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

Chapter 127: Chapter 127

The pedestrian street opened up into a bustling Central Square.

Groups of older women were gathered for synchronized square dancing, children zoomed past on rollerblades, and elderly men huddled under the streetlamps, deeply engrossed in card and chess games. Beneath the night sky, the city thrummed with the warm, vibrant pulse of everyday life.

Shielded safely in the man’s embrace, Elise was guided out of the suffocating, dense crowd. The moment they stepped out of the pedestrian street, the oppressive congestion that had weighed on her chest instantly evaporated.

Elise immediately began to struggle against him. "Let me go!"

The man kept one hand firmly around her waist while his other hand gripped her wrist. It had been a walk of barely a hundred meters from the pedestrian street to the square, yet he seemed to have traversed it with immense effort. Now, under the force of Elise’s sudden push, his tall frame unexpectedly lost its strength, and he stumbled back several steps.

"Mr. Bennett!" An alarmed cry rang out from the crowd.

Before Elise could fully process what was happening, two tall figures came sprinting toward them.

Dylan was quickly caught and supported by one of them—a man of mixed race with his hair tied back in a small ponytail.

"Mr. Bennett, where are you hurt?" the other man, who had a buzz cut, asked urgently, his face tight with anxiety as he took in Dylan’s deathly pale complexion.

Dylan’s breathing was heavy, but his dark eyes remained fixed entirely on Elise.

Standing a few paces away, Elise looked at him, her brows furrowing slightly. "Dylan, what exactly is going on here?"

"It’s nothing." Fine beads of sweat broke out on Dylan’s forehead. Though his face was completely drained of color from the pain, his demeanor remained calm and composed. "I’ll have Sam take you back to the hotel," he reassured her softly.

Elise pressed her lips together. She knew Dylan was hiding something from her. Had someone in the crowd just tried to harm her? Her mind flashed back to the fire at the gala. Intuition told her that the two incidents were definitely connected.

But looking at the situation around her, now was not the time to cross-examine him. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she ultimately chose not to reject his arrangements.

Upon returning to the hotel, Elise realized that Dylan was staying in the presidential suite right next door to hers.

The discovery brought back memories of that "dream" she had on the plane. No, she was certain now that it hadn’t been a dream at all. Dylan really had been on that plane yesterday.

The man is absolutely inescapable.

Agitated, Elise knitted her brows, a flash of irritation flitting across her features.

Sam followed her to the entrance of her presidential suite and spoke respectfully, "Madam, Mr. Bennett asked me to pass along a message. Unless it’s absolutely urgent, please try to stay inside the hotel for the next two days."

Elise stopped in her tracks and scrutinized him. He had a buzz cut, a towering build, and a rigid, upright posture. Though his tone was respectful, the innate, unyielding discipline in his eyes was impossible to ignore. Even a standard pair of work overalls looked like a military uniform on him.

Fixing him with a sharp, discerning gaze, Elise asked, "Were you in the military?"

Sam caught his breath, clearly caught off guard that she had seen right through him, and even more surprised by her directness. "Madam, I only take orders from Mr. Bennett," he replied, neatly sidestepping the question.

Undeterred, Elise pressed further. "Do you know Aaron Edison?"

Sam went rigid, but said nothing.

"Aaron used to be in the UN peacekeeping forces," Elise said, her tone absolute. "If I’m not mistaken, both you and your partner know him. It was Aaron who pulled the strings and introduced you two to Dylan, wasn’t it?"

Sam lowered his gaze. "Madam, given the sensitive nature of our profession, I’m afraid I cannot answer your questions."

Elise raised an eyebrow slightly. "It’s fine. Your reaction has already given me my answer anyway."

Sam remained silent.

Looking at him, Elise let out a cold, sharp chuckle. "Go back and tell your boss that if he wants to keep me in the dark, he’d better handle his own messes cleanly. Tell him to stop dragging me into them."

With that, she pulled out her room card, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

The door clicked shut. Sam stared at the closed entrance, letting out a massive sigh of relief before turning around to head next door.

Inside the neighboring presidential suite, Dylan sat on the sofa, shirtless.

James was busy cleaning his wound. A sharp weapon had slashed a deep gash across his back, causing significant bleeding, though fortunately, it hadn’t cut deep enough to be fatal.

By the time Sam walked in, James had finished cleaning the wound and was beginning to stitch it up. For someone like James, who had served in the peacekeeping forces, dealing with this kind of trauma was second nature.

He and Sam had been inseparable partners in the military, forged by a life-and-death bond. After retiring, because Dylan required their specific skillset, Aaron had bridged the gap, leading them to sign contracts as Dylan’s private security.

Once the wound was stitched and bandaged, James began packing up his medical tools.

Dylan picked up a clean black shirt from the side, slipped it on, and began fastening the buttons. His gaze drifted over to Sam. "Did she ask you anything?" he inquired, his pale lips parting slightly.

Sam recounted Elise’s interrogation exactly as it had happened.

Upon hearing the report, Dylan curved his lips into a faint, knowing smile. "That’s just how she is. The moment a single thread shows, you can’t keep anything hidden from her."

Sam hesitated for a moment. "...In that case, wouldn’t it be better if you just came clean with her, sir?"

Dylan’s eyes darkened, turning unreadable. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "There are some things that won’t change just because they’re spoken aloud."

Confused, Sam wanted to argue further, but James stepped forward and nudged his arm, shooting him a warning look to keep his mouth shut. In terms of emotional intelligence, James easily outmatched Sam.

Sam scratched the back of his head and went quiet.

***

The moment Elise returned to her suite, she immediately called Kaia.

The young woman rushed back shortly after. Ever since she had lost track of Elise, she had been crying her eyes out in a total panic. Fortunately, it had been a false alarm.

Seeing Kaia’s eyes swollen and red from crying, Elise felt a pang of guilt. To comfort her, she bought her a designer bag as a soothing gift, which was delivered to the hotel that very evening.

Holding the bag, Kaia burst into tears all over again—though this time, they were tears of pure joy. Elise couldn’t help but be amused by the young girl’s transparent, genuine nature.

When Rina called, Elise stepped away and retreated to her bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and sat down.

"Rina."

"I heard Dylan is staying right next door to you?"

"Yes." Elise gazed out at the sprawling night view, her voice very quiet. "It feels like Dylan is keeping something major from me."

On the other end of the line, Rina fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Elise, you’ve always been sharp. If he had any better option, I’m sure he wouldn’t want to keep secrets from you."

Elise pressed her lips together. "But keeping me in the dark like this isn’t any better. I despise being deceived."

"So, what do you want to do now?" Rina’s voice was gentle. "Maybe you could just confront him directly and lay all your cards on the table?"

"We were married for five years. I’ll say what I’ve always said: I love Dylan, and I’ve never been afraid of facing any trial or danger alongside him. I just believe that partners should support and trust one another. But clearly, Dylan doesn’t see it that way."

"Men and women ultimately think differently," Rina noted. "I actually believe Dylan has genuine feelings for you. It’s just that his family of origin likely influenced him, leaving him somewhat lacking when it comes to knowing how to treat a partner."

"We were together for five years; he should know my character by now," Elise sighed softly. "But I feel like he’s never truly stood in my shoes to look at things from my perspective. Rina, if your ex-boyfriend did these kinds of things, could you accept it?"

The question evidently stumped Rina.

After a long pause of serious contemplation, she answered honestly, "That’s hard to say. After all, he and I parted ways when we were at our most deeply in love. What lies between us is mostly regret. And in the face of a lifetime of regret from not being able to end up together, deceptions and misunderstandings that don’t violate core principles start to seem trivial."

Listening to her, Elise let out a helpless, faint smile. "So you see, humans are ultimately insatiable creatures."

Elise stared out the window, the neon lights of the city reflecting in her eyes.

"Rina, honestly, I don’t think I resent him as bitterly as I did at the beginning. But it’s also true that I have absolutely no desire to continue a life with him. Spending this past week in Rainport without Dylan... I found it really pleasant. It felt light."

In the quiet bedroom, her voice was barely a whisper—perfectly calm, yet piercingly clear against the stillness of the night.

"Rina, love is just too heavy. Honestly, not loving anymore feels quite nice."