Chapter 94: Chapter 94
Hearing this, Madeline’s eyes darted around before she finally looked at Elise and gave an honest nod.
Elise curled her lips into a slight smile and chuckled softly. "I figured as much."
"But Dylan actually arrived later," Madeline continued. "By then, everyone had had quite a bit to drink, and someone started stirring up trouble, bringing up how Aaron used to pursue Fleur back in the day.
Fleur explained that she and Aaron were just ordinary friends, and that Aaron only took extra care of her out of respect for Dylan. But everyone was drunk and wouldn’t drop it. In the end, Fleur looked so aggrieved, as if she had suffered some massive injustice, and right then, Dylan showed up."
Elise listened quietly without saying a word.
Recalling the scene from last night, Madeline couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "In five years, Fleur has changed so much! She used to be the fine arts department’s famous ice queen goddess—brilliant, beautiful, and completely scandal-free. Every student and teacher on campus couldn’t help but praise her whenever she was mentioned!"
At this point, Madeline scratched her forehead. "But when I saw her again last night, though her features hadn’t really changed, the vibe in her eyes was completely different. I can’t quite put my finger on the feeling, but... it just felt off?"
Elise didn’t say much in response.
She wasn’t close with Fleur, so it wasn’t her place to comment. Her only reason for asking Madeline about this was to confirm whether Fleur’s return to the country would disrupt her own life.
From the current situation, it was hard to say.
A woman who had lost her husband’s protection would naturally seek emotional comfort elsewhere. Whether she would place those hopes on the young Robin, or on Dylan, who now held the fate of the entire Bennett family in his hands, Elise didn’t really care.
All she cared about was when her divorce from Dylan would finally be finalized, and whether the baby in her womb could be born into a peaceful environment.
Madeline sighed. "I need a drink."
Elise turned around, her gaze falling on Madeline’s face.
Madeline had a baby face with that sweet, delicate, and naive look—the quintessential girl-next-door. Standing at 1.63 meters with a small frame and a round face, she possessed a sweet appearance that contrasted sharply with her sharp, articulate lawyer’s tongue.
The Pierce and Edison families were old family friends and neighbors. Madeline and Aaron had grown up together, the ultimate childhood sweethearts. Elise and their other friends had always assumed the two liked each other and would end up together sooner or later.
But five years ago, Aaron suddenly went abroad to join the peacekeeping forces and had been gone ever since. Over those five years, despite having plenty of suitors, Madeline had rejected them all under the guise of focusing on her career.
In truth, anyone with eyes could see that Madeline was waiting for Aaron.
Elise had assumed that with Aaron’s return this time, the two would finally make things official. She never expected Fleur to return as well.
"Madeline, men all have a ’White Moonlight’ complex. It might not even be real love; it’s just like they say online—the one you can’t have is always the one that keeps your heart restless."
Elise took her hand, her tone gentle. "I know you’ve been waiting for Aaron. But if Fleur is planning to stay in the country for good, I think you should protect yourself first before Aaron makes a clear choice."
"I know, I’m not the type to lose my head over love."
Madeline pouted. "It’s true that I like Aaron, but I haven’t reached the point where I’d throw away my dignity for him. What pisses me off is that Fleur clearly has zero feelings for him, yet he’s over there putting on a solo show and romanticizing everything. He’s making a total fool of himself!"
"But that’s his own choice. Take my advice and don’t get caught between him and Fleur. Like you said, Aaron views Fleur through a ’White Moonlight’ filter. He’s willing to do anything for her right now. Anyone who tries to talk sense into him won’t get through, and you might just end up looking like the bad guy for your efforts."
Elise paused and sighed. "I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to end up like me. Look at me—ten years of unrequited love, choosing Dylan without a second thought. For a while after our marriage, I genuinely thought I had won the gamble. But look what it got me in the end."
Madeline looked at Elise, her heart aching for her as she reached out to wrap her in a tight hug.
"Elise, you are wonderful, brilliant, and so brave. It’s Dylan who didn’t know how to cherish you. It’s his loss. If you two really divorce, it will be the biggest mistake of his life!"
Elise smiled. "Alright, let’s stop talking about this. As long as you know what you’re doing regarding Aaron, I can rest easy. Have some cake. Are you still busy today?"
"Not anymore!" Madeline released her, her almond eyes blinking pleadingly. "Can you take me in for the night?"
"I can take you in, but you’ll have to clean the guest room yourself. I don’t have a housekeeper right now."
"What’s the issue with that!" Madeline said. "But you’ll still have to look for a housekeeper later on, right?"
"I’m not considering it for now," Elise replied. "Knowing Dylan, he’s probably already given instructions to the domestic agencies. If I look for someone else, they’ll most likely just end up being his informant."
"But it’s not right for you to live alone as a pregnant woman. It’s not safe!"
"We’ll see." Elise stroked her stomach, her eyelids cast downward. Beneath her thick eyelashes, her deeper thoughts remained well hidden.
***
That night, Madeline stayed over.
Even though she understood all the reasoning Elise had laid out, how could anyone just give up on someone they had loved for so many years?
Seeing how down she was, Elise ordered grilled chicken and desserts from Madeline’s favorite restaurant, and even brought out a bottle of red wine from her private collection.
Madeline claimed she felt bad—worrying that if she got drunk, a pregnant Elise would have to take care of her—yet her hands didn’t hesitate for a second.
Elise sat across from her, raising her own freshly squeezed juice to clink glasses with her.
"Here’s to our little dumpling—may you be happy every day and grow up fast!"
Elise didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, feeling helpless against Madeline’s stubborn determination to give the baby in her belly that nickname. Still, she actually quite liked the name ’Little Dumpling.’
After drinking over half the bottle of red wine by herself, Madeline grew dizzy. Gathering the last of her willpower, she crawled over to the sofa and flopped down. Elise couldn’t carry her, so she could only go to the guest bedroom to grab a blanket to cover her up.
Afterward, she walked into the kitchen, pulled two tomatoes from the fridge, washed and diced them, and threw them into a pot with some water to simmer into tomato juice.
This was her signature hangover remedy.
During the first year of their marriage, Dylan inevitably had to attend countless business dinners. She had personally looked up remedies online and learned how to brew this. In reality, she could have just left this kind of task to Mrs. Lander, but back then, she had done it gladly.
Only, ever since the twins passed away, she had never personally brewed this soup for Dylan again...
As the tomato juice in the pot bubbled and steamed, Elise’s thoughts snapped back to reality, and she turned off the stove.
Ultimately, times had changed, and people were no longer the same.
***
Thanks to Elise’s hangover soup, Madeline woke up the next morning without a hangover and felt quite energized.
Elise happened to have a prenatal checkup scheduled, so Madeline accompanied her to the hospital. Today was her twelve-week appointment to establish her pregnancy file, which required fasting.
Elise and Madeline arrived at the hospital early. While Madeline went to park the car, Elise went ahead to the OB-GYN department to get her lab slips from the department head for her blood test.
She never expected to run straight into Fleur right as she arrived.
Fleur was holding a lab slip in her hand. Seeing Elise, she froze for a moment before actively walking over. She flashed Elise a warm, friendly smile. "Elise, what a coincidence! Are you here for a checkup too?"
