Chapter 3 Took the Wrong Pill

• Even though she had guessed it, her heart still skipped. Suppressing her emotions and trying her best to keep calm, she asked, "When?"
• Lying there, she sounded so calm and unaffected, as if she was merely talking about something normal.
• Her reaction made him frown as he answered, "Soon. We'll wait until Grandma's done with her surgery."
• She nodded.
• "Okay."
• The reply came too decisively, and Alaric's expression turned slightly colder: "Is that all?"
• Hearing this, Victoria glanced at him from the side: "What else do you want me to say? Should I beg you not to divorce me and stay by my side? Do you think if I plead with you, you'll change your mind?"
• Her eyes were calm, even tinged with a hint of sarcasm.
• Alaric's expression darkened even further, and his tone turned colder. "I'm just informing you. It's good that you know your place."
• He pushed away the uneasiness he felt at her calmness, lay down beside her, and closed his eyes.
• "Alaric."
• She abruptly called out to him.
• His eyes snapped open. His deep eyes glowed in the darkness as he stared at her.
• "What is it?"
• Her lips opened and closed as she, too, had her gaze on him.
• She wanted to ask, if she were pregnant, would he still divorce her?
• The answer was obvious. Saying it would only bring humiliation, and might even cause more trouble.
• In the end, she blurted, "Thank you... For the past two years."
• His eyes darkened when he heard that. He pursed his lips. "You talk too much."
• Did she?
• She turned away from him, thinking she would not have a chance to do so after their divorce.
• When Victoria woke up the following morning, she discovered she had caught a cold. So, she reached into her drawer for some fever medicine and poured a glass of warm water.
• The instant she popped the pill into her mouth, a realization dawned on her, causing her eyes to widen and her face to pale. So, she swiftly dashed into the bathroom to spit it out. Then, she leaned over the sink, repeatedly spitting and rinsing her mouth to get every last remnant of the dissolved pill out of her mouth.
• "What happens? "
• When Alaric's distinct voice rang out from the doorway, Victoria looked up, startled.
• Meanwhile, he had a frown on his face as he stared at her.
• Once she caught his gaze, she quickly averted it, and after a moment of silence, she replied, "It's nothing. I merely took the wrong pill."
• She then wiped away the drops of water on her lips and exited the bathroom.
• However, Alaric watched Victoria walk out with a contemplative look. She's been acting strangely since she returned home yesterday.
• After breakfast, the couple left the house together.
• Seeing her face ashen, he asked, "Do you want to ride in my car with me?"
• After a walk in the rain the day before, Victoria woke up that morning feeling a little under the weather. However, before she could nod, his phone rang.
• Hence, Alaric glanced down at it to see that it was a call from Claudia. He wanted to go back inside to answer the phone, but when he raised his head, he saw that Victoria had already left.
• Although married, they did not share the same interests; therefore, she did not routinely listen to his phone calls. That was their way of life for the past two years.
• Nevertheless, her swift escape made his heart clench in agony that day. Soon, the pain faded quickly when he answered the phone call.
• Meanwhile, Victoria stood a few feet away and observed Alaric. From the look on his face, she knew who the caller was. His face was so gentle and soft; it was a side of him she had never seen before.
• So, she took a deep breath and suppressed the envy swelling in her. Then, she walked toward the garage while pulling out her phone.
• Five minutes later, he hung up the phone and turned to find nobody standing beside him. Then, he quickly glanced in different directions but could not find her.
• At that moment, his phone buzzed with a new message. 'I urgently need to get to the office, so I left first.' As Alaric stared at the text message, his face darkened.
• Meanwhile, Victoria forced herself to push past her discomfort and head into the office. The moment she sat down at her desk, she was sprawling out over the table.
• My head hurts so bad!
• Nonetheless, she knew she could not take pain medication, even if she wanted to, because she was pregnant.
• Sometimes, she did not know what she was thinking, especially considering that her marriage to Alaric was fictitious. Even if she were pregnant, Griselda would be the only person genuinely happy for her. In addition, Victoria knew that no one else, including him, would be happy about the birth of her child.
• She had hoped that by telling him she was pregnant, he would accept the child and strengthen their marriage until yesterday. Nonetheless, when she learned that Claudia had returned, she realized he still felt the same way about Claudia as he had back then. If Alaric knew, his first instinct upon hearing the news would be to advise an abortion, fearing for the future of his marriage to Claudia. Nevertheless, a voice inside her head told her to abort the baby immediately, or she would be left with nothing but shame.
• "Victoria, here's the summary report from yesterday..."
• Victoria's assistant, Yasmin, handed over the neatly prepared documents, and Victoria looked up right away. "Thank you."
• "You don't look well, Victoria. Are you feeling okay?" Yasmin asked, concern in her voice. "How about I handle today's report for you? You could take a break and rest in the office."
• "It's fine," Victoria said, shaking her head. "I can do it."
• It's only a mild fever, and I'm not that pampered.
• Soon, Victoria sorted through her documents and walked toward Alaric's office.
• Her office was located relatively far from his. While it was usually fine, the walk felt tiring that day, likely because she was sick.
• Knock! Knock!
• "Enter."
• She waited to hear his cold, deep voice before pushing the door open.
• As Victoria stepped through the door, she saw another figure inside. It was Claudia, wearing a white dress that highlighted her slender waist. She looked like an angel, her supple hair falling to her waist with the sunlight streaming through the ceiling-to-floor window shining on her.
• Meanwhile, Victoria went stiff when she realized who the other person was.