Chapter 119

Elena's POV

We'd barely settled at the garden table when Victoria appeared, hovering near my shoulder.

"Elena, why aren't you eating inside with everyone else?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake concern.

I continued cutting fruit for Lily without looking up. "The children prefer the fresh air."

"Are you still afraid Gerald will take you back to Blackwood Manor?" she asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

My knife stilled. I slowly turned to face her. "How do you know about that?"

She laughed lightly. "I'm just guessing. The night you ran from the hospital, I moved into the Blackwood Manor. Someone said you ran away, and Gerald sent people to catch you. What's wrong? Did you do something bad?"

My stomach tightened. "What do you want, Victoria?"

She leaned closer, dropping all pretense of friendliness. "Just letting you know that Gerald has fully accepted me as Richard's mate. We're here to take the children to Blackwood Manor for the holidays. Richard always returns there this time of year."

"Is that so?" I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

Victoria placed her perfectly manicured hands on the table, leaning in until our faces were inches apart. "Consider Highland Estate a charity case for you and your son. The rest of us will be celebrating as a real family."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The scent of my own blood filled the air between us.

Max suddenly intervened, interrupting us. He jumped angrily between us.

"You're lying!" he shouted. "My dad would never go anywhere with you! He'll be with us!"

Watching my son stand up to protect me, I felt both touched and worried. His little face was red with anger, his body positioned in front of me like a small guardian.

Victoria looked down at Max with a flash of disgust, as if he were merely a stain on the bottom of her shoe.

"Your father and I have already discussed it. You'll understand when you're older."

"You're a liar!" Max shouted more angrily, waving his little arms trying to push her away from me. "Get away from us!"

I was about to pull Max back when Victoria's expression suddenly changed. Her mask completely collapsed, revealing a terrifying, fierce expression. Before I could react, she grabbed Max's collar, yanking him toward her.

My heart nearly stopped as I watched her threaten my child in a low voice: "Do you know how lucky you are that I let you stay here at all, you little brat?"

My blood instantly turned cold, instinct driving me to lunge toward the enemy threatening my child.

Richard's POV

I heard my son's voice from the garden before I even entered the house. But it was the scent of Elena's blood that sent me racing through the house, a growl building in my chest.

The scene before me filled me with rage. Victoria was grabbing Max.

I released a low, threatening growl that silenced the entire garden. Victoria's head snapped up, her face paling as she sensed me behind her.

"Who gave you permission to touch what's mine?" I asked, my voice quiet yet deadly.

Victoria immediately released Max. I snatched him away, checking him for injuries, then placed him safely behind me.

Elena came over and embraced the child, blood flowing from her palm.

"Richard, I was just—" Victoria began.

"Silence." The word cut through the air like a blade. "Without my permission, you dare to enter my territory? And you dare to lay hands on my child?"

Victoria trembled. I stepped forward and, without hesitation, delivered a brutal kick that sent her sprawling to the ground.

Her scream echoed through the garden as she clutched her ribs.

Victoria's POV

Pain radiated through my body as I lay on the ground. Thinking back to these six years I'd stood by Richard's side, supported him through everything, shared his home, his life.

Why? Why did Elena Winter still hold such power over him? She had abandoned him, betrayed him. I was the one who stayed. I was the one who helped him.

What did she give him that I couldn't? The question burned in my mind as tears streamed down my face. What magic did this woman possess that made Richard willing to throw away everything we had built?

Richard stared at me, his eyes burning with a fury I'd never seen before.

"Victoria Chase," he growled, "if something like this happens again, the punishment won't be this light."

"What's going on out here?" Gerald's authoritative voice broke through the tension as he stepped onto the patio with Kathy.

His eyes widened as he took in the scene – me curled up on the ground, Richard protectively standing in front of Max and Elena.

"Richard," Gerald said sternly, "what are you doing?"

Richard's eyes flicked dismissively toward me, then looked at Elena. "Take the children inside," he commanded, his voice brooking no argument.

The boy and Kathy immediately pulled Elena toward the house.

Richard's POV

Once Elena and the children had gone inside, I turned to face my father. The morning light glinted off his silver hair as he regarded me with a mix of shock and disappointment.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.

"Do I need your permission to visit my own family?" he retorted, his chin lifting in challenge.

I laughed without humor. "If you're going to bring trouble to my home, then yes, you absolutely do."

"Trouble?" Gerald pointed toward Victoria, who was slowly picking herself up, wincing in pain. "You're the one who just assaulted your fiancée in front of the children!"

"My fiancée?" I repeated, my voice dripping with contempt. "You think she's my fiancée?"

"If you continue to mess up my family," I added, stepping closer to him, "don't be surprised when I ban you from seeing my children altogether. Think about that."

My father's face paled, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to control his anger.

"I came here with your chosen mate," he growled.

"My chosen mate? You mean Victoria?" I scoffed.

"Of course Victoria," he replied, confused by my reaction. "Wasn't this your choice from the beginning? You've always wanted me to approve your marriage to her."

"She's unworthy now," I said pointedly.

He stared at me in disbelief. "What are you talking about? For six years. You've kept her by your side and always hoped I would agree to your marriage. How has she become unworthy?"

"Because I was an idiot," I said self-mockingly, impatiently tapping my fingers against my thigh.

He widened his eyes, never expecting me to admit my mistake so bluntly. His expression was complex.

"So you're saying," he pressed, needing absolute clarity, "that you won't accept Victoria as your mate anymore?"

"Exactly," I confirmed, obviously impatient as I checked my watch.

"What about Elena?" he asked cautiously.

I looked at him as if he'd asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "I never dissolved our marriage."

Without waiting for his response, I turned and strode toward the house, leaving them standing speechless in the garden.