He Chose Her, I Left Him For Good

Chapter 5

The air fell deathly silent.

Dashiell stared at me, his gaze slowly dropping to my stomach. "Whose child is it?" he demanded.

I let out a disbelieving laugh. "Dashiell... after eighteen years together, is it really that hard for you to trust me?"

"Then why did you run away from the wedding? Where is the bastard? Where is he right now?"

I looked into his bloodshot eyes, a prickle of fear creeping up my spine. My gaze darted around, searching for a way to escape. But that only seemed to enrage him further.

He clamped his hand around my wrist so tightly it felt as though he would crush the bones. "Where do you think you're going? To find that other man?"

I discreetly pressed the panic alarm inside my bag. The shrill, piercing siren echoed through the street. Only then did Dashiell finally release me.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed weakly onto the ground.

But the ordeal was far from over.

At the police station, I looked straight at Lila. "You claim I've been using lactation injections. Where is your proof?"

My assistant handed me the latest medical report. I placed it in front of Dashiell and Lila.

The report clearly stated that there were no lactation-inducing drugs in my system and no evidence that I had ever been pregnant.

My lawyer stepped forward. "Ms. Pembroke, if you cannot provide evidence to support your accusation, my client will pursue legal action for defamation."

Lila's face turned deathly pale. She instinctively looked toward Dashiell. "Dashiell... please help me..."

A cold smile spread across my face. "I'm sorry. This time, Dashiell can't save you."

The case moved quickly.

Even with the Pembroke family pulling every string they could, Lila was sentenced to fifteen days in detention.

It was a light punishment.

Even so, for the first time, I felt that justice had finally been served.

Outside the police station, Dashiell followed me the entire way home.

When we reached my apartment building, I finally stopped and turned to face him. "Stop following me."

"Let's talk," he pleaded. "Eulalie, I know you're angry, but this was all just a misunderstanding. Why do you have to cling to it so stubbornly?" He lowered himself onto one knee and opened a velvet ring box. "This is the finest diamond from Antwerp this year... I named this ring 'New Beginnings.' Let's start over... please."

I looked at him quietly. "If we start over... does that mean Lila goes to prison?"

Before he could answer, a sharp slap landed across my face.

My mother stood there, glaring at me with blazing fury. "How could you want my Lila sent to prison? Do you have any heart at all?"

I caught her wrist and shoved her backward. She stumbled and fell to the ground.

Maybe it was everything that had happened that night. Or maybe I had finally realized just how completely alone I was.

Either way, something inside me finally snapped.

"If I had no heart, every one of you would already be in prison!" I screamed. "One of you treats your own daughter like a disposable tool while cherishing an impostor like she's your greatest treasure! And the other believes every lie that comes out of her mouth!" Then I turned to Dashiell. "Oh, wait... I forgot. You and Lila are already sleeping together... so I suppose she's not 'someone else' anymore, is she?"

Dashiell immediately stepped between us and shouted at my mother. "Mrs. Pembroke! How could you hit her?"

My mother glared back at him. "Have you forgotten? It was my Lila who saved your life! Now she's locked up because of this ungrateful girl, and you're actually taking her side? And she just lost her baby! She's still leaking milk! She could have breast cancer!"

Dashiell froze where he stood.

I recognized that expression immediately. He was already sinking back into guilt and sympathy.

I let out a weary sigh and slowly raised my phone. "There's no point dragging this out any longer." I looked at him once more. "Dashiell... The person who saved your life that day...

"...was me."