"Dylan, what are you doing!" Fleur let out a low gasp and immediately rushed over to shield him.

Lifting her tear-stained face, she said anxiously, "Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t fight with Elise anymore? This whole thing is my fault. I’m the one who hasn’t been able to control my emotions, putting pressure on Robin time after time. It’s entirely my problem.

Elise is pregnant right now; as her husband, you should be showing her more consideration. How can you constantly scold her like this!"

Dylan’s face remained grim. "Fleur, you don’t need to speak up for her. This is an issue between the two of us."

"What kind of issue can’t be resolved through proper communication? Elise is still carrying your child. Dylan, listen to me, lower your pride and make amends with her. I really was reckless when it came to Robin’s situation.

Every time, I convince myself I can handle it, but every time, I end up messing things up. Even if Elise hadn’t pointed it out, I would have known myself. Elise is a truly straightforward person. The fact that she’s willing to be blunt actually makes me quite grateful to her—it shows she genuinely cares for Robin."

Fleur lowered her head as she spoke, lifting a hand to brush away her tears. "It’s fine this way. Seeing that Robin is doing well sets my mind at ease. As for whether he’s willing to accept me as his mother, it doesn’t matter anymore.

As long as Robin can grow up happy, even if it means I can never see him again for the rest of my life, I can accept that..."

"Fleur, don’t talk such nonsense." Dylan’s dark brows furrowed tightly, his tone solemn. "You are Robin’s biological mother; that is an indisputable fact. Robin is just young, and his memory was affected by his recent injury. Just give him a bit more time—he will accept you sooner or later."

Hearing Dylan’s words, Fleur could no longer contain herself. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob quietly.

Seeing this, Melissa immediately stepped forward with some tissues to comfort her.

"Miss, you’ve truly suffered a great grievance. But Mr. Bennett is right—the fact that you are the Young Master’s birth mother is an unshakeable truth. The Young Master is just young and doesn’t know any better right now. When he gets older, he will understand that in this world, only one’s own birth mother will love her child unconditionally and selflessly."

As she spoke, Melissa shot a subtle, venomous glance at Elise.

The two of them played off each other beautifully, demonstrating a truly remarkable rapport.

Elise let out a cold, mocking sneer, stood up, and looked directly at Dylan.

"It seems your dear sister-in-law is incapable of having a civil conversation with me." She cast a frosty gaze over at Melissa. "Take your Mistress and get out of my house. Right now. Immediately."

Melissa’s face froze, and she instinctively looked at Dylan for guidance.

Dylan’s expression was incredibly dark, his black eyes locked squarely onto Elise. "Elise, do you absolutely have to make the situation look this ugly?"

Elise remained entirely expressionless, refusing to yield a single inch. "Either she leaves, or I leave. Take your pick."

Dylan pursed his lips, his jawline taut with tension. His dark eyes surged with suppressed fury as he stared deathly at her.

Fleur suddenly looked up, her tear-filled eyes turning toward him. "Dylan, please don’t fight with Elise because of me. It only makes me feel more guilty. Elise is a pregnant woman right now; you should show her more patience and accommodation. I’m quite tired today too, so I’ll be heading back first."

Dylan looked at Fleur, his expression deeply complicated. After a brief pause, he let out a heavy sigh. "Fleur, I’m sorry." His voice was low and gravelly. Turning his gaze to Melissa, he commanded, "Take her back."

Melissa nodded and supported Fleur as they walked toward the door.

After taking a few steps, Fleur paused. She turned back to look at Elise, her eyes brimming with fresh tears.

"Elise, I’m sorry. I’ve disappointed you yet again. But since you’re carrying a child right now, please don’t hold a grudge against Dylan. Take good care of yourself and the baby in your belly first. I won’t ever come back here again. I leave Robin in your and Dylan’s hands!"

With that, Fleur actually bent her waist and bowed deeply to Elise. "Thank you for being willing to care for Robin."

Elise didn’t even bother to spare her a single glance.

Melissa supported Fleur as they finally left the house.

An absolute, crushing silence settled over the living room.

Elise sat back down, her hand gently resting on her abdomen, which had not yet begun to show.

This was a gesture she frequently made after becoming pregnant; whenever her emotions fluctuated, she would touch her stomach to remind herself that the baby could feel what she felt. Consequently, her emotions would gradually settle. It had practically become a reflex by now.

Watching her stroke her stomach, the dark fury in Dylan’s eyes softened, replaced by a sudden hint of tenderness. He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and let out a helpless, weary sigh.

"Elise, I know you’re unhappy. If you want to throw a fit or scream at me, I’ll accept it. But Fleur hasn’t had an easy time all these years. Why must you take your anger out on her?"

Listen to that—he truly knew how to feel protective over someone. The tragic irony was that he could feel protective over anyone in the world except for her—the wife who had shared his bed for five long years.

Elise’s hand stopped its soothing motion against her belly. She looked at Dylan, and aside from a slight chill in her chest, she truly could no longer feel a single shred of pain or anger. She just sat there, her gaze fixed steadily on him—her eyes entirely calm, entirely devoid of warmth.

"Dylan, you’re right. There is an issue between us. In the past, the problem stemmed from the fact that I loved you far too much. Because of that love, no matter what I encountered, I wanted to share it with you immediately.

During my most vulnerable moments, when I needed someone to rely on most, I always wanted you by my side, hoping you could understand my pain and soothe my anxieties."

"Perhaps everything went too smoothly during our honeymoon phase—from marriage to pregnancy, everything was absolutely perfect. We even shared a beautiful time that made everyone else envious, which led me to believe that you loved me too. But in the end, it was nothing more than my own unrequited, foolish wishful thinking."

"You don’t love me. In your eyes, I am merely a wife from an arranged marriage. You only ever needed to fulfill the baseline obligations of a legal husband. That’s why, when I completely fell apart over losing our child, my grief and my breakdowns became nothing more than hysteria to you—just a series of unreasonable tantrums that constantly annoyed you."

Elise looked at him, the corners of her lips curving into a brilliantly radiant smile. Her beautiful eyes flashed with a spark that hadn’t been seen there in five years.

"Now, I don’t love you anymore, which means the problem on my end no longer exists. The Elise who used to revolve her entire world around you—the Elise who would second-guess herself over a single dismissive word from your mouth—already entered a slow, painful death the moment you decided to cooperate with Quinn in the name of love. You killed the Elise who loved you with your own two hands."

The woman’s voice was quiet but resolute. Each word, each sentence, felt like a series of fine needles piercing directly into Dylan’s heart.

His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists. Looking at the Elise before him, that same terrifying wave of panic surged into his chest once more.

"Elise, all this fuss you’ve been making over the past two days—isn’t it all just to force me into giving you a divorce?" The furrow between his brows deepened, his tone turning fiercely rigid. "What happened in the past was my fault, and I can change. But a divorce? I don’t agree to it. And don’t forget, we signed an agreement—you cannot bring up divorce again before the child is born."

Elise let out a faint, effortless smile. "The current me won’t demand that you keep me company, nor do I need you to understand me. I’m bringing up a divorce because I genuinely believe that continuing our life together would be nothing more than a hollow facade. Rather than torturing each other, it’s better for us to go our separate ways in peace."

"But you think I’m just making a scene—playing hard to get. If I didn’t lay it out clearly today, you would never understand. I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’ve simply found myself again. I simply refuse to wrong myself anymore. I simply... don’t love you anymore, that’s all."

Dylan froze entirely. Staring at Elise’s perfectly calm yet unshakeably resolute demeanor, it finally hit him with crushing certainty: Elise wasn’t speaking out of anger.

She truly... didn’t love him anymore.