Chapter 111
Her expression was one of utter disbelief.
She never expected things to turn out this way.
She thought, "For me, the wife of Henry Harrison, to apologize to his mistress?"
Camille frowned. "You bullied her without a second thought. Do you not think you should apologize? This has even reached Mrs. Jennifer Harrison. If you do not give her an explanation, things could escalate."
Victoria thought, "Huh?"
She expected to feel furious, even to the point of breaking down, but instead, she simply smiled bitterly.
"Are you my mother?" she asked quietly. "You know Sarah is Henry's mistress, yet you want me to apologize? Taking photos embarrasses you, but a wife apologizing to a mistress does not?"
Camille snapped, her anger flaring as she pinched her arm. "Do you even remember you are Mrs. Harrison? Look at yourself- fighting with Henry nonstop. Do you think you gave him a son and he would always pamper you? When he gets tired of you, you will be the first he deals with!"
Victoria winced, pulling her arm back as suppressed emotions surged. Camille - her mother, the one who should have stood by her, now coldly accused her of failing as a wife and mother.
She bit her lip, struggling to hold back tears. Her voice trembled. "So, he ignores me, keeps a mistress, and I am the one who deserves it?"
"What do you expect?" Camille's gaze was icy. "If you had not thrown yourself at him five years ago, do you think he would treat you this way? He did not even know who you were."
"Enough!"
Victoria's emotions snapped. "I did not do it five years ago! I did nothing! I am the real victim!"
Tears streamed down her face as her emotions overwhelmed her, her body trembling with the pain and coldness that surrounded her.
"I will uncover what happened five years ago. I will not admit to something I did not do, and I will never apologize to Sarah. She provoked me first, and I followed the law!"
Slap!
A sharp slap echoed through the car, and Victoria's words were cut off.
Her face turned to the side, revealing five deep red marks on her skin, showing how hard Camille had hit her.
Camille's face burned with fury. "Victoria, you cannot do your part, yet will not let anyone speak? You bullied someone and still act righteous. Is this how I raised you?"
The atmosphere in the car became icy.
Victoria's long lashes fluttered, a stray lock of hair falling across her cheek, partially hiding her expression.
The air in the car was thick with tension, suffocating and heavy, as Camille glared at her. "Talk to me!"
But in the next moment, the car door was yanked open, and as the car kept moving, Victoria jumped out.
"Ah!"
Camille let out a sharp scream and covered her mouth. "Stop the car! Hurry up!"
The blaring sound of horns echoed from every direction as Victoria desperately wanted to escape, to run as far away as possible.
The instant the slap landed, all she could think of was Ava. She yearned to see her more than anything.
She thought, "I am struggling so much right now. If Grandma were there, she would surely be heartbroken and offer me gentle comfort."
Pain coursed through her body as Victoria tumbled to the ground, but managed to rise after a moment. Her mind was overwhelmed by a desperate need to flee, to get as far away as she could.
The blaring horns, Camille's frantic shouts, and the gasps of pedestrians all merged into a chaotic noise, ringing in her ears. Her emotions were in tatters as she limped forward, her face drained of color.
The incident occurred so suddenly that it left everyone stunned.
Camille quickly reacted, jumping out of the car and rushing to grab her.
"Victoria, are you out of your mind? Are you trying to scare me with something like this?"
But to her surprise, a light push from her made Victoria's body fall forward.
Camille's eyes widened in fear, and she instinctively jerked her hand away.
Victoria's mind went blank, her thoughts slipping into disarray. She shut her eyes, bracing herself for the pain she expected.
But the expected pain never came. Instead, she landed in a pair of arms that carried a faint scent of medicine. His arms were strong, holding her steadily.
Victoria instinctively clutched the person's clothes, her eyes struggling to open. Through her blurred vision, she made out a faint outline.
"Mr. Caldwell..." she whispered softly before slipping into unconsciousness.
Delia said, "Mr. Caldwell, let me take her. I will carry her to the car."
Jayce, dressed in a black hoodie with the hood up, his pale face sharp and delicate with a beauty mark beneath his eye, expressionless, held Victoria and turned toward the car.
Delia felt a surge of anxiety but understood Jayce's temperament–once he made up his mind, no one could sway him. All she could do was follow closely behind.
Camille snapped back to reality and stepped forward. "Hey, who are you? Let go of my daughter!"
Delia blocked her path. "Do not stop us from getting her to the hospital. Her condition is not good."
Camille paused for a moment.
By this time, the road had become congested, and Camille had no choice but to get back in the car. She frowned and thought, "I never expected Victoria would jump out of the car. Why did she do that? Was she trying to hurt herself to escape responsibility?"
A trace of anger flashed in Camille's eyes, but she still instructed the driver. "Follow that car."
"Yes, Mrs. Camille Hardwick."
The hospital was thick with the sharp scent of disinfectant.
Pain radiated through Victoria's body. Her long lashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, staring at the white ceiling, feeling momentarily disoriented.
"Mrs. Harrison, you are awake?"
A voice sounded beside her. She turned and saw Delia's face.
"I..." she tried to speak, but her voice came out hoarse. "Why am I in the hospital?"
Delia replied, "We saw you suddenly jump out of the car and get hurt. Mr. Caldwell got out and brought you to the hospital."
Victoria blinked. She thought, "So, it is Jayce who brought me here."
She had believed she was hallucinating before she fainted.
"Where is Mr. Caldwell?" she asked hoarsely.
No sooner had she spoken than the door opened, and Jayce entered the ward, holding a phone in one hand. His fingers gently placed the phone to her ear.
"Your husband," he said flatly, his eyes betraying no emotion.
Victoria froze for a moment.
"Victoria," Henry's voice echoed. "Rest well. You do not need to worry about anything else."