Chapter 79
Victoria turned her head to meet Henry's sharp gaze. His handsome face was covered with a layer of cold, frosty anger, and the grip on her arm was tight.
Victoria tried to pull away, frowning. "What are you doing?!"
Henry stared at her deeply. "Come with me."
He then pulled her toward the elevator.
Victoria was furious. "Henry, are you out of your mind? You misunderstood me, and now you won't even properly apologize. What do you want to do now?"
Her voice quivered, almost on the verge of tears. She hadn't cared this much before, but his harsh attitude made her feel even more aggrieved.
She thought, "Is it that to him, my feelings don't even matter? He only cares about what he wants. This is too much!"
The elevator doors opened, and as Henry dragged her inside, he noticed her eyes were slightly red. His heart tightened as though gripped by a large hand.
Victoria was serious as she said, "Let go of me."
But Henry didn't release her. Instead, he said, "I'm taking you to see Gideon."
He was agitated and frustrated. Seeing her stand there, forcefully defending herself, even though she was right, made him angry. Maybe it was because she shone too brightly, too independent, and had broken free from his control. That was why his expression had been so dark.
Without those five years of memories, she felt like a complete stranger to him, and he hated that feeling more than anything.
That was why he was so desperate to make her regain her memories.
Victoria bit her lip. She hadn't expected that, even now, he still wanted her to "regain her memory." She found it absurd. As long as he refused to divorce her, her memory would never "come back."
Gideon was in the hospital room, going over pre–surgery preparations with a patient, when a nurse hurriedly came over and whispered something in his ear. He pushed up his glasses with a sigh, then turned and left for his office.
The office was small but filled with a heavy, cold atmosphere. Henry's entrance didn't change the mood. Henry went straight to the point. "Is everything ready?"
Gideon took a sip of water and then slowly responded, "Two things are still missing. We need to have them shipped from overseas, which will take about a week. What's the rush? Can't you wait a week?"
He studied Henry's cold face, then suddenly asked, "Why are you so desperate to make her regain her memory?"
Victoria also looked at him.
Her wrist was still firmly held by Henry as if he were afraid she might run away.
Henry coldly responded, "She is my wife. Doesn't she need to regain her memory? There's a lot she still needs to do."
Victoria directly retorted, "Even if I regain my memory, I don't want to stay in the position of your wife."
Henry remained indifferent. "When you regain your memory, you'll take back everything you just said."
Victoria sneered. "Henry, I've lost my memories of the past five years, not of the present. Everything I'm going through now, I remember. My desire to divorce is firm. Why are you so confident that I won't divorce you once I regain my memory?"
A mocking look appeared in Victoria's clear eyes. "If I loved you back then, then I must have been blind."
The grip on her wrist suddenly tightened, and the pain made Victoria sharply inhale.
Henry's face darkened, his anger clear as he yanked her forcefully in front of him. "Do you think I care about your love? I just want you to remember how you became my wife. Since you chose to begin, whether it ends or not is up to me."
Victoria's heart suddenly turned cold. Her wrist throbbed with pain, and she could already feel a bruise forming, but at this moment, she had no mind for such details.
Her long, curled lashes trembled as she asked, "So what do you want? Punish me? Why don't you just tell me what you want to do, and I'll do it. Once it's done, we can divorce. How about it?"
She kept bringing up divorce, and Victoria hated it more than anything.
"Victoria, have you forgotten the warning I gave you before?" His voice was cold, and his entire body radiated a chill.
Victoria's breath hitched. How could she forget? His icy threat meant that if she angered him, the Hardwick family would bear the consequences.
Just as the tension thickened, a soft cough broke the heavy. Gideon was leaning against the edge of the desk with his arms crossed, looking at them with an expression of helplessness. "This is a hospital, not a marriage counseling office. Can you two stop arguing here?"
His gaze moved to Victoria's hand, and he frowned. "Henry, if you don't let go, her hand will get injured."
Henry's fingers loosened instinctively, and his gaze fell to her pale wrist, which had already begun to show signs of bruising.
Gideon opened a drawer, pulled out a tube of ointment, and handed it to her. "This is for bruising. Just apply it for a few days, and it'll be fine."
Victoria took the ointment with a smile. "Thanks."
She smiled so softly at Gideon, but at Henry, her expression was harsh and cold.
Henry wanted to destroy that smile.
Gideon spoke slowly. "Come back in a week. During this time, try not to have any domestic violence incidents, or things will become difficult."
Henry's cold gaze flicked to him. "Do I look like someone who would hit a woman?"
"Yes, exactly."
Gideon nodded vigorously. "You're way too harsh on your wife."
Henry gritted his teeth but didn't reply. The vein in his forehead throbbed.
Victoria let out a slow breath and said, "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving now."
She turned and walked out, but just as she reached the door, she suddenly said, "Don't forget to transfer the money to me. That's your compensation."
Gideon chuckled lightly and watched her leave before turning his attention back to Henry. "Why are you so harsh with her?"
Henry slouched in his chair, irritably tugging at his tie. "Five years ago, she drugged me."
"Oh?" Gideon raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And then?"
Henry's voice was cold. "Shouldn't she be punished for that?"
Gideon raised a hand thoughtfully. "So, five years ago, she played some tricks on you, and you've held a grudge ever since. Do you want to punish her now? Then you should divorce her. That way, she won't benefit from the Harrison family's wealth."
He paused, then had a faint smile. "Besides, do you really hate her? If you truly hated her, why would you have a child with her? Why live in peace for five years? And now that she's lost her memory, why are you so enraged?"