Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 423

Chapter 423 Neither of Us Could Ever Be With Anyone Else

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Benjamin burst into giggles and tossed the handful of water at Dawn. In his haste to run away, he almost tripped, his little feet wobbling as he darted behind the man next to him.

“Bleh! You can’t hit me!”

Dawn wasn’t even splashed, but she still played along, hands on her hips, pretending to be furious. “Benjamin Gardner!”

The little boy clung tightly to the man’s leg and completely ignored her.

His big, watery eyes lifted up nervously. “Can you save me? If you don’t save me, my mommy is going to kill me!”

Dawn rolled her eyes.

This kid. He’s so young, yet he already knows all the tricks.

But truthfully, she was curious…

Would Ethan, someone who hated dealing with children, actually respond?

She folded her arms and watched the two with great interest.

One second. Two seconds.

Ethan didn’t say a word. After staring down at Benjamin for a moment, he simply reached out, grabbed him, and lifted him up like a figurine.

After that, he effortlessly dropped him back into the bathtub.

“I think your current priority,” he said flatly, “is to finish your bath and then go to sleep like you’re supposed to.”

Bubbles they had already rinsed off were now stuck all over him again.

If he didn’t wash properly, he would catch a cold.

Benjamin let out a small “oh,” wiped the water off his nose, and asked, “If I don’t go to sleep, what will happen?”

“I’ll kill you.”

Benjamin looked horrified and immediately sealed his lips shut.

Dawn burst into silent laughter but had no intention of interfering. She stood nearby like an amused spectator and watched everything unfold.

Soon, Ethan wrapped Benjamin in a bath towel and carried him out.

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Chapter 423 Neither of Us Could Ever Be With Anyone Else

Dawn followed behind.

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After the boy changed into his pajamas, it was as if someone unsealed him. He immediately launched into a long round of pretend play.

His eyes

darted to the man sitting on the couch, replying to messages on his phone.

Dawn saw him gearing up to pounce and quickly grabbed his arm.

“Not now,” she whispered. “Ethan is busy. Wait a bit.”

“Okay.”

But he kept stealing glances over there, and the instant the man put down his phone, Benjamin bolted across the room and leaped into his lap.

“Ethan, I think you’re more reliable than my mommy. Can you be my mommy instead?”

Ethan glanced down at him. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m a man. Men are dads. We can’t be moms.”

Benjamin lit up. “Daddy!”

Ethan sighed.

Even Dawn saw a vein pop on Ethan’s forehead.

She couldn’t help but laugh as she pulled the child back into her arms. “What Ethan means is that men can only be dads, not that he wants to be your dad. Understand?”

“But I don’t care. He already agreed just now. From now on, he’s my second daddy!”

“What?”

A second daddy now?

Dawn bit her lip to keep from laughing and shot the man a helpless look.

See?

She had tried.

Ethan clicked his tongue against his molars, grabbed his phone, and walked out.

Dawn watched the door close and sighed.

“Uh–oh. He’s mad.”

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Chapter 423 Neither of Us Could Ever Be With Anyone Else

Benjamin blinked. “Why is he mad?“.

“Maybe…” She thought for a moment. “Maybe he feels unworthy of being your dad.”

“It’s okay,” the boy said very seriously. “I won’t look down on him.”

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Dawn had no comeback for that and just chuckled, placing him on the bed and pulling up the covers.

“Alright. If you really like him that much, then try again tomorrow. What if he changes his mind? We don’t give up easily, right?”

Benjamin lay on his back and thought hard, then nodded firmly. “Okay, I will!”

After coaxing him to sleep, Dawn quietly closed the door–only to almost jump out of her skin. She pressed a hand to her chest. “Good grief, Ethan. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Leaning against the wall was Ethan. The dim hallway light cast his shadow long and dark.

Her heartbeat steadied a little, and she moved to turn on the light.

Before she could step away, Ethan grabbed her wrist from behind–gently, but firmly–pulling her straight into his arms.

“Where are you going?”

Dawn blinked. “To turn on the light.”

“No. Leave it. Stay like this.”

“Oh.”

Fine, then. But why grab her?

where

Just as she began to tug free, his low, restrained voice brushed her ear. “I’ve imagined so many ways you survived,” he murmured. “And I’ve imagined meeting you again after I died. But the one thing I never imagined…”

He stopped.

Dawn lifted her head and looked right into the depths of his/stormy gaze.

“What didn’t you imagine?”

“I never imagined…” Ethan’s voice tightened, pain flickering beneath the calmness, “that you would show up in front of me with someone else’s child.”

“Dawn,” he breathed, “I always believed we belonged only to each other. Neither of us could ever be with anyone else.”