Hearing this, Dylan pursed his lips and remained silent, his dark, heavy gaze fixed entirely on Elise.

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Elise’s tone was sharp with mockery. "Dylan, do you honestly think that every single time we argue, as long as you stay silent and give me the cold shoulder, I’ll just digest it on my own after a few days and keep living our lives as if nothing happened?"

Having his true thoughts laid bare, Dylan froze for a brief second.

It was true; over their five years of marriage, it wasn’t as if they had never fought. But every time they did, the moment he felt the argument had become pointless, he would resort to silence. He always thought that since it was just trivial matters, Elise was simply being emotional and would figure things out on her own once she calmed down.

It was the same when she brought up a divorce. He genuinely believed that since she loved him so deeply and longed so desperately to have a child of their own again, her words were just spoken in anger. Once she was in a better mood, she would stop throwing a fit.

He had always believed that fighting was the most meaningless thing in the world, and his silence was merely to prevent both sides from saying hurtful things out of sheer spite.

He had never thought there was anything wrong with his mindset.

But now, facing Elise’s icy, almost mocking gaze, a sudden wave of panic surged in Dylan’s chest.

At this moment, he had no idea that from the very second Elise produced that new agreement, she already had a plan in mind. Everything happening now was entirely within her expectations. And precisely because it was all expected, Elise no longer cared about whatever answer Dylan might give right now.

She looked at him, her beautiful eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Robin said Fleur burst into tears right in front of the child and you because he refused to call her Mommy. And because of that, you scolded him. A five-year-old child and a grown adult—who needs comfort and reassurance more? Can you really not tell the difference?"

"It was because Robin told Fleur right to her face that you were his only mother. Fleur already suffers from depression, and I was simply worried about her emotional state."

"Oh, well, aren’t you incredibly considerate of your sister-in-law," Elise said with a faint, mocking curve of her lips. "Your sister-in-law has a brother-in-law like you to dote on her, so I suppose her hardships have finally paid off. It’s just a pity for poor Robin—having to compete for affection with his birth mother at such a tender young age."

"Elise!" Dylan’s face darkened instantly. "Fleur lost her husband during her pregnancy and gave birth to Robin all alone abroad, with absolutely no one to rely on. It hasn’t been easy for her. Now that she’s back, Robin refuses to accept her. Standing in her shoes, what exactly did she do wrong?"

Elise raised a delicate eyebrow. "She did nothing wrong. Then just consider me nosy. You can take Robin back with you right now."

"You know perfectly well how dependent Robin is on you right now." Dylan’s dark eyes locked onto her grimly. "You promised in the agreement that you would do the necessary mental prep work with him."

"What I said was that I would cooperate with you all to prepare him mentally," Elise emphasized coldly. "Cooperate. It means you, me, and her—the three adults—discuss things together and guide the child forward step by step. But given Fleur’s current state, do you honestly think she’s capable of that?"

Hearing this, Dylan hesitated.

"If Fleur can’t do it, then stop trying to emotionally blackmail me." Elise paused before continuing, "On her end, she does nothing but weep and wail, which ruins the child’s mood and sense of security.

The more I try to comfort him on my end, the more he’ll cling to me. Back and forth, it becomes a vicious cycle. You’ve been a father for five years; you can’t possibly be too dense to understand this logic."

Every single word Elise said was perfectly reasoned, and Dylan couldn’t deny it.

"I will talk to Fleur about her side of things," Dylan said after a moment of deliberation. "But let Robin stay here for the next few days."

"Fine," Elise replied. "But let’s get one thing straight: while Robin is staying here, if she wants to come over and see him, she has to ask me first. I don’t particularly like random outsiders wandering into my home."

"That is my sister-in-law. She’s family."

Elise let out a cold laugh. "Why don’t you just move Fleur in here with us then? Since she’s family, we might as well all live together."

Dylan frowned. He had never once thought about having Fleur move in. This was his and Elise’s marital home—their private little space that belonged only to them.

"Elise, that’s not what I meant," Dylan said heavily. "I just feel that Fleur has had a hard time. If she has to get your permission just to see her own child, I’m worried she’ll overthink things."

"Dylan, don’t play that card with me." Elise couldn’t be bothered to argue back and forth with him anymore and simply laid her cards on the table.

"To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t have a good impression of Fleur. The fact that she has depression isn’t a reason for me to indulge her. If it weren’t for the fact that Robin is just a child, I wouldn’t show her an ounce of courtesy based on the person she is."

Dylan truly could not comprehend Elise’s attitude toward Fleur. "She just returned to the country. Where exactly has she offended you?"

"She hasn’t offended me." Elise gently stroked her stomach. "I just don’t like the look of her. Besides, she has depression, but I’m a pregnant woman. Dylan, I am carrying your child, and I simply do not like having random people constantly showing up at my house. Your sister-in-law has been pregnant and given birth before; why don’t you know how to ask her to show some consideration for a pregnant woman like me?"

Dylan’s thin lips pressed into a tight line, his dark eyes staring unblinkingly at Elise.

The current Elise was covered in thorns, but she had never been like this before. The current Elise refused to yield even half an inch, her words razor-sharp, as if she were purely trying to oppose him and force him into an argument.

Dylan chalked it all up to pregnancy hormones.

With a soft sigh, he said, "I’ll make it clear to Fleur. I’ll have Melissa bring over Robin’s daily necessities later."

Elise averted her gaze, stood up, and walked toward the back garden. Dylan stared at her retreating figure for a moment before turning to leave.

Elise asked Mrs. Lander to take Robin upstairs for a bath. Robin was absolutely thrilled to find out he could stay. After his bath, he put on the pajamas he had left here previously and came downstairs to eat dinner with Elise.

During the meal, as Elise put some food onto his plate, Robin glanced around the room and asked curiously, "Mommy, did Daddy go out again?"

Elise gave him a gentle smile. "Your father still has work to take care of."

"Is he not coming back for dinner then?"

"No, he’ll find something to eat outside. He won’t starve, so don’t you worry." As for where exactly he was eating, honestly, Elise didn’t even need to think to know, but she truly didn’t care anymore. Compared to eating with Dylan, she would much rather have dinner with Robin.

Hearing this, Robin nodded and lowered his head to eat obediently.

The adult and the child sat facing each other. Robin would look up every now and then to ask a few questions, which Elise answered patiently, creating a warm, harmonious atmosphere.

After dinner, Robin said he wanted to watch a movie. Elise took him to the media room and found a children’s animated film for him.

The movie happened to tell the story of a little penguin searching for its mother. Along the way, the little penguin mistook several others for its mother, but after going through various perils and hardships, it finally returned to its mother’s embrace.

Elise waited until Robin finished the movie before asking, "Did you like the movie?"

Robin thought about it and said, "Yes, the little penguin inside was so pitiful."

Elise stroked his head. "Then what did you think of the little penguin’s mommy?"

"She didn’t lose the little penguin on purpose. While the little penguin was trying hard to find his mommy, she was also trying hard to find him. They were both so pitiful." Robin paused, then added, "But it’s great that they finally reunited in the end. I think it’s really nice!"

Elise smiled. "Mm, it’s good that our Robin understood it. Come on, it’s time to go upstairs, brush your teeth, and go to bed."

"Okay~"

Only after tucking Robin into bed did Elise return to the master bedroom. She had just finished her shower and was preparing to sleep when the bedroom door was pushed open.

Dylan was back.