Walking Away While Pregnant: Dear Ex-Husband, I Don't Love You Anymore novel Chapter 202

Chapter 202: Chapter 202

"I know I can’t truly empathize, and I know Elise must have been in unimaginable pain back then. I’m not trying to take Mr. Bennett’s side—I just thought she might change her mind about the divorce because Robin is back, which would bring her some comfort..."

Madeline sniffled, her voice choked with emotion. "On top of that, Mr. Bennett was suffering terribly during that time too. I just feel like... neither of them came from happy families. They finally found each other and endured so much tragedy together. I thought... I thought if they could just lean on each other to heal, it would finally be a happy ending after all this suffering..."

"I understand what you mean," Jessica replied calmly. "You’re thinking that now that Elise has recovered her memories, she’ll remember how deeply in love they once were and how much Mr. Bennett actually cared for her. You think her heart will soften, right?"

Madeline nodded eagerly. "Elise carried a one-sided love for Mr. Bennett for ten whole years. Back when no one believed in him, she defied her entire family to choose him without hesitation. Her love for him was so brave and fierce—it’s just so hard for me to believe she would give up on him now."

"No matter how fierce love is, after accumulating enough disappointment, it disappears," Jessica said, looking directly at Madeline. "I certainly understand that Mr. Bennett had his own impossible dilemma. But I’ll say it again: Mr. Bennett doesn’t understand Miss Harper. Or rather, he doesn’t know how to love her properly."

Jessica paused, her tone growing increasingly serious. "Setting aside the question of love, given the current situation, I firmly believe divorce is the best path forward. The essence of marriage is communication and mutual understanding. Mr. Bennett doesn’t know how to communicate. His silence was his defense mechanism, but Miss Harper isn’t telepathic. All she ever experienced on the surface was his icy detachment, so how could she possibly understand him?"

Madeline bit her lip, staring at the unconscious woman on the hospital bed as fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. "Elise is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Before, she didn’t know the truth, so she couldn’t understand. Now that she knows, I think she will understand him."

"If even you, as her close friend, think this way, then I truly feel sorry for Miss Harper."

Madeline froze, lifting her head in shock. "Do you think it’s wrong for me to think like that?"

"I apologize if my words sound harsh," Jessica sighed softly, pressing her lips together. "But frankly, that mindset is profoundly unfair to Miss Harper. While Mr. Bennett’s sacrifices for the greater good deserve respect, the ones who were actually sacrificed behind the scenes were Miss Harper and her children. Her grievances don’t need validation from the rest of the world, but at the very least, they deserve to be recognized by her closest friends."

"If you can see this, Mr. Bennett naturally saw it too," Jessica continued. "The reason he couldn’t give her that answer five years ago wasn’t just about safety and national security; it was because we all knew that the moment the ’answer’ was revealed, this exact dilemma would occur. You are her best friend, yet even you expect her to just accept it. Imagine what others would demand of her! Miss Harper was never given a choice. She was simply forced to ’understand’ him, while her own agony was rendered insignificant compared to the ’bigger picture.’"

Finishing her piece, Jessica patted Madeline’s shoulder gently. "Stay here with her. I’m going outside to make a call."

After Jessica left the room, Madeline stared blankly at Elise on the bed.

Jessica’s words kept echoing in her head, and her tears fell even faster.

She actually knew better than anyone how much Elise valued her little family with Dylan, precisely because of her broken childhood.

Yet fate had been overwhelmingly cruel. That home had been fraught with thorns, trapping her, entangling her, leaving her bloodied and broken. It had taken losing half her life just to extract a single answer—an answer that had now become yet another cage.

Elise didn’t regain consciousness until late in the evening.

When she slowly opened her eyes and saw the unfamiliar white ceiling, her thoughts were still sluggish.

"Elise?"

Madeline, who had been sitting by her side the entire time, immediately leaned forward with an anxious expression. "How are you feeling?"

Elise looked at her, her voice faint and confused. "What happened to me?"

"You... you fainted."

Elise paused. In the next instant, her hand instinctively moved to cover her lower abdomen.

"The baby is fine!" Madeline quickly reassured her, placing a comforting hand over hers. "The doctor said you just had an intense emotional reaction on top of physical exhaustion. It... it was Dylan who rushed you to the hospital."

Feeling the gentle curve beneath the blanket, Elise let out a quiet breath, her racing heart finally settling.

Then, the memories prior to her blackout flooded back.

"Where is Dylan?" she asked.

"He left," Madeline replied quietly. "He said you probably wouldn’t want to see him right now, so he asked us to stay with you instead. Dr. Sanders and Zoey went out to buy some daily necessities, but they should be back soon."

Elise nodded silently. "What time is it?"

"It’s already five in the afternoon." Knowing what was on her mind, Madeline added, "Dylan said it’s too late to finalize the divorce papers at the registry today. He wants you to rest well tonight, and if you feel up to it tomorrow, you can handle the procedures then."

"I see," Elise said with eerie composure. "I’m sorry for making you all worry again."

Hearing her calm tone, the tears Madeline had been holding back spilled over completely. "You scared me to death! When I couldn’t find you this morning, I nearly went crazy!"

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