Chapter 75: Chapter 75
"About that..."
Before Oliver could even finish that thought, a familiar male voice cut through the line—low, steady, and unmistakably Dylan’s.
"Elise." There was a trace of restrained frustration in his tone. "I’ve already explained everything between Quinn and me. I honestly don’t understand what you’re still dissatisfied with."
Elise let out a quiet, humorless laugh. The absurdity of this man’s actions was becoming unbearable now.
"If you could understand, you never would have done any of this in the first place." Her voice was cold enough to freeze the air between them. "And besides, even if you never had a physical relationship with her, can you honestly tell me you were completely unaware of her feelings for you?"
Silence answered her. A long, heavy silence.
It was exactly what she had expected; the absence of a denial was an answer in itself.
"Elise..." he began, but she cut him off.
"You knew," she said, her voice dangerously calm. "You always knew. And despite knowing exactly how she felt, you still chose to work with her. In my eyes, Dylan, that alone was a betrayal. There is such a thing as emotional cheating, and it counts just as much."
Without waiting for a response, she ended the call. The screen went dark. Around her, the waiting area of the Civil Affairs Bureau buzzed with the chatter of other couples, but the noise faded into a dull hum.
She lowered her eyes to the crumpled number slip in her hand as a relentless chill spread through her chest.
Time bled away, minute by minute. The crowd thinned, numbers were called, and couples arrived and left. Yet, Dylan never appeared. Not at all. Not even at the very end.
It was exactly as she had predicted. Still, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Closing her eyes briefly, Elise finally stood up. Without a hint of hesitation, she tossed the number slip into a nearby trash bin and walked out into the stark daylight.
A white Porsche Panamera was waiting curbside. Elise crossed the parking lot, slipped into the passenger seat, and closed the door with a muted click.
Zoey glanced at the documents gripped in Elise’s hands—the unsigned divorce agreement, the identification papers, everything they had meticulously prepared. A flash of anger crossed Zoey’s face, and she slammed her hand against the steering wheel, nearly breaking it off.
"Dylan has gone too far! He doesn’t have a shred of credibility left! Jerk! Fucking bastard!"
Elise stared out the window, her expression remarkably detached.
"Let’s leave the country first. As Attorney Hayes said, litigation won’t produce results anytime soon. Separation is our only option."
She lowered her gaze, a faint, tired smile touching her lips. "Two years apart, that’s all I need. Once the court recognizes that the marriage has irretrievably broken down, the chances of obtaining a divorce are much higher."
Zoey sighed, shifting the car into drive. "I suppose that’s our only path forward."
Then, a mischievous glint sparked in her eyes, and she offered her friend a sharp grin. "Or... we could always pull off a disappearing act and let Dylan become a widower. That will put a guaranteed end to this stupid charade."
It was meant as a joke, a bit of dark humor to break the tension. But Elise’s response made Zoey’s smile freeze in place.
"I’ve been considering exactly that."
The Porsche nearly swerved.
"Wait," Zoey said, turning sharply at a red light. "You’re serious?"
"Very," Elise replied, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"The separation strategy isn’t complicated, which means Dylan’s lawyers have already analyzed it for him. He likely anticipated my desire to leave the country long ago."
She looked out at the city rushing past, a shadow crossing her eyes. "With his resources and influence, changing my identity won’t be enough. As long as I’m alive, he will eventually find me."
Zoey groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Honestly? When it comes to sheer capability, Dylan is the last person I’d ever underestimate."
"Exactly. So if I disappear, it can’t be a simple departure. It has to be an accident," Elise said quietly, letting the heavy words linger between them. "A fatal one. The kind that leaves nothing behind."
Zoey swallowed hard. "That sounds incredibly dangerous. And even then, I’m not convinced you’d fool him."
"It’s possible he’ll see through it," Elise conceded, closing her eyes as a profound fatigue seeped into her words.
"But it’s still a better option than simply walking away. Lately, I’ve been asking myself the same question over and over during those long, sleepless nights: Why did we end up like this? I’ve reached the point where I’m wondering if I’m the problem."
"You definitely have a problem," Zoey answered without a second thought.
Elise turned to look at her, surprised.
Zoey rolled her eyes dramatically, pointing an accusing finger into the air. "Your problem is that your luck is absolutely catastrophic. That’s the only reason you ever met Dylan Bennett."
For a moment, Elise just stared. Then, despite the weight in her chest, the corner of her mouth twitched upward.
"Let’s just go home," Zoey sighed, her expression softening. "Everything overseas has already been arranged. Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out how we leave."
"Alright," Elise murmured, releasing a short sigh.
Over the following two days, Elise quietly shipped her essential belongings to her new home overseas.
The more she weighed her options, the more convinced she became that a staged car accident was the safest solution—a complete disappearance, a death without a body, a flawless illusion.
Zoey admitted that executing it perfectly would require trusted, outside help. But after multiple clandestine discussions, the date was finally set: the thirtieth of the month. That would be the day Elise vanished from Dylan Bennett’s world forever.
Yet, as the departure date drew closer, one stubborn thought lingered in her heart. One final matter remained unfinished.
Before she erased herself completely from this life, she wanted to see Lily one last time.
