Walking Away While Pregnant: Dear Ex-Husband, I Don't Love You Anymore Chapter 48

Halfway through the gala, Elise excused herself and headed to the restroom.

Standing at the sink, she turned on the faucet and rinsed her hands beneath the cool stream of water. The rushing sound filled the room, masking everything else—until the asured click of high heels echoed behind her, drawing closer with every step.

Elise didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

"Elise."

Quinn’s sugary voice rang through the restroom, grating on her nerves instantly.

The familiar form of address made Elise feel vaguely nauseated.

Lifting her eyes, she t Quinn’s reflection in the mirror.

Quinn smiled; a provocative, triumphant smile she didn’t bother disguising.

Elise’s expression remained indifferent. She shut off the faucet, dried her hands with a paper towel, then tossed it into the trash.

Only then did she turn around.

Her lips curved into a cold smile.

"Apparently that slap at the office wasn’t enough to teach you a lesson."

The smug smile on Quinn’s face imdiately faltered.

Instinctively, she took a step backward.

Elise had trained in self-defense since she was young. Although her physical condition had never fully recovered after losing her previous pregnancy, the strength behind that slap at the office had been more than enough to leave an impression.

And tonight, in a room full of influential guests, Quinn had no intention of getting hit again.

She hadn’t co looking for Elise to start a fight. She’d co to provoke her.

Thinking of that, Quinn quickly regained her composure.

She lifted her right hand and deliberately displayed the diamond ring on her finger. The massive stone sparkled brilliantly beneath the lights.

"See this?" she said proudly. "Dylan commissioned it from a world-renowned jewelry designer overseas. It’s completely custom-made, one of a kind."

She tilted her hand, admiring the way the diamond caught the light.

"Tell , isn’t it bigger than the wedding ring he gave you?"

Elise’s gaze settled on the ring. A chill entered her eyes.

"Quinn," she said calmly, "I should remind you that Dylan and I are not officially divorced yet."

Quinn laughed dismissively. "So what?"

"So what?" Elise took a step forward.

Before Quinn could react, Elise grabbed her wrist.

The sudden pain made Quinn gasp. Her expression twisted instantly.

"Elise! Let go of !" She struggled furiously. "Are you crazy? Aren’t you afraid Dylan will hold you accountable?"

Elise tightened her grip.

"As long as Dylan and I are still legally married, every dollar he spends belongs to our marital assets."

Her eyes were ice-cold.

"As his lawful wife, I have every right to recover what belongs to ."

Before Quinn could process what she ant, Elise seized the diamond ring.

The band fit snugly around Quinn’s finger.

Elise didn’t care. She yanked it off in one swift motion.

"Ah!" Quinn shrieked. "My hand!"

The ring ca free. Elise imdiately released her and shoved her backward.

Caught off guard, Quinn stumbled. One heel twisted beneath her. She crashed to the floor with a cry of pain.

Humiliation and rage flashed across her face.

"Elise, you lunatic!" She glared up from the ground. "That was Dylan’s gift to !"

Her voice rose sharply.

"You think taking the ring will make him co back to you?"

She sneered.

"Dylan got tired of you a long ti ago. You should look at yourself in the mirror. Look how pathetic and jealous you’ve beco."

Elise casually examined the ring in her hand.

Every word Quinn said ant absolutely nothing to her.

A cheating man was still a cheating man. She didn’t want him anymore.

Why would she care whether he loved her or not?

After a mont, she lifted her gaze from the diamond and looked down at Quinn.

"Rember this." Her voice was cold and steady. "If you see in the future, walk the other way."

A dangerous smile touched her lips.

"Otherwise, every ti I see you, I’ll make sure you regret it."

She slipped the ring into her handbag. Then she turned and walked toward the door.

Behind her, Quinn sat on the floor clutching her injured ankle.

The elegant mask she wore in public had completely fallen away.

Hatred twisted her features.

"Elise!" Her scream echoed through the restroom. "I hate you, bitch!"

Her eyes burned with resentnt.

"Why aren’t you dead already?" The words ca pouring out uncontrollably. "You should’ve died five years ago!"

Her voice cracked. "You and those two short-lived little bastards should’ve died together!"

Her face contorted with fury.

"If you’d died, nobody would’ve been able to take Dylan away from !"

Her scream grew increasingly shrill. "You deserve to die! You deserve it!"

Elise paused in her tracks. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag.

Then she continued walking without looking back.

When she returned to the ballroom, she didn’t imdiately go back to her seat.

Instead, she sought out one of the gala organizers.

Five minutes later, she returned to her table.

Alexander noticed her right away. Leaning slightly closer, he lowered his voice.

"Everything okay?"

"Ran into Quinn."

His brows imdiately furrowed. "What did she want?"

Elise’s expression remained calm.

"She ca to show off a diamond ring Dylan bought for her."

Alexander flinched. For a mont, he genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

Elise glanced sideways at him and smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry." Her eyes were clear and steady. "I didn’t let myself get the short end of the stick."

Relief flickered across his face.

"Good."

After a brief hesitation, he added quietly, "You’re not the problem, Elise. They are."

"I know."

There wasn’t the slightest trace of self-doubt in her expression.

"I’m not going to question my own worth because of people like them."

She gave a small shrug.

"Everyone runs into a few awful people in life. Consider it a trial."

Then her gaze sharpened.

"The important thing is knowing when to cut your losses."

Alexander nodded approvingly.

"That’s a healthy way to look at it."

At that mont, the host’s voice rang out across the ballroom.

Their conversation ca to an end.

Alexander straightened in his seat and turned toward the stage.

The donation acknowledgnts had begun.

One contributor after another was announced.

When the host reached Elise’s na, he paused noticeably before speaking again.

"We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Mrs. Bennett, founder of DEL Jewelry, for her generous donation of one hundred thousand dollars to the Pink Ribbon Mothers Foundation."

Applause erupted throughout the hall.

The host smiled.

"And in addition to that, Mrs. Bennett has donated a diamond ring valued at over fifty thousand dollars."

A ripple of surprise spread through the audience.

"Due to scheduling conflicts, Mrs. Bennett entrusted the foundation with handling the auction on her behalf. The proceeds from the auction will also be donated entirely to the foundation."

The massive screen behind the stage lit up. A close-up photograph of the diamond ring appeared.

An extrely detailed close-up. Exactly as Elise had requested.

The reaction was imdiate. Whispers spread throughout the ballroom.

"Doesn’t that ring look familiar?"

"Wait... wasn’t Miss Quinn wearing that earlier?"

"No way."

"I thought that was Dylan’s gift to her."

"Could it be a duplicate?"

"Impossible. It’s a custom piece."

"One of a kind."

The murmurs spread rapidly. Naturally, Quinn heard every word. Seated beside Dylan, she instinctively covered her bare ring finger and lowered her head.

Her face had gone pale.

Beside her, Dylan stared at the image on the screen. His expression darkened. After a long mont, his gaze shifted across the ballroom.

Toward Elise.

She wasn’t paying attention to the stage at all. Instead, she was speaking quietly with Alexander.

From where Dylan sat, he couldn’t clearly see her face. But he could see Alexander’s.

And he recognized that look imdiately––admiration. Open admiration.

Dylan narrowed his eyes. A cold shadow settled over his expression.

No one noticed that beneath the table, his hands had already curled tightly into fists.

anwhile, Alexander was still focused on the ring.

"That’s the one you took from Quinn?"

Elise nodded. Her face remained perfectly calm, as though taking a mistress’s diamond ring and donating it to charity was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Alexander found himself staring at her.

This was the closest he’d ever sat beside her. And for the first ti, he truly noticed how beautiful she was.

Not the kind of beauty that overwheld at first glance, but the kind that lingered.

The longer you looked, the more captivating she beca.

When she was quiet, a cool elegance naturally settled between her brows. A composed dignity that seed woven into her very nature.

Without realizing it, Alexander found himself recalling the first ti he had t Elise...