Walking Away While Pregnant: Dear Ex-Husband, I Don't Love You Anymore novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Chapter 158

Elise had possessed an extraordinary gift for painting since childhood. Under Leah’s high-pressure, perfectionist upbringing, her talent had been honed to its absolute peak.

A quick portrait sketch took her mere minutes to complete.

"All done." Elise set down the pen, holding up the paper as she smiled at Robin. "Take a look, Robin. Does it look like you?"

Robin stared at the drawing, his mouth parting slightly in awe.

It was a spitting image of him!

"Robin, why aren’t you saying anything? Did Godmother draw it wrong?"

"N-No..." Frantic, the boy waved his small hands in denial, stumbling over his words as he looked at her. "G-Godmother, you drew... it looks just like me."

Elise’s eyes crinkled into soft crescents. "Do you like it then?"

A shy blush crept across the boy’s pale cheeks before he gave a timid nod.

Elise beamed. "Then it’s yours."

Before Robin could even process what she meant, Elise had already held the drawing out to him. He stared at it, hesitating.

"What are you waiting for?" she coaxed gently. "If you like it, take it!"

Only then did the boy slowly reach out his little hands and take the paper.

Watching him act so much more cautiously than before, Elise felt a sharp pang of sympathy in her heart. Such a sweet, well-behaved child had suffered so much pain all because of the selfish desires and bitter grudges of adults.

Robin gazed at his image on the paper, his fingertips lightly tracing the lines.

Elise reached out and gently patted his head. The boy looked up, his dark eyes meeting hers—innocent, with just a hint of cautious uncertainty.

"Robin, don’t be afraid. No matter what happened in the past, now that I’ve accepted you, I will always be your Godmother."

Robin blinked. "Even if... I remember everything, you’ll still be my Godmother forever?"

Elise nodded patiently. "As long as you still want me to be your Godmother, I will always be your Godmother."

"Really?" His eyes lit up instantly. "Godmother, you aren’t tricking me, right?"

"Mhm, I promise I’m keeping my word this time." Elise looked straight into his eyes, her voice melting with tenderness. "Robin, Godmother misunderstood a few things before and said some hurtful things to you. Can you forgive me?"

"I never blamed you, Godmother," Robin said earnestly. "If you were unhappy, it must have been because I did something wrong."

"That’s not true." Elise took his little hands in hers, looking at him intently. "Listen to me, Robin: you are wonderful. You have always been a good, sensible child. When people hurt you, it’s because they have problems—never doubt your own worth because of someone else’s flaws."

Robin stared at her in a daze, processing her words.

"But... they said I was getting hit because I was bad and didn’t listen..."

Elise’s brows knit sharply together. Hearing the child utter those words with her own ears made her heart twist with intense pain. She reached out and pulled his small frame into her arms, gently stroking his hair.

"They were wrong. Even children don’t have to obey adults unconditionally. You’re five years old now—you’re very smart, and you’re allowed to have your own thoughts. You can speak up for yourself, Robin. The people who truly love and care about you will care if you’re happy and healthy. They will respect your feelings and choices, just like..."

She paused briefly before continuing, "Just like your dad, your great-grandmother, and Dr. Sanders. They all genuinely want the best for you. When you’re sick, they worry; when you’re happy, they’re happy too."

Leaning against Elise’s warm embrace, Robin tilted his head up, his dark eyes gazing innocently into hers. "What about you, Godmother?"

Elise froze for a fraction of a second, then let out a helpless, tender smile. "Godmother feels the exact same way."

"How did your head get hurt?"

The moment he heard the question, the smile on his little face froze. His eyes darted nervously toward Dylan, who had been standing silently at the foot of the bed.

Dylan offered an encouraging look. "Don’t be afraid, Robin. Just tell the truth."

Robin’s little hands began nervously twisting the hem of his hospital gown again. "I’m scared... if I tell the truth, Mommy will get angry. She... she’s terrifying when she gets mad..."

At those words, Elise and Jessica traded a grim glance before turning their gaze onto Dylan.

Dylan’s expression turned utterly dark.

After a heavy silence, he spoke up, his voice somber: "Even if she’s your mother, if she did something wrong, it needs to be corrected. Don’t be afraid, Robin. Tell us what happened last night, and Daddy will handle it."

Robin lowered his head. His voice was very faint, but in the quiet ward, every word rang crystal clear:

"Mommy said... she said I like Godmother too much, that I’m ungrateful... Then she yanked my arm. My tummy hurt really bad, and when she pulled me, I couldn’t hold it in and threw up. She let go of me, and I fell off the sofa and hit my head..."

Being five years old, he was capable of articulating the sequence of events clearly now that his mind was coherent.

By the time he finished, Elise’s eyes were already rimmed with red. Heartbroken, she pulled him back into a tight hug, gently stroking his small body, which was trembling from the memory of the night before.

"It’s over now. Don’t be afraid, Robin. Godmother promises you this will never happen again."

Jessica let out a quiet sigh, pressing her lips together before turning to Dylan. "Mr. Bennett, we need to step outside for a word."

Dylan gave a low grunt of assent, and the two walked out of the ward one after the other.