Chapter 114
When Victoria woke up again, it was already at night.
"Ms. Victoria, you're awake!" As soon as she opened her eyes, Emma's soft, choked voice reached her ears.
Victoria quickly turned her head to see the little girl leaning over the edge of the bed, looking at her with sad, tear–streaked eyes. She must have been crying before, her eyes red and swollen. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Victoria asked, her voice filled with concern.
Emma sniffled and said, "Uncle Henry brought us here."
At her words, Victoria turned and saw Henry and his son on the other side of the bed.
Henry sat in the chair, his coat casually draped over his shoulders and the top two buttons of his shirt undone. His legs were crossed, with a laptop resting on his knee. Every so often, his fingers tapped the keyboard, the soft clicks filling the room.
Jude stood by the bed, and much like Emma, his gaze never left Victoria's face.
Well, this was not what she had expected.
Victoria's long, curled lashes fluttered as she said, "Why did you bring them here? What if they get scared?"
Hearing that, Henry finally looked up from his laptop. His eyes, deep and intense, scanned her with an icy indifference. "You really think she'd stay quiet if she can't see you?" he said, referring to Emma, of course.
"Ms. Victoria, I'm not scared," Emma immediately replied. "Are you hurting a lot?"
Victoria smiled gently. "I'm fine. You should head back with Uncle Henry. I'll be home in a few days."
"I'm not leaving," Jude finally spoke, his voice young but unwavering.
Victoria couldn't help but feel a little defeated. Why were they both here, making everything more complicated? Suddenly, she remembered about Diana.
She quickly grabbed her phone, and Jude, noticing her movement, handed it to her without hesitation.
Victoria unlocked her phone and noticed a text message from Diana.
Diana: [I covered the hospital bill. When I saw Henry there, I decided to leave. He probably won't try anything while you're asleep.]
Victoria was rendered speechless by Diana's text, but she felt relieved that the two of them did not bump into each other.
She quickly replied to Diana's message, telling her to handle the rest of the filming arrangements. If the other party couldn't coordinate the timing, Victoria would rather pay the penalty for breaching the contract.
Diana: [Just focus on recovering for now.]
Victoria locked her phone and tried to sit up, but as soon as she moved, pain shot through her body.
She sucked in a deep breath from the pain. Her foot was fractured, and her body had multiple abrasions. After all, she had jumped from a moving car. Even with the car's smooth speed, she was still bound to get injured.
"Ms. Victoria, where are you hurting?" Emma asked, her voice full of concern. "I'll go get the doctor!"
"No need for that. I'm fine!" Victoria quickly stopped her.
She took a moment to breathe, soon accepting the pain. Just as she was starting to relax, a cup of water appeared in front of her.
Jude, with his tiny hands, struggled slightly as he held the cup out to her.
"Mom, have some water." In that instant, Victoria felt a tug at her heart as though there was something gently squeezing her heart. It was a bittersweet feeling that unexpectedly overwhelmed her.
She took the cup from him. "Thank you."
"Mom, don't be so formal with me," Jude said seriously.
Victoria remained silent, taking a few sips of water, which helped to ease the dry, burning sensation in her throat. Then, she placed the cup on the bedside table.
Her gaze fell on Henry's face. "How was it resolved". Her tone was flat, while her eyes appeared lifeless.
She knew all too well that no one was on her side. They would only continue to blame her. Even her mother had told her to apologize to Sarah.
How ironic was that?
She gave Henry only a glance before looking away. Her voice remained soft as she said, "No matter what you decide on, I won't back down."
With the two little ones present, she couldn't speak too directly, but she had to make her stance clear.
Henry shut his laptop and looked at the two children. "Let's have someone take you both to eat."
Emma shook her head. "I want to stay here with Ms. Victoria."
Henry's tone was cold. "If you don't eat, she'll be worried. And if she worries about you, it'll only make her pain worse. Do you want to make her suffer?"
Emma froze for a moment at his words, then quickly shook her head. "No, I don't want Ms. Victoria to be in pain. I'll go eat now."
Henry gave Jude a quick glance. He followed Emma out, where Grace was already waiting by the door to take the two children for a meal.
The room quickly fell silent.
Henry placed his laptop on the nearby table and fixed his gaze in Victoria. "Why did you jump out of the car?"
Victoria shut her eyes, unwilling to answer the question.
But his gaze remained on her face. "You woke up after the accident with no memory.
You didn't even break down when you woke up to having a husband and a son out of the blue.
Instead, you calmly analyzed your situation and planned to divorce me.
I can't understand–what could have happened that would make you collapse like that, to the point of jumping from the car? "
His voice was low, and his tone was calm, but the things he said sent a chill through Victoria.
He remembered it all.
Deep down, Victoria felt a sense of relief. She had kept up her act so well that he hadn't realized she was faking amnesia. She replied with a shrug, "I guess I just lost my mind for a second."
She hadn't slept all night, and the emotional turmoil had left her feeling like a tightly wound spring. Camille's sudden appearance and the things she said had been the tipping point, causing her composure to shatter. Her logic crumbled, and she stopped caring about everything.
But she wasn't about to share that with him. She wanted to get away from Camille, but more than that, she wanted to get away from him. She didn't want anything to do with the people who had hurt her and made her feel worthless.
Victoria's response was indifferent, and Henry's gaze turned gloomier. He frowned in frustration, though he didn't get angry. Seeing how pale she looked, his voice grew colder.
"You're my wife, Victoria. People in this city know who you are. If you just randomly jump out of a car, it's going to stir up a lot of talk. I don't want to be the subject of gossip. You need to remember who you are and make sure something like this never happens again. Do you understand?"
Victoria was losing her patience. "Then just divorce me. That way, even my death would be none of your business."
"Victoria!" Henry's voice rose, dissatisfied with her current attitude. He hated how much she wanted to cut ties with him to the core.
He walked to her bedside, leaning down to grab her chin, and made her look into his eyes. "You want to cut all ties with me, don't you? Dream on. Even when you're dead, you'll be remembered as my ex–wife."