Walking Away While Pregnant: Dear Ex-Husband, I Don't Love You Anymore novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Chapter 180

When her eyes fell upon the word "WILL," Elise froze. The envelope in her hands felt immensely heavy.

This will... carried an overwhelming weight.

Elise didn’t look any further. She sealed the envelope back up and locked it away in the top drawer of her desk.

Afterward, she gently caressed her stomach, turned, and walked out of the study.

The study door clicked shut.

And just like that, the envelope was left behind to be "forgotten."

. . .

Mrs. Lander settled into the new house.

Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Lander hit it off right away, working together to keep the inside and outside of the villa running in flawless order.

When Elise originally bought this villa, what drew her most was the old yet intricate architecture in the backyard. The yard featured a rockery with a fish pond, a sprawling lawn, and its own small storage room.

The previous owners loved camping and had left behind some of the gear they had purchased. When buying the house, they had mentioned that if she didn’t mind, she could keep and use it—an offer Elise had happily accepted.

Currently pregnant and with plenty of savings, she was in no rush to go out and work. Now that she was settled in Rainport, she intended to slow down her pace of life over the next two or three years, enjoying every beautiful moment alongside the children.

Of course, that was the ideal scenario. If things on Dylan’s end weren’t handled properly, everything could still hang in the balance. However, with Dylan completely out of reach, there was no telling what was actually happening overseas. All she could do for now was minimize her outings to maximize her and her children’s safety.

After discussing it, Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Lander decided to clear a small vegetable patch along the backyard wall to grow some organic produce. Rainport’s climate wasn’t just wonderful for raising people; it was equally great for farming.

Elise naturally had no objections. Had it not been inconvenient due to her pregnancy, she would have loved to get her hands dirty and help out herself.

Mrs. Clark, coming from a rural background in Rainport, was an expert at tilling soil and growing crops, while Mrs. Lander served as her handy assistant.

Hoeing the soil and sowing seeds, the two worked in seamless harmony, looking nothing like people who had only met a few days ago.

Lily and Robin found the whole thing fascinating. Every time Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Lander worked in the garden, the two little ones would plant themselves at the edge of the patch, curiously peppering them with questions. The women patiently shared all sorts of little gardening tidbits with them, which Lily and Robin absorbed attentively, their small heads nodding repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Madeline and Jessica retrieved the camping gear from the storage room. They set up a canopy, arranged tables and chairs, and transformed the backyard into an instant leisure retreat.

Elise sat beneath the shade of the canopy, watching the figures busily tending to the garden patch. The atmosphere was cozy, and the days felt delightfully peaceful.

The autumn sun set quickly. As dusk began to settle in, Madeline took a sip of jasmine tea, suddenly turned her head, covered her mouth, and whispered to Elise in a low voice:

"Have you noticed? A lot of Robin’s little habits and expressions look just like yours!"

Elise was currently leaning lazily against the back of her chair, her hand resting habitually on her stomach. Hearing Madeline’s words, her hand came to a sudden halt.

Madeline had merely brought it up offhandedly, without a second thought. "Even his taste in food is just like yours! Whenever you eat spicy food, you sneeze and tear up, right? He’s the exact same way! Yesterday, he ate a spicy snack stick and cried from the heat—he looked so pitiful yet hilarious, hahaha..."

Listening to Madeline’s casual remark, Elise’s breathing gradually stilled.

She whipped her head around to look at Robin.

Robin was currently squatting by the edge of the pond, clutching fish food in his tiny hand as he fed the koi. Elise stared at him intently.

The koi crowded around, eagerly scrambling for the food in his palm, their nibbling tickling his skin. Tickled, Robin instantly pulled his hand back and used his itchy palm to rub behind his ear.

Elise froze.

That gesture... it was identical to hers.

Every time she felt a tickle, she subconsciously made that exact same movement...

Robin did it too!

Looking at the young boy’s face—which bore a striking resemblance to Dylan—an utterly absurd thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Recalling Robin’s eating habits, they really were remarkably similar to hers. In particular, just like her, Robin loved orange marmalade...

"Elise?"

Madeline’s voice snapped Elise back from her spiraling thoughts.

She turned back around, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she met Madeline’s concerned gaze.

Madeline frowned as she looked at her. "Are you alright?"

Elise steadied her racing mind. "I’m fine."

It’s absurd, she thought to herself.

Suddenly, Dylan’s words during that phone call that night echoed in her mind. He had told her to live comfortably in Rainport with Robin. He had also said for her and Robin to wait for his return.

She and Robin... wait for him. So... had he known all along?

Elise’s hands began to shake uncontrollably. Having endured such devastating anguish, she had never dared to hope that her child could still be alive...

She was terrified.

Terrified that the truth wouldn’t be what she guessed; terrified that this newly kindled spark of hope would be extinguished once again; terrified that she was simply overthinking everything.

The study door remained open. Downstairs, the distant, faint laughter of the children drifted up into the room.

The sun had set completely, and darkness swallowed the study. Elise turned on the desk lamp.

The circle of warm light fell upon the documents in her hands. With her head bowed, her trembling fingertips turned through paper after paper.

Equity Transfer Agreement

Real Estate Ownership Agreement

...

There were seven or eight documents in total, all regarding asset allocation and ownership—ranging from equity to real estate. He had even made thorough arrangements for both Robin and the unborn baby in her stomach.

Flipping further down—Elise’s eyelids twitched.

It was a supplementary divorce agreement signed by Dylan.

The agreement stipulated that if his whereabouts remained unknown or if he passed away after the child was born, the original divorce agreement would automatically take effect. Elise could then present this supplementary agreement to the court to apply for a divorce certificate.

A sticky note was attached to the agreement, bearing Dylan’s bold, sweeping handwriting:

’Elise, widowed or divorced—this time, the choice is yours.’

Reading this, Elise’s mind went completely blank.

Mechanically, her hands turned to the very last page—Just as she had anticipated, it was a parentage DNA test report...