Elise’s breathing faltered at Robin’s excited declaration.

Alexander walked over, carrying Lily in his arms. He glanced at the boy before looking at Elise. "He’s a child. He may not be expressing himself correctly. Don’t take it seriously."

Elise took a slow breath and forced a smile that never reached her eyes. "It doesn’t matter. We’re getting divorced soon anyway."

Seeing her reaction, Alexander wisely chose not to say anything further.

Elise ignored Robin completely and walked to the reception desk. "Hello, I have an appointment with Mr. Gray."

The young receptionist immediately straightened. "Mrs. Bennett, good morning!"

Her voice was bright, but her smile looked noticeably strained. Every few seconds, her eyes drifted nervously toward Mr. Gray’s consultation room.

She knew exactly who Elise was.

In the past, whenever Dylan had accompanied Elise to the clinic for treatment, she had been the one handling their appointments.

Back then, she had secretly envied Elise.

After all, Dylan was handsome, wealthy, successful, and seemingly devoted to his wife.

She had genuinely believed Elise had married the perfect husband.

Who could have guessed that Dylan wasn’t just attentive to his wife?

Apparently, he was equally attentive to his mistress.

And now, the wife had run into the husband while he was bringing his mistress to fertility treatments.

The receptionist felt as though she’d stumbled directly into the middle of a battlefield.

She was too young for this level of drama.

Compared to her obvious discomfort, Elise, the person at the center of it all, appeared remarkably calm.

She didn’t mention Dylan.

"The child has a fever," she said simply.

The receptionist nodded quickly. "Children with fevers can be prioritized. It’s just that Mr. Bennett is currently..." She abruptly stopped herself and changed course. "I’ll go ask Mr. Gray. Please wait a moment, Mrs. Bennett."

Before she could finish speaking, the consultation room door opened with a click.

Almost instinctively, Elise turned her head.

Dylan stepped out. Their eyes met.

The air seemed to freeze.

Then Mr. Gray’s voice drifted from inside the room.

"Miss Foster, your condition is quite serious. Finish these three courses of medicine and come back for another examination. Cases like yours usually require at least six months of treatment before a normal pregnancy becomes likely."

Treatment. Pregnancy.

So Robin had been telling the truth.

Elise looked at Dylan. At that moment, she felt neither rage nor heartbreak. Even questioning him seemed pointless.

The deeper her love for him had once been, the greater her disappointment had become.

More than anything, she felt grateful she had chosen to hide her pregnancy from the beginning.

Dylan Bennett did not deserve to be her child’s father.

"Daddy!"

Robin ran forward and wrapped both arms around Dylan’s leg.

"What a coincidence!" he said excitedly. "Pretty Miss came to see Mr. Gray too! Is she here because she’s going to have a baby like Mommy?"

Elise’s face darkened instantly.

Dylan merely patted the boy’s head. "Children shouldn’t say things they don’t understand."

"But I’m not making it up!" Robin protested. "Mommy really is going to have a baby!"

"My mommy isn’t!"

The soft but indignant voice came from Lily.

Everyone turned.

Lily was still in Alexander’s arms, her beautiful little face scrunched into a frown.

She patted her own chest possessively. For perhaps the first time ever, the sweet little girl looked genuinely fierce.

"My mommy."

Robin stared blankly at her. Several seconds passed before he blinked.

Then he tugged lightly on Dylan’s pant leg and looked up.

"Daddy, that little girl called Pretty Miss Mommy. Is she Pretty Miss’ daughter?"

Dylan’s brows knitted together with annoyance. His gaze then shifted to Elise.

"Elise, don’t you owe me an explanation?"

Elise couldn’t have cared less about either father or son.

She walked directly to Lily and gently stroked her hair.

"Don’t be angry, sweetheart. The big brother was just talking nonsense."

Lily puffed out her cheeks and immediately stretched both arms toward her.

"Mommy, hug."

Elise laughed softly and reached out to take her.

"You really shouldn’t indulge her this much."

Alexander’s tone carried helpless amusement. Mindful of Dylan’s presence, he left the rest unsaid, but Elise understood perfectly.

She simply smiled.

"It’s fine." Then she kissed Lily’s forehead. "Our Lily deserves to be spoiled."

The image of the three of them together—two adults and one child—looked unexpectedly warm and harmonious.

Dylan watched the interaction expressionlessly. His dark eyes seemed almost bottomless.

The atmosphere surrounding him turned noticeably colder.

The receptionist’s eyes darted back and forth between everyone involved. The amount of gossip unfolding before her was almost more than she could process.

Just then, Quinn emerged from the consultation room holding a prescription slip.

"Dylan, Mr. Gray finished writing the prescription."

Dylan nodded.

"I’ll take Robin to the car first. Pick up the medicine and come out afterward."

"Okay."

Her voice instantly softened.

Without another word, Dylan took Robin’s hand and headed toward the exit.

As he passed Elise, he stopped for a moment.

"Come back to Bennett Residence tonight."

His tone left little room for discussion.

Elise ignored him completely. She had no intention of returning.

After Dylan and Robin left, Quinn carried the prescription to the reception desk before turning toward Elise.

Elise knew exactly how poisonous Quinn’s tongue could be.

She didn’t want Lily hearing any of it.

Turning to Alexander, she said quietly, "Take Lily inside and let Mr. Gray examine her first."

Alexander immediately understood.

"Alright."

Carrying the girl, he disappeared into the consultation room.

The moment they were alone, Quinn’s smile became openly provocative.

"Since you’ve already seen everything, I suppose there’s no point hiding it anymore."

Her eyes gleamed maliciously.

"Dylan promised me that my child will inherit all of his assets."

She laughed lightly.

"Who knows? Some of that wealth might even come from your hard work."

Instead of anger, Elise released a cold, incredulous laugh.

"You two are such terrible people." She tilted her head slightly. "Aren’t you worried karma will catch up with you?"

Quinn’s expression immediately twisted.

"Stop cursing my child!" Her voice sharpened. "You think everyone is as unlucky as you? Those two dead children of yours were probably—"

Slap.

The sharp crack echoed through the clinic. Quinn’s head snapped sideways. The unfinished sentence died instantly.

Elise lowered her hand slowly, her eyes were glacial.

"I warned you before." Her voice was still calm. "Every time you test me, I’ll hit you."

She took a step forward. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"You didn’t believe me." A second passed. "Feel free to test me again."

Without waiting for a response, Elise turned and walked toward the consultation room.

Behind her, Quinn clutched her burning cheek.

Hatred surged through her eyes. Then suddenly, something calculating flashed across her expression.

"Elise!"

She hurried after her and grabbed her arm.

Elise frowned and tried to pull away.

Before she could, Quinn leaned close to her ear. Her voice dropped to a sinister whisper.

"Five years ago, when the kidnappers called Dylan..."

Elise froze.

"...he was sleeping beside me."

Everything inside her went deadly still.

She stared at Quinn, her hands slowly clenching into fists.

Quinn released her and stepped back. The smile on her lips was vicious.

"Cruel, isn’t it?" Her eyes glittered with satisfaction. "Dylan was exhausted that night. He was sleeping so deeply."

She sighed dramatically.

"I just couldn’t bear to wake him."

The blood drained from Elise’s face.

Quinn’s smile widened.

"You tell me." Her voice was soft now, almost gentle.

"If Dylan had answered the phone sooner that day..."

She paused deliberately. Then delivered the final blow.

"...do you think your children might still be alive?"