Chapter 38: Chapter 38
Elise did not argue with Zoey.
In fact, Zoey’s words struck a nerve and forced her to confront something she had been avoiding.
For the first time, she realized that when a relationship deteriorates, the fault rarely lies entirely with one person.
The reason Dylan and Grandma had been so certain she would compromise was that she always had. She had spent years being endlessly accommodating, endlessly understanding, endlessly forgiving.
"You’re right, Zoey."
Elise stared out the window, her lashes trembling faintly.
"I have my own share of responsibility too."
Her gaze remained fixed on the passing scenery.
"Grandma watched me grow up. She knows better than anyone what matters most to me. She knew exactly how much being called a mother means to me, and yet she still asked me to make that sacrifice for Robin."
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"The moment she asked, she’d already calculated the outcome. She knew I cared about her. She knew that even if I was hurt, even if I felt wronged, I would still agree."
Her voice was calm, almost detached. Yet tears had already streamed silently down her face.
Dylan’s betrayal had wounded her deeply. Old Madam Bennett’s favoritism had exhausted what little strength remained.
Forcing herself to accept reality was far more painful than anyone realized.
She cried because she had once believed, with absolute certainty, that even if the entire world abandoned her, Dylan and Old Madam never would.
That belief was why she had given them everything she had.
Only now did she realize it had all been a one-sided fantasy.
Zoey reached for a tissue and handed it over. Elise accepted it quietly and wiped away the tears staining her cheeks.
Watching her, Zoey felt both heartbroken and helpless.
But she knew this was not the time for empty comfort. As her friend, she chose honesty instead.
"I know you’re hurting, but seeing the truth now is still better than seeing it ten years from now."
Her voice softened slightly.
"You’re young, Elise. You have talent, money, and a career. You’re not some fragile vine that needs to cling to a man just to survive."
She glanced at Elise, flashing a weird smile.
"Pull yourself together. Think about yourself. Think about the baby."
Elise closed her eyes.
The ache in her chest remained, but her thoughts were beginning to clear. Slowly, she adjusted her breathing, calming the storm inside her.
A few moments later, her hand drifted to her stomach.
Since childhood, she had never received her mother’s affection. Her father had been distant, too. Her half-siblings had never truly accepted her.
She had grown up in a family where love always seemed reserved for someone else.
That was why she had convinced herself that she had finally found a home with Dylan and Old Madam Bennett.
A place where she belonged. A family of her own.
Reality, however, had delivered another merciless blow.
Now, the child growing inside her was all she truly had. This baby carried her blood. This tiny life was the closest family she possessed in the entire world.
For the baby’s sake, she could not afford to keep falling apart.
The uncertainty in her eyes gradually disappeared. When she turned toward Zoey again, her expression was firm.
"Australia has a slower pace of life and a climate that’s better suited for raising a child."
Zoey immediately understood. This time, Elise had truly made up her mind.
"Help me look for a house there over the next few days."
"No problem." Zoey nodded. "I’ll ask my friends to keep an eye out."
Elise hesitated briefly before asking, "Do your contacts have a way to arrange a new identity?"
Zoey’s brows shot up. "A new identity?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation in Elise’s voice.
"Once I leave the country, I want a clean break from everyone and everything here. But with Dylan’s current influence, and with how the Harper family operates, they won’t simply let me disappear."
Her gaze hardened.
"So I need a completely new identity. Something that will make it difficult for anyone to trace me."
Zoey considered it carefully.
"Creating a new identity isn’t impossible. Making it completely airtight is another matter."
After a moment, she nodded. "I’ll ask around and see what’s possible."
"Good." Elise lowered her eyes. "Money isn’t an issue. If possible, I’d like everything ready within a month."
Zoey thumped her chest confidently.
"Leave it to me."
Once she committed herself to leaving, Elise found that her heart felt unexpectedly lighter.
From that day forward, she buried herself in work during the daytime and returned to Bennett Manor only after dark.
She did not know whether her cooperation would ultimately be enough to make Dylan honor his promise and finalize the divorce once the waiting period ended.
For now, however, she had no choice but to play along.
Her pregnancy could not wait indefinitely.
If everything went smoothly, they would obtain the divorce certificate as soon as the cooling-off period expired.
If Dylan changed his mind, then she would take him to court.
By then, Old Madam Bennett’s surgery would already be behind them. Even if the divorce proceedings became public knowledge and spread across the city, Elise would no longer need to worry about upsetting the elderly woman.
Old Madam continued treating her with the same warmth as before.
At the dinner table, she still reminded Elise to eat more, to take care of herself, and not to work too hard.
Elise responded politely and showed appropriate concern for the older woman’s health.
Quinn never appeared at Bennett Manor again.
Robin, meanwhile, remained remarkably obedient. At least in front of Elise and Old Madam Bennett, he never once mentioned Quinn’s name.
Dylan began making an effort, too.
At dinner, he would occasionally place food onto Elise’s plate. Sometimes he even took the initiative to start conversations.
Elise played her part flawlessly. She responded when necessary, maintained the appearance of harmony, and never let her expression betray what she truly felt.
Inside, however, there was only numbness.
Night after night, the so-called family of four gathered around the dining table.
The atmosphere appeared warm and peaceful.
Aside from Robin’s presence, it almost looked as though nothing had changed.
After dinner, Elise would return upstairs and lock herself inside the master bedroom.
Dylan never came to disturb her.
The days passed in a dull routine, emotionally barren yet outwardly calm.
On her bedside table sat a desk calendar. The date of Old Madam Bennett’s surgery had been circled and marked long ago.
Elise had convinced herself that this fragile, artificial peace would last until that day arrived.
She was wrong.
One week before the operation, Dylan stopped coming home. For three consecutive nights, he never returned. Ironically, his absence made things easier for Elise.
At least she no longer had to sit through dinner pretending they were a happy married couple.
Old Madam Bennett eventually offered an explanation.
She said a project overseas had encountered unexpected complications and Dylan had needed to fly out personally to handle it.
Perhaps the elderly woman believed it.
Elise did not. Nor did she care.
Where Dylan was, who he was with, and what he was doing no longer had anything to do with her.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared that view.
On the fourth night of Dylan’s absence, Elise was jolted awake by the shrill ringing of her phone.
Still half asleep, she reached for it blindly and answered without checking the caller.
Immediately, a woman’s breathless voice drifted through the speaker.
"Dylan... slower... I can’t take it..."
A man’s voice followed.
"Stop moving. Just endure it."
The connection crackled with poor reception. Parts of the conversation were distorted. Parts were perfectly clear. Every fragmented word stabbed into the silence of the dark bedroom.
Elise froze.
The last traces of sleep vanished instantly. She sat upright in bed, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Then the call disconnected.
The screen went dark.
For several seconds she remained motionless. Suddenly, nausea surged violently through her stomach. She threw the phone aside, clapped a hand over her mouth, and stumbled toward the bathroom.
The moment she reached the toilet, she dropped to her knees. Violent retching tore through her body.
She vomited until there was nothing left. Even after her stomach was empty, the waves of sickness continued.
Only after several agonizing minutes did the nausea finally begin to subside.
Bracing herself against the wall, she slowly stood, then turned on the faucet and rinsed her mouth, splashing cold water across her face.
Again.
And again.
The icy sting gradually cooled the storm raging inside her. When she finally raised her head, her reflection stared back from the mirror.
Her face was pale as paper. Tears glistened at the corners of her reddened eyes, the involuntary result of vomiting.
She had already guessed where Dylan had been spending these past few days––he was with Quinn.
Old Madam Bennett knew nothing, and Elise had chosen to remain silent. After all, she had already given up on Dylan, she no longer wanted answers. She no longer wanted accountability.
All she wanted was to endure these remaining days peacefully until the surgery was over.
Yet Quinn clearly had other intentions. This late-night call was no accident; it was a deliberate provocation. A calculated act of humiliation.
As though Quinn had decided Elise was already defeated and no longer worthy of basic respect.
A cold light entered Elise’s eyes.
She could walk away from Dylan. She could swallow her pride one final time for Old Madam Bennett’s sake. But that did not mean she would allow Quinn to trample over her again and again without consequence.
If Quinn insisted on pushing her luck, then she would have to accept whatever came next.
Elise stepped out of the bathroom and picked up her phone from the floor. Her expression was utterly devoid of emotion.
She opened her contacts and dialed Zoey’s number.
The call connected almost immediately.
When Elise spoke, her voice was calm enough to be chilling.
"Zoey."
A brief pause followed. Then she continued, her voice colder now.
"You can give Quinn’s parents her current address now."
