Walking Away While Pregnant: Dear Ex-Husband, I Don't Love You Anymore novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Chapter 176

When Aaron received Madeline’s call, it was 3:00 AM.

He was currently aboard a private cruise ship bound for the Western Islands. Seeing Madeline’s name flash on the screen, his eyelid twitched.

He bolted upright from the wooden bed in his cabin, took a deep breath to clear his throat, and swiped to answer. "Hello?"

"Aaron, I have a question for you," Madeline said, her tone icy.

A faint curve touched the corner of his lips. "Ask away."

To him, the fact that she was reaching out meant she had finally cooled off. That was how it had always been since they were kids—she was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, quick to temper, but quick to forgive. Holding a cold war with him for this long had been a record in itself. It was about time her anger blew over.

Madeline couldn’t care less about what was going through his head; she was only calling to ask a few questions on Elise’s behalf.

"Have you been in touch with Fleur lately?"

Aaron froze, the slight smile vanishing from his face. "No. Why?"

"Why no?" Madeline mocked. "Didn’t you say before that Fleur was too fragile to take care of herself, running yourself ragged playing her knight in shining armor every day? Now that she’s all over the news back home, are you telling me you don’t know?"

Aaron’s grip on the phone tightened.

Of course he knew. But there were things he couldn’t explain to her.

"Madeline, did Elise ask you to call me?"

Madeline frowned. Damn it, was it really that obvious?!

"Madeline, listen to me," Aaron said, his tone growing grave. "Don’t get involved in this. And tell Elise for me: stay in Rainport, take good care of herself and the baby. As for the rest—don’t guess, don’t ask. Dylan is finding a way to resolve it."

"What kind of nonsense is that?!"

As the middleman, Madeline was completely baffled.

"What on earth are you and Dylan plotting?! Elise already told me that Fleur isn’t Robin’s biological mother, and that she abused him. Elise was ready to sue her, but now she’s vanished into thin air! Tell me the truth, Aaron—did you guys hide Fleur away?!"

Aaron dragged a hand down his face. "Stop asking. Knowing too much won’t do you any good."

"So you did hide her!" Madeline goaded.

"Believe whatever you want," Aaron sighed. "I’ll explain everything to you in person when I get back. I have to go now. Don’t call this number again—I’m switching off this phone for the next few days."

"You—"

Before she could finish, Aaron ended the call.

He powered down the phone, tucked it under his pillow, and stood up to open the cabin door, heading into the room next door.

***

In Rainport, it was 9:30 PM.

Robin and Lily had just fallen asleep.

Elise closed the storybook in her hands, set it on the nightstand, switched off the main overhead light, and stepped quietly out of the room.

Back in her own bedroom, she shut the door, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out her pajamas. Just then, her phone vibrated.

It was an international call.

After a moment’s hesitation, she pressed answer. "Hello?"

"Elise, it’s me."

The man’s deep, low voice drifted through the receiver.

Elise wasn’t surprised. Madeline had called her back earlier that evening—a half-hour phone call during which Madeline spent the entire thirty minutes cursing out both Aaron and Dylan.

Truthfully, when Elise asked Madeline to call Aaron, she hadn’t expected to extract any real answers from him. Her sole purpose was to force Dylan to contact her directly.

Though they had grown distant over five years of marriage, she felt she still understood him well enough. Once Madeline made that call, Aaron was bound to inform Dylan. And Dylan couldn’t stay indifferent for long—if not for her, then at least for Robin’s sake, he would stop playing dead.

"Dylan, where is Fleur?" Elise asked, cutting straight to the chase.

Silence fell over the line.

It was the one thing about him that irritated her the most.

"I already know this ’Fleur’ is an imposter," she goaded intentionally. "Are you hiding her because you’ve actually fallen for her?"

Yet she still underestimated him; he didn’t take the bait at all.

"Elise, do you really think I wouldn’t be aware of the connections Zoey was using?"

Elise frowned. "So the one actively blocking my investigation into Fleur was you all along."

"If you knew, why did you insist on digging?" Dylan’s voice dropped, tinged with helpless exhaustion. "Stay in Rainport with Robin for now. I’ve stationed people there to guard you both. Don’t concern yourself with what’s happening overseas."

Elise knew he had his own agenda. If he had no intention of letting her know, she wouldn’t be able to pry a word out of him no matter how hard she pressed.

"So, you called just to persuade me to take care of Robin for you?"

"Robin..." Dylan paused for a few seconds before speaking again. "Elise, a phone call can’t explain everything. Just remember: stay in Rainport with Robin and wait for me. Once I return, I’ll go to Rainport and explain every single detail to your face."

Wait for me, Elise. Trust me one last time.

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