burdened by her own words, Fleur covered her face and rushed straight out of the study. But as she brushed past Elise, she deliberately threw her shoulder forward, aiming to slam hard into her.

Elise’s eyes narrowed, and she swiftly stepped aside. Fleur missed entirely, stumbling a few steps and nearly losing her footing before fleeing back to her room in sheer humiliation.

Driven by her guilty conscience, she locked herself inside.

Elise turned around and looked at the closed door, her gaze icy. She couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. She had thought Fleur would at least have the backbone to face her openly. As it turned out, she was all talk and no courage. How boring.

Glancing at the photos on her phone, Elise let out a cold laugh. Still, tonight wasn’t a total waste.

By the time Elise returned to the master bedroom, Dylan had already finished his shower. He was dressed in grey silk pajamas, sitting on the sofa with his long legs crossed. Resting on his lap was the pregnancy handbook Elise had been reading earlier.

Hearing the door open, he looked up and met Elise’s gaze.

"Where did you go?" he asked in a flat voice.

"To watch a play," Elise replied, her tone laced with mockery. "It was quite a performance. It’s really a shame you couldn’t witness it yourself."

Sensing something amiss, Dylan’s dark brows furrowed. "Elise, if you have something to say, just say it properly. Why the sarcasm?"

"Fine, then let’s do exactly as you wish." Elise walked straight up to him, unlocked her phone, opened her album, and thrust the screen right in front of his face. "Take a good look. Your wonderful sister-in-law was just trying to deliver some honey water to you!"

The moment Dylan saw the photos clearly, his handsome face stiffened for a second before he instantly averted his gaze. "Elise, there’s a limit to your troublemaking. Are these kinds of photos something I should be looking at?"

"If you hadn’t come back here to take a shower, you would have witnessed this exact scene in person!"

Dylan froze at her words. He looked up at Elise, a deep frown between his brows. "What did you say?"

"Is it not obvious enough? Fleur thought you were in the study, so she dressed like that specifically to bring you honey water!"

Dylan’s face darkened completely. He wanted to claim it was impossible, but with the photographic evidence staring him in the face, he couldn’t find a single word to refute it.

Elise looked at him, her eyes filled with undisguised schadenfreude.

Dylan raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I’ll have my sister-in-law head back tomorrow. This matter ends here."

"Oh, don’t do that. Your dear sister-in-law went through so much trouble just to stay over, and she hasn’t even achieved her goal yet. If you drive her away now, she’ll be heartbroken."

"Enough!" Dylan barked, his face cold. "I said this matter ends here."

Elise stared at him for a few seconds. Then, she pulled her phone back, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Fine, I won’t say another word. As long as you and Fleur are happy."

With that, Elise turned away. "I’m tired. Why don’t you go to the study? Who knows, if you wait until midnight, your precious sister-in-law might just throw herself into your arms to weep and complain."

Dylan threw himself to his feet, his dark eyes boring into Elise.

"So this was your goal all along? You’ve always believed my sister-in-law has feelings for me, which is why you suddenly changed your attitude, indulged Robin in bringing her here, and even let her stay the night. The cheating scandals from before didn’t work out, so now you’re shifting your targets to my sister-in-law?"

He strode toward Elise, his voice thick with suppressed rage. "Elise, the lengths you’ll go to just to force a divorce really make me see you in a new light!"

Elise paused just as she was about to pull back the covers of the bed. She lifted her eyes to meet Dylan’s furious gaze, letting out a cold, sharp sneer.

"You speak as if you’re entirely innocent. You’re the one who lacks any sense of boundaries, and you’re the one who gave Fleur chance after chance to cross the line. How has this suddenly become my fault?

I was merely tactful enough not to expose the two of you directly. What’s wrong? Didn’t you always tell me to stop making scenes? Now that I’m keeping the peace, turning a blind eye, and am even ready to step aside for Fleur at any moment, shouldn’t you be thrilled?"

"Elise!"

Thoroughly provoked by her words, Dylan clamped a hand tightly around her chin. As she began to struggle, his other large hand swiftly locked around her waist. His strength was immense, pinning Elise firmly against his chest.

Unable to break free, she glared at him in fury. "Let me go!"

Dylan only let out a cold, humorless laugh. "Let you go? Listen well: I will never let you go."

He squeezed her chin, forcing her to tilt her head up and look him dead in the eye. His dark, deep pupils reflected Elise’s stubborn, angry face, a faint trace of obsessive possessiveness swirling beneath the surface.

"Elise, you were the one who chose to come to my side in the first place. You provoked me first. Now that you’re Mrs. Bennett, you’d better play the part well and stop playing these useless games. As long as I don’t let go, all your scheming will be entirely in vain."

"You are completely insane!" Furious to the core, Elise pushed against him with all her might. When he didn’t budge, her eyes flushed red with rage, and she swung her hand up, slapping him squarely across the face.

Slap!

The crisp sound of the slap reverberated through the bedroom.

Dylan took the full force of the blow, his cheek reddening instantly. Yet, a smile broke across his face. Looking at the corners of Elise’s eyes, flushed red with anger, the strange panic and suffocating weight that had been plaguing his heart finally began to dissipate.

This was the Elise he knew.

Her calmness and detachment over the past few days had felt entirely foreign to him. He realized he was far more accustomed to this version of her.

The grimness on the man’s face softened slightly, his thumb lightly brushing against her delicate chin.

"Elise, you keep claiming that you don’t love me anymore. But tonight, the moment Fleur went to the study in a nightgown to look for me, you couldn’t keep your composure." His voice dropped lower, carrying a distinct hint of satisfaction. "You still... love me."