Chapter 35: Chapter 35
Elise remained standing at the entrance of the manor for a moment, quietly watching the black Bentley disappear into the distance.
The taillights gradually faded from view until they vanished completely around the bend.
Only then did she withdraw her gaze. She stood there silently, the evening breeze brushing against her face.
After a long moment, she exhaled slowly and turned toward the villa.
On the second floor, inside the study, a tall figure stood motionless before the floor-to-ceiling window.
The room remained dark. No lights had been turned on.
The man’s silhouette blended into the shadows as he stared at the figure below. Watching. Waiting.
His eyes followed her every movement until she disappeared through the front door.
Only then did the darkness in his gaze deepen.
...
After changing into her indoor slippers, Elise walked toward the living room.
Old Madam Bennett sat in her wheelchair beside the sofa.
Robin occupied the couch nearby, sitting cross-legged as he enthusiastically played with a brand-new Transformer toy.
His laughter occasionally echoed through the room.
The old woman watched him with such focused affection that her entire attention seemed fixed on him alone.
Even when Elise entered the house, she did not notice.
Elise stopped walking. She stood quietly near the entrance, waiting.
One minute passed. Then another. Then a third.
The grandfather clock in the corner ticked steadily through the silence.
Yet Old Madam Bennett never looked up. Never realized she had returned.
A faint flicker of annoyance crossed Elise’s eyes. For a brief moment, she remembered countless evenings when she had come home exhausted from work.
Back then, before she had even stepped fully through the door, Old Madam Bennett would call her over with a smile and ask whether she had eaten dinner.
Sometimes she would even have a hot meal prepared specially for her. Now, however, the old woman’s eyes never left Robin.
Perhaps she truly had not noticed. Or perhaps Robin had simply become the center of her world.
Either way, the result was the same.
A trace of self-mockery surfaced in Elise’s heart. Then she quietly withdrew her gaze and turned toward the staircase.
The sound of her footsteps echoed through the spacious villa. Even so, Old Madam Bennett remained completely absorbed in Robin’s laughter.
Step by step, Elise climbed the stairs. As she ascended, memories surfaced one after another.
Her parents had always been strict, demanding perfection in every aspect of her life.
Academic performance, etiquette, conduct––nothing was ever good enough.
The only person who had truly spoiled her was her grandfather. He had treated her like the apple of his eye. No matter what mistakes she made, he would always laugh and protect her.
He and Old Madam Bennett had been close friends for decades.
Whenever he visited the Bennett residence for a game of chess, he would bring her along. Over time, Old Madam Bennett had grown genuinely fond of her––not as a future granddaughter-in-law, not because of Dylan, but because she truly cared for her.
After her grandfather passed away, Old Madam Bennett had become the only elder left in the world who loved her unconditionally.
At least, that was what Elise had always believed.
Perhaps Dylan’s betrayal had changed something fundamental inside her. Or perhaps she had simply become more realistic. Because now, realizing that even Old Madam Bennett’s affection could shift because of Robin’s existence, she felt surprisingly little.
There was no anger. No resentment. No heartbreak. Only a dull numbness. As though the pain had already exceeded its limit long ago.
By the time she reached the final step, she released a quiet sigh and headed toward the master bedroom.
Then her footsteps halted. Dylan stood outside the door, tall and motionless, like a statue guarding the entrance.
His handsome features were expressionless, yet there was something dark lurking beneath the surface––a storm waiting to erupt.
The moment their eyes met, Elise stopped. Exhaustion washed through every part of her body.
She had spent the entire day suppressing her emotions. Now all she wanted was to lie down, close her eyes, and forget everything. She did not even have the energy to argue.
Expressionless, she walked toward him.
"Move." Her voice was flat. "I want to go inside and rest."
Dylan remained exactly where he was. His dark eyes settled heavily upon her.
A few seconds passed, then he finally spoke, "You and Alexander Hayes seem to be getting very close lately."
A trace of frost immediately appeared in Elise’s eyes.
"The details of my personal life are none of your business."
She looked at him with complete indifference. "Move aside."
Her voice carried no warmth whatsoever. "I’m going in."
Instead of moving, Dylan’s expression grew colder. The air around him seemed to drop several degrees.
"Elise." His voice lowered dangerously. "We’re not divorced yet."
For a moment, Elise genuinely wondered whether he had lost his mind. The second she stepped through the door, he was already looking for a fight.
How ridiculous.
"Dylan." She met his gaze directly. "I’m exhausted."
Each word was clear and deliberate.
"I don’t want to argue with you."
Yet it was as though he could not hear her at all. Or perhaps he simply did not care.
He took a step forward; the distance between them instantly disappeared.
Before Elise could react, his hand shot out and wrapped firmly around her wrist.
"Elise." His voice became increasingly harsh. "Legally, you’re still Mrs. Bennett."
His grip tightened slightly.
"People are watching everything you do."
His eyes darkened.
"You shouldn’t be spending so much time with Mr. Hayes. People might think you’re far too close."
For a second, Elise thought she had misheard him.
Then she almost laughed.
"Meeting someone a few times counts as being close?"
Her eyes brimmed with ridicule.
"Then what about you?"
The smile on her lips carried not the slightest warmth.
"You slept under the same roof as Quinn. You raised Robin with her as a family for five years."
Her gaze locked onto his.
"Tell me, Dylan, how come you never worried about appearances then?"
"Damn it, Elise."
Dylan’s expression darkened instantly.
The jealousy, frustration, and anger he had spent the entire afternoon suppressing surged violently to the surface.
Ever since he had watched her leave with Alexander that morning, an unfamiliar irritation had been gnawing at him.
When he learned she had spent the entire day with another man and his daughter, the feeling only intensified.
And seeing her return home after personally accompanying them back had completely shattered the last of his restraint.
His gaze fixed stubbornly on her.
"I looked into that man’s background."
Elise’s smile turned even colder.
"So what?"
Dylan’s jaw tightened. The muscles along his face became rigid.
"He has a daughter."
His voice emerged sharp and biting. Every word carried a hint of accusation.
"You refused to be Robin’s adoptive mother."
His eyes narrowed dangerously. The jealousy he refused to acknowledge twisted into something ugly.
"And now you’re practically volunteering to become someone else’s stepmother for him?"
The corridor fell silent. For a brief moment, neither of them made a sound.
Then Elise slowly lifted her eyes to look at him.
The mockery in her gaze deepened, because at that moment, she suddenly realized something absurd.
The man who had betrayed her. The man who had hidden another woman and child from her for five years. The man who had shattered their marriage with his own hands... Was now standing here questioning her relationship with another man.
The irony was almost laughable.
