Chapter 188
"You should go to the hospital," Victoria said, steering the conversation in a different direction.
Henry fixed his gaze on her, and said, "Come with me."
Victoria shook her head. "Jude is still here. I need to go him." With that, she turned to leave.
Henry, however, said, "Ok, then I'm not going, either. Let's go see our son." As he spoke, he grabbed her wrist.
Victoria was left speechless by his antics, thinking that he was so unreasonable.
But when she remembered he was injured because of her, guilt gnawed at her. She relented and sighed, "Fine, I'll go with you."
Hearing this, he smirked and, still holding her hand, led her straight to the car.
In hospital, Gideon had just returned from checking on a patient. He sat down and barely sipped water before the office door swung open. Slowly setting his cup down, he asked, "What brings you two here at this hour?"
Henry pulled out a chair and sat down. "I need you to fix me up."
"Hm?" Gideon blinked, clearly taken aback. Then, he laughed, "You got hurt? You, of all people? Who's skilled enough to injure you?"
As he spoke, he walked behind Henry to check the wound. Clicking his tongue, he said, "Whoever did this didn't hold back. It is bad."
Henry frowned slightly. "Do you ever stop talking?"
Gideon chuckled, "It's a rare sight to see you so beat up. Of course, I'm going to savor the moment."
With that, he got to work methodically, carefully removing shards of glass embedded in the wound. As Victoria watched the process, her brows furrowed deeply, and she instinctively looked away.
"So," Gideon asked casually, "how'd you manage to get yourself hurt?"
Henry closed his eyes and replied in a flat tone, "I tripped."
Gideon paused, looking sideways at him. "You're not even asleep yet, and you're already talking nonsense. Don't tell me you tripped and landed on shattered glass?"
"What? Can't I?" Henry retorted as he gave him a nasty glare.
Gideon stopped pressing for details and turned to Victoria. "You came with him, so you must know. How did he get hurt?" Pausing briefly, he added with a teasing smile, "Though honestly, I'm more curious about something else. Have you remembered everything?"
"Yeah." Victoria nodded.
Gideon looked genuinely surprised. "You've got your memory back, you must had know how badly he treated you and yet you still came to the hospital with him?"
Henry's tone turned icy as he questioned, "Are you trying to lose your job?"
Unfazed, Gideon smirked. "Oh, what's next? Are you planning to open a hospital and make me the director?" Henry had no response to that.
Victoria had been carrying a heavy, complicated mix of emotions, but Gideon's banter lightened the mood a little. She said, "He got hurt because of me. It's only right for me to come."
Gideon's expression shifted to something more serious. "That's not how it works. Don't let a man guilt–trip you just because he's hurt. Men are like that—given been hurt or shed a few tears for you to make you feel pity. You give them an inch, and they'll take a mile."
Henry, who was listening, had his hand curled into a fist, clearly resisting the urge to punch him.
Moments later, Gideon finally tossed his gloves into the trash and said, "All done." He ignored the murderous glare from Henry and leaned back in his chair, asking, "So, when are you two getting divorced?"
Victoria answered calmly, "Whenever works for him."
Gideon looked at Henry, pressing further. "And you?"
But when Gideon saw Henry's face growing grimmer and grimmer, he chuckled and said, "Come on. I'm just kidding. Don't take it seriously. You're so sensitive." Henry stood up and left without sparing Gideon even a single glance.
Victoria was about to leave, too, but after a moment's thought, the she turned back to Gideon. "Dr. Holland, I am going to have open grand for my new studio the day after tomorrow. If you have time, you're welcome to drop by."
Gideon smiled faintly, "I'll be there." Victoria gave him a polite nod before leaving the office.
Gideon picked up his thermos, sighed deeply. He mused, "Man, he's got a long way to go if he wants to win her back."
Inside the car, Henry's expression was anything but pleasant. Victoria didn't feel like paying attention to him, though—her mind was on Jayce.
She pondered, "Jayce's condition is really bad. Has the Caldwell family never considered intervening or getting him treatment? I don't know why, but I'm oddly worried. Maybe it's because of how kind he's been to me.
I mean, we've only just met, but he's already willing to stand up for me, even risking offending Henry just to put Sophia in her place. I'm grateful for that."
While Victoria's thoughts were a tangled mess, Henry's cold voice broke through her reverie. "Victoria."
She turned to look at him, her face calm. "What?"
"Where is my invitation card?" Henry asked as his striking eyes locked onto hers, unwavering.
Victoria blinked and replied, "I didn't prepare one for you." In truth, she had no intention of inviting him at all.
Henry was momentarily speechless. Annoyance and helplessness welled up in his chest, and he let out a bitter laugh.
"Well, aren't you something?" He gave Victoria a mocking look. "Do you think anyone who gets an invitation from you will dare show up if I say otherwise?"
Victoria's expression immediately turned blank. "Can you be reasonable? Did I do something to offend you? Why are you targeting me like this?"
Henry simply said, "You didn't give me an invitation."
Victoria was utterly dumbfounded at the fact that he was really threatening her over this. She turned away in frustration and muttered, "There's no invitation. If you want to come, then just come."
Henry looked at her smooth, delicate face and pressed his lips, clearly agitated. Still, the frustration weighing on his chest eased a little.
He figured that not having an invitation was fine. Victoria had invited him verbally, and that was enough. Then, with a click of his tongue, he thought, "Wait, she's my wife! Why would I even need an invitation? Damn it, Gideon's nonsense must have gotten to me."
Back at Night Club, Victoria headed to Evie's office, only to find Jude and Emma playing Connect Four.
Emma's adorable little face scrunched up in frustration as she threw the game piece in her hand. "I'm not playing anymore!" she declared.
Jude's finely featured face stayed calm and indifferent as he asked, "You don't want to learn the game anymore? You're about to get the hang of it."
"Nope, not learning!" Emma huffed, getting up and clutching her bunny plush tightly. She tugged at the bunny's ears with a stubborn, puffed–up expression.
Jude glanced at her and then offered, "How about one more game? You go first this time." He had been winning consistently, always going first, leaving Emma without a single victory.
Emma's bright, clear eyes blinked up at him. "Really?"
"Mm–hmm." Jude nodded solemnly.
Reluctantly, Emma returned to the table, plopped herself down across from him, and picked up a game piece with her tiny hand. She placed it on the board, and Jude quickly followed with his move.
Two minutes later, Emma jumped up from her seat with a cheer. "I won!"
Jude nodded. "Yes, you did."
Off to the side, Evie and Victoria watched the scene unfold. They exchanged a glance, both catching a flicker of something complex in the other's eyes.
Evie clicked her tongue and remarked, "If that scumbag of a man had even half his son's manners, you wouldn't be in this mess."