The bedroom door flew open, Elise strode out without looking back. Behind her, Dylan quickly caught up and grabbed her arm.

"Elise, calm down!"

She was furious beyond reason. Spinning around, she raised her hand again, intending to slap him. But this time, the blow never landed––Dylan caught her wrist midair.

Her hand remained suspended between them, firmly trapped in his grasp.

When it came to strength, she had never been a match for him.

Their eyes locked. Neither was willing to yield.

Elise’s lips were pressed tightly together, her chest rising and falling with barely contained rage.

Her eyes were red. She stared at Dylan, hatred surging visibly beneath the tears threatening to spill.

Perhaps it was the intensity of that look... Perhaps it was the way she looked at him as though she could no longer bear the sight of him... But for the first time, an unfamiliar sense of panic gripped Dylan’s heart.

His brows drew together tightly.

"Can you please calm down and let me finish what I’m trying to say?"

"I can’t calm down!" The words exploded from her. "That child was raised by you and Quinn together!"

Her voice cracked.

"He’s the child you spent five years raising while I was drowning alone in the grief of losing my own children!"

Tears streamed down her face.

"Tell me, Dylan—how am I supposed to accept that?"

The corridor echoed with her voice. Her entire body trembled.

"Maybe you don’t love me anymore," she continued, her lips shaking. "But you don’t have the right to humiliate me."

Her eyes burned.

"And you certainly don’t have the right to decide whose mother I should be!"

She yanked against his grip.

"Elise Harper will only raise children she gives birth to herself!"

Every word rang with conviction.

"And if I ever choose to adopt a child, that choice will be mine alone."

Her voice turned icy.

"Not something forced onto me through your disgusting lies and manipulations."

Dylan’s jaw tightened.

"Robin is a good child. He likes you."

His voice was low, edged with frustration.

"Elise, don’t you think what you’re saying is going too far?"

"I don’t owe Robin Bennett anything!"

She wiped the tears from her face with a fierce swipe. Her voice turned cold.

"You pity him. You think he’s innocent. You think he’s a wonderful child."

She laughed bitterly.

"You’re a great father to Robin. Fine. I don’t care anymore."

Her gaze sharpened.

"But I cannot accept him. If I did..."

Her voice dropped to a painful whisper.

"What would make me any different from you?"

Dylan froze. For a moment, he had no answer to any of that.

"Elise..."

"From the moment I asked for a divorce," she interrupted, "I stopped expecting anything from you."

Her voice was calm now. Too calm for anything. And somehow that calmness hurt more than her anger.

"But even then..." She looked directly into his eyes. "I never imagined you would keep finding new ways to disappoint me."

A long silence stretched between them.

"To be honest," she continued softly, "I’m beginning to wonder if I ever really knew you at all."

The man standing before her felt like a stranger. Nothing like the man she had loved. Nothing like the Dylan she had devoted half her life to.

"You’re not the Dylan I fell in love with."

A tear slipped silently down her cheek.

"And I truly..." She paused... Then finished quietly, "...will never love you again."

Her voice lingered in the silent hallway.

An accusation. A verdict. A condemnation of his betrayal. And a judgment against herself for loving the wrong man.

She was severing everything.

Him. Their marriage. Their shared past.

All of it.

Dylan stared at her, utterly speechless. His dark eyes were unreadable. Several times his lips parted, as though he wanted to speak. Several times he stopped himself.

In the end, nothing came out. Only suffocating silence. And that silence felt every bit as cruel as betrayal.

Because Elise still couldn’t forgive him. Couldn’t stop resenting him. Couldn’t stop hating him.

Even with their child growing inside her... She still couldn’t convince herself to let go of the hurt.

Then suddenly, a faint pain twisted through her abdomen.

Elise stiffened. Her eyes closed briefly, a sharp inhale cut through the room with a loud whistle.

She started counting to ten, forcing herself to calm down.

She had to calm down.

The doctors had already warned her that her body was weaker than most expectant mothers. The first three months were especially dangerous.

She had already lost her twins. This time, she absolutely could not let history repeat itself.

Gradually, her emotions settled. When she opened her eyes again, her face had returned to its usual cold composure.

She looked at Dylan, struggling to remain indifferent.

"Let me make this clear one last time."

Her tone was detached.

"If you want Robin to meet Grandma and acknowledge the Bennett family, I won’t stop you."

She forced a light shrug.

"Whether he calls you Dad or Uncle is none of my concern."

Then her eyes sharpened.

"But if you still expect me to cooperate with this little performance for the next two weeks, remember two things."

Dylan simply watched her. Something complicated flickered behind his eyes.

When he remained silent, Elise continued.

"First... While I’m staying here, Quinn is not allowed to set foot in this house."

"Second... Stop fantasizing that I’ll acknowledge Robin as my son."

Her gaze hardened further.

"Not even for appearances. Not even as part of this act."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed downstairs.

Whatever expression Dylan wore behind her, she didn’t care.

But she knew he would agree. For Grandma’s sake, he would compromise. No matter how unwilling he might be.

...

When Elise reached the first floor, Quinn was sitting on the sofa while Robin sat on the carpet nearby, happily building a tower out of blocks.

At that moment, Mrs. Lander emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly washed fruit.

"Madam."

Her face immediately brightened when she saw Elise.

"I just prepared some fruit."

She stepped forward and offered the plate.

"Come have a little, please."