Chapter 25: It’s none of my business whether he’s in love or not.
Victoria had always appeared to be the most composed woman he’d ever encountered. It was hard for him to fathom that such a person might have suffered domestic abuse.
Wesley’s concerns were not entirely unfounded, given the marks he had seen just now. Under normal circumstances, no one would have thought that lovemaking could leave such shocking marks, and Victoria felt even more embarrassed.
“He… treats me fairly well. You know, in marriage, only the people involved truly understand the dynamics.”
Wesley gave her a deep look and sighed. “Well, then, call your friend. I won’t feel comfortable leaving you alone.”
Reluctantly, Victoria took out her phone and called Lena Mitchell, one of her few friends. They had different college majors but were assigned to the same dormitory.
Lena had been busy lately. Her family was really rich, and by the time she arrived, two hours had already passed. They greeted each other outside the ward before Wesley left.
As Lena pushed open the door to the hospital room, she couldn’t contain her outrage upon seeing Victoria’s pale face.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Nick’s return? The man left you in the cold for three years, and now he’s back for what?”
Lena’s name might sound gentle, but her temperament was far from it.
“For the divorce, I suppose,” Victoria responded.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.
She raised her hand to rub her brow. “We both knew why we got married back then. He had someone he liked, and he certainly wasn’t happy to be pulled away.”
“You mean Claire Rodriguez? Their inexplicable relationship ended so many years ago. I find it hard to believe that Nick would still be attached to her,” Lena remarked.
Victoria cleared her throat and accepted the water Lena handed her. “It’s none of my business whether he’s deeply in love or not, as long as he pays his bills on time.”
Lena found it amusing and praised her, “I can’t believe I forgot that you’re the most level-headed one among us.”
Just as they were conversing, there was a knock on the door.
Linda peeked in with a worried expression upon seeing that it was indeed Victoria in the hospital.
“What happened, sis? You look terrible.”
She hurried over and explained, “Dad mentioned he saw someone who resembled you, so I insisted on coming up to check.”
Before she could finish, Daniel appeared at the doorway. He had followed Linda, who was determined to see Victoria.
At the sight of Victoria, his brow furrowed with concern.
He had never expected to find her here. In his mind, Victoria had never had male friends, let alone been accompanied to the hospital by one, and certainly not by Nick.
Flustered, he couldn’t help but voice his concerns, “Tori, don’t blame dad.
You’re married now, so you should maintain a certain distance from your male colleagues to avoid causing problems with the Andrews family.”
He couldn’t shake the feeling of unease he’d had since Nick had the divorce papers delivered to the house.
He continued, “And regarding what I mentioned earlier, please think it over again. Eddison is abroad, but you do call him every month, right? Our family’s secondary financing is quite risky, and if anything goes wrong…”
Daniel’s eagerness to discuss the family business blinded him to the fact that his daughter was hospitalized. He didn’t even ask her why.
Linda interrupted her father hurriedly, “Dad, you can discuss the company after your sister is discharged from the hospital.”
Only then did Daniel realize he should hold back. Victoria’s face showed little emotion, and her voice was surprisingly composed.
“Dad, when I agreed to marry Nick three years ago, I made it clear that I would only help once.”
She was about to express her discontent more forcefully, but as she looked at the gray hairs peppering her father’s temples, she held back, swallowing the bitterness that had welled up inside her.
Daniel’s face registered a flicker of confusion. He likely hadn’t anticipated his usually obedient daughter making such a statement.
He mumbled, “Dad was just concerned about you… Get well soon. Let me know if you need anything, and don’t overwork yourself.”
Victoria’s heart was heavy, but she couldn’t afford to back down. Her family shouldn’t regard her marriage as their lifeline, especially since her father was a businessman. He should employ strategic business tactics to secure his company’s independence, rather than relying on her marriage for financial gain.
Linda watched as Daniel turned to leave and quickly followed suit. She tried to console her father, “Sis, Dad didn’t sleep at all last night; he might be in a bad mood. I’ll talk to him. Try not to take it too personally.”
Victoria released her grip on the bedsheets, feeling a profound exhaustion.
Lena, who had been observing the situation from the sidelines, couldn’t help but offer her insight, “Your father is trying to sell his daughter but is too afraid to admit it.”