Six Years of Secret Marriage, I Left My Cheating Husband

###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?