###Chapter 5

I sat by the bed in a daze the whole night.

At dawn, I went straight to the hospital for the abortion.

"Please... just let me see my baby one last time."

Cradling the cold, lifeless embryo wrapped in a white cloth, I didn’t even have the strength to cry.

At that exact moment, Dawson was at the private medical villa, doting on Elise and their newborn son—feeding her a lavish, nutrient-rich breakfast with his own hands.

A notification popped up on my phone: a trending news alert.

[CEO Patterson spends over a million dollars on an antique jade amulet to protect his newborn son.]

He really does love them—so cautiously, yet so extravagantly.

I turned off my phone, exhausted, and drove home in silence.

Just as I stepped inside, I heard footsteps behind me. Dawson entered and wrapped his arms around me, guilt painted on his face.

“Sorry, Maxine. There was a last-minute meeting at work last night. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you.”

He kissed my hair and smiled softly beside my ear.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“Maxine, I know I can't give you a child of our own... but I love you so much, so I found a way to fulfill your wish to be a mother.”

My chest tightened, and a wave of dread swept over me.

I watched in disbelief as Dawson took a bundled infant from the butler's arms.

“I adopted him. His single mother couldn't care for him and left him at an orphanage.”

He held the baby out to me, beaming. “Isn't he adorable? The more I look at him, the more I love him. I even picked a name for him—Elijah. Doesn't it suit him? We'll call him Eli, okay?”

The baby's face was a striking blend of Dawson and Elise's features. Around his neck was a jade safety charm—just like the one from the news.

It felt like a cruel joke, a twisted mockery of the baby I had just lost.

Cold sweats broke out on my forehead as I forced myself to speak.

“Dawson. I don't want someone else's child.”

“I know it's hard to accept right now,” he coaxed. “But once you spend time with Elijah, you'll fall in love with him. He's soft and sweet, just like a little angel.”

His eyes sparkled with affection, as if he were cradling the most precious treasure on earth.

“No. I won't raise him.” I refused loudly, my voice cracking like glass.

Dawson's smile faltered, and he frowned. “Don't be so unreasonable! I did this for you! Everything is already arranged! This child has no parents—how can you be so heartless and cold?”

Cold? Heartless?

My chest felt like it had been pierced with knives.

"Dawson!"

Just then, Elise strolled in, perfectly styled and glowing with smug satisfaction. Dawson's face instantly softened when he saw her.

“Since Elise just gave birth and is still lactating, I asked her to be Elijah's godmother. She'll help us feed the baby.”

“Maxine, I believe you'll grow to accept him eventually. It's okay—we have all the time in the world.”

His tone was gentle, but final. There was no room for discussion.

So this was his plan all along. A complete, happy family—right under my nose.

How cleverly calculated of you, Dawson.

I bit down on my lip hard enough to taste blood, catching the victorious gleam in Elise's eyes.

“Don't worry, Maxine,” she purred. “I'll take good care of the baby... and Dawson, too.”

She emphasized his name deliberately, like twisting a knife in my chest, as she naturally took the baby from his arms.

“Aww, our son's hungry. Time for his milk.”

Dawson's gaze followed her up the stairs, stuck on her like glue, like he couldn't bear to part for even a second.

After a long moment, he finally turned back to me, brushing my hair.

“My parents are thrilled we adopted Elijah. They can't wait to meet their grandson. Once Elise finishes feeding him, we'll take him over.”

Something inside me snapped.

Adopted child? His parents were thrilled?

Or was it because they already knew?

Because this child wasn't adopted at all—but Elise and Dawson's real son?

###Chapter 6

While lost in thought, Dawson had already pulled me to my feet.

Then, his gaze dropped to the back of my skirt—and froze.

A flash of panic crossed his face as he swiftly swept me into his arms.

“Maxine! You're bleeding—are you sick?”

I shook my head lightly, my voice weak and drained.

“It's just... my period.”

But in truth, it was the surgical wound tearing open again, bleeding uncontrollably.

I didn't want him to know that I had just lost his child—a child who was never wanted by its father.

Dawson refused the nanny's assistance, carrying me to the bathroom himself. He insisted on washing me, drying my hair tenderly—like a doting husband.

Once, I would have been touched by such gentleness.

Now, I felt nothing but hollowness and numbness, knowing how long he'd worn this mask of affection.

After getting dressed, I went outside, and saw something that made me stop in my tracks.

Elise was sitting in the front passenger seat—my seat—listening to music, humming softly.

Seeing me hesitate, Dawson opened the rear car door.

“Elise just gave birth. Her body is still weak. Maxine, can you sit in the back just this once?”

Wordlessly, I slid into the rear seat.

Elise tore open a bag of snacks, crumbs scattering across the pristine floor.

Dawson had always been obsessive about cleanliness. Once, a few stray dog hairs made it into his car and he refused to speak to me the rest of the day.

But now?

Elise kicked off her shoes, crumbs falling everywhere, and he just smiled. He even gently wiped the corners of her mouth with his fingers.

“You little greedy kitten. I'll have someone stock the car with your favorite snacks from now on.”

So it wasn't that no one could dirty his car.

It was that no one else was Elise.

I turned my face toward the window, away from the scene.

Dawson caught my expression in the rearview mirror.

“Elise needs to eat more. It helps her produce enough milk for the baby.”

But just last night, her milk had overflowed so much that it stained everything.

“It's fine,” I said flatly. “As long as you're happy.”

He furrowed his brows, as if wanting to explain more, but I closed my eyes.

When we arrived at the Patterson family estate, I saw my mother-in-law joyfully playing with Elijah, the baby, as the housekeeper handed him over.

The Patterson family never liked me.

Back in university, I had told Dawson I was the second daughter of the Fernandez Corporation. But his parents had done their research, and discovered I had no real family background.

They saw me as a penniless nobody, beneath them.

And when I failed to produce a child after years of marriage, their disdain turned into open hostility. They even pressured Dawson to divorce me.

He never defended me.

Now I saw it clearly—if he had truly loved me, how could he stay silent through all the gossip and humiliation?

Elise stepped out of the car, and instantly my mother-in-law handed her a bowl of nourishing bird's nest soup.

“You've just given birth, Elise. You need to replenish your body.”

Elise tilted her head and gave a saccharine smile, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Auntie, you're so kind to me. People might mistake me for your real daughter-in-law. You should give this to Maxine instead—she's so frail.”

My mother-in-law snorted, glaring at me.

“A hen who can't lay eggs doesn't deserve the Patterson family's care!”

“Now that I have a grandson, and you’re helping to raise him, you’re part of our family, Elise.”

On the other hand, Dawson's father, Michael, made a grand gesture. He handed Elise ten percent of Patterson Corporation's shares.

Such a generous gift—how could I not understand what it meant?

Of course, they knew the truth.

They knew this child was Dawson's biological son.

It was a reward for bearing the Patterson family's first-born grandson.

Elise lowered her head shyly. “This is too generous. I don't know if I can accept...”

Dawson tapped her nose affectionately, his eyes gleaming with indulgence.

“You've done so much for our family. If you wanted the moon, I'd pluck it down for you.”

My in-laws laughed and gathered around the couple, happily discussing the baby's official adoption ceremony.

They looked like a complete, joyful family.

And I... was the outsider.

I quietly got up and stepped into the garden for some fresh air.

However, Elise followed.

“Don't you think Elijah looks a lot like Dawson? If you didn't know better, you'd think he's his biological son,” she said proudly.

I smiled faintly. “Who knows? Maybe they're brothers.”

Her expression twisted. Then, without warning, she yanked down the neckline of her dress, revealing a trail of purplish-red kiss marks across her chest.

“My husband is a beast in bed. I wonder if Dawson is that wild with you too?”

“Well,” I said coldly, turning away, “ravenous dogs don't exactly hold back, do they?”

Annoyed, Elise's face suddenly darkened. She leaned in, her voice low and dangerous.

“Then let's see if this mad dog bites.”

Before I could react, she shrieked—and flung herself down the stone steps behind me.