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

Chapter 128: Chapter 128

Rina had directed numerous acclaimed masterpieces; parsing the human heart and offering counseling were well within her wheelhouse. She could see that Elise was trying to make peace with her past.

As for whether she still loved him, even Elise herself might not be able to put it into words. When a man had been loved with every fiber of one’s being, how could he simply be cast aside at a moment’s notice?

However, for the current Elise, a quiet, simple environment and a peaceful state of mind were far more critical.

Rina weighed her words for a moment before saying gently, "From now on, why don’t you just view Dylan strictly as the children’s father?"

Elise caught her breath slightly.

"Putting everything else aside, given Dylan’s net worth and status, he provides a highly impressive pedestal for the kids. Isn’t that what they say online these days? When a woman marries, she isn’t finding a husband for herself, but a father for her children."

Elise was speechless.

"It’s a blunt way to put it, but once you strip the romance out of a marriage, aren’t these external material conditions all that’s left?" Rina paused, then added, "Of course, I’m not saying you have to force yourself to settle and spend the rest of your life with him for the sake of the kids. It’s just a suggestion. You’re the one living your life. You have to decide what brings you the most comfort and peace."

"I understand."

"It’s good that you do," Rina said softly. "The main reason I’m advising you this way is because I can tell Dylan won’t grant you a divorce easily. Rather than constantly draining yourselves by fighting over a marriage certificate, it might be better to shift your mindset. Forget the romance, and just be the children’s parents."

Forget the romance, and just be the children’s parents.

Elise gazed out at the cityscape, her expression clouded with complex emotions.

***

Later, Elise and Kaia had dinner together in the suite. Having visited several locations that day, their energy was entirely spent. By the time they finished eating, it was not even nine o’clock, yet both of them were already overcome with exhaustion. They retreated to their respective rooms to wash up and went to bed early.

Elise had walked so much during the day that her feet were actually somewhat swollen. Before going to sleep, she gave herself a brief massage, but it did little to alleviate the discomfort. Eventually, sheer exhaustion took over, and she drifted off the moment she rolled onto her side.

In her dream, a dense fog swirled all around her.

Elise felt someone pursuing her from behind. She desperately wanted to run, but her legs felt as though they had been poured with concrete; she couldn’t move them at all. She could only watch helplessly as a bizarre, dark silhouette closed in on her through the mist. She wanted to scream for help, but her throat felt completely obstructed, rendering her utterly silent.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her into a firm embrace!

A deep baritone resonated near her ear: "Elise, don’t be afraid. I’m here."

Elise snapped her eyes open, her breathing ragged, a thin layer of sweat coating her forehead. Catching sight of the familiar hotel room, it took her a moment to realize it had only been a dream...

"Did you have a nightmare?"

A man’s low voice abruptly cut through the silence from behind her.

Elise whipped her head around. Seeing Dylan, her eyes widened in sheer astonishment, followed quickly by a deep scowl. "How did you get in here?"

In the next fraction of a second, a sharp, piercing pain flared up in her calf! Elise gasped, her features twisting in agony.

"A leg cramp?"

Elise bit her lip, too hurt to speak, and could only manage a sharp nod.

Dylan immediately threw back the blanket. "Which leg?"

Elise pointed to her right leg.

Dylan wasted no time, placing his hands on her leg to help stretch the muscle. "Try to relax."

Elise panted heavily, her eyes misting over with unshed tears. The pain was excruciating.

Dylan looked up at her, his brows knitting slightly. "Bear with it for a moment. It’ll pass soon."

Elise bit her lip and remained silent. This was the first cramp she had experienced since this pregnancy began, and it just had to happen right when Dylan was here.

Dylan’s technique was incredibly practiced—skills he had mastered back when she was pregnant with their twins. During that pregnancy, her feet had started swelling around the fifth month, and she would frequently wake up in the dead of night with sudden cramps. Dylan had taken her to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner specifically to learn these massage techniques.

She hadn’t expected that even after five years, Dylan would still remember those movements so vividly.

Elise stared at Dylan’s perfectly sculpted hands and pressed her lips together, forcing herself to break away from the memories.

With his help, the muscle spasm gradually eased. Yet, Dylan did not pull away; he smoothly transitioned into massaging her lower legs.

As his fingertips slid upward, Elise swatted his hand away in a mix of shame and anger.

Dylan glanced at his hand, which she had slapped red, then lifted his eyes to look at her. "Your legs are swollen. If we don’t work the fluid out now, they’ll be even worse when you wake up tomorrow."

"I can massage them myself. Get out."

Dylan raised an eyebrow, holding her gaze. "Elise, don’t throw a tantrum over your own body just to spite me. You’re the only one who will suffer."

Elise glared at him, her brows furrowed deep. "Just looking at you is suffering enough."

Dylan went rigid. The man pressed his lips into a tight line, letting out what sounded like a helpless sigh. "You walked too much during the day. This has to be taken care of."

With that, Dylan stood up and walked straight out of the room.

Elise had no idea what he was planning, but she knew she rarely had the power to stop him once his mind was made up. The fact that he could suddenly appear in her room in the middle of the night was, after all, a massive convenience afforded to him by that marriage certificate.

Throwing off the covers, Elise got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. By the time she finished using the restroom and stepped back out, Dylan had already returned.

He was carrying a bag in his hand. The packaging looked somewhat familiar.

Seeing Elise eyeing the bag, Dylan offered an explanation on his own initiative. "Before I left for this trip, I went to Mr. Collins to get these foot-soak herbal packets. You’ve used them before; you know firsthand how effective they are."

Elise remained silent. Mr. Collins’s herbal packets were indeed highly effective. She had actually been planning to contact him in a few days to ask him to mail her some.

Averting her gaze, she said coldly, "I don’t need you to do this. I can take care of myself."

"I am the children’s father," Dylan countered softly, his tone gentle yet resolute. "Just look at it as me doing this for their well-being."

Elise found herself unable to argue with that logic. Besides, her legs genuinely felt incredibly uncomfortable right now. Why refuse a clear solution when it was right in front of her? She wasn’t a masochist.

Without another word, Elise turned around, walked over to the bed, and sat down.

Seeing this, a faint smile curved Dylan’s thin lips. He placed the herbal packets on the nightstand, turned into the bathroom, and emerged carrying the hotel’s multi-functional foot spa bucket filled with warm water. The bucket was lined with a sterile, disposable bag.

Dylan tore open a packet and emptied the herbs into the water. Then, he sank to one knee right in front of Elise, looking up at her. "Put your feet in."

Elise bit her lip, a flicker of awkwardness crossing her face, but she ultimately lowered her feet into the basin.

Dylan rolled up his sleeves. Before Elise could even process what was happening, his long, elegant hands plunged into the water, firmly cupping one of her feet.