Chapter 232

Victoria shook her head and steered the conversation back on track. "I don't really care what's happening with her now. She's been reunited with the Spencer family. As long as she stays out of my way, I want nothing to do with her."

The words had barely left her mouth when a figure she absolutely despised appeared before her.

"Victoria? What are you doing here?"

Michelle stood there with thick bandages wrapped around her head, her face ashen. She glared at Victoria with undisguised hostility.

Victoria pursed her lips. Just her luck today—the hospital was enormous, and she still managed to run into Michelle.

"Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?"

Victoria shot back with a scoff.

"You—!"

Michelle clenched her teeth. "You came here on purpose to gloat!"

Her chest heaved with fury. "Seeing me like this must make you so happy, doesn't it?!"

Victoria looked at her the way one might look at someone who'd lost their mind.

"If that's what you want to believe, I can't stop you."

Michelle despised that expression on Victoria's face.

It made her feel like a joke.

Victoria had no interest in wasting time here. People nearby were already staring with open curiosity.

"Are we done?"

She asked.

Michelle ground her back teeth together, rooted to the spot, refusing to move.

She didn't even know why she'd come over.

But the moment she'd spotted Victoria, resentment had consumed her.

Why was she the one married to an abusive man, beaten into the hospital on her wedding night, while Victoria got to stand beside someone as exceptional as Hugh?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She wanted nothing more than to march over and slap Victoria across the face.

Michelle's hand had barely risen when Hugh caught her wrist, his expression ice-cold.

"Planning to start something here?"

Under the weight of Hugh's oppressive stare, Michelle instinctively shrank back.

"I was just raising my hand! Don't make false accusations!"

She wrenched her hand free. Her already pale face went even whiter.

Whispers had already started around them.

"Isn't that the woman whose husband beat her into the hospital?"

"Poor thing."

"I don't know—people who seem pitiful usually have their reasons. Did you see the look in her eyes? Terrifying."

Michelle heard every word. Each one landed like an invisible slap, stinging and hot against her skin.

She shot one last resentful glare at Victoria, then turned and stormed away.

Victoria shrugged it off and looked away.

The trivial little encounter didn't dent her good mood in the slightest.

After completing the full physical exam, they left the hospital well past lunchtime.

They found a restaurant nearby.

They were halfway through their meal when someone appeared at their table.

"You're pregnant?"

Charles stood there, his face dark as a thundercloud, eyes locked on Victoria.

Victoria stared at him, bewildered. "What is wrong with you?"

First Michelle, now Charles.

Did these people ever stop?

"Michelle told me everything. You just came from the hospital."

Charles spoke through clenched teeth. "Victoria, are you really that desperate? You can't survive without a man? You had to go and get yourself knocked up to feel satisfied?"

His words were sharp, dripping with unmistakable contempt.

Victoria let out a cold laugh. She narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down. "This place has security cameras. What you just said qualifies as defamation. Expect to hear from my lawyer."

Charles's expression shifted instantly.

His voice dropped low. "Victoria, don't bite the hand that feeds you. I'm doing you a favor by warning you. Unmarried and already pregnant—what kind of shameless trash does that make you?"

BANG.

Hugh, who'd been silent the entire time, exploded out of his seat. His fist connected with Charles's face with devastating force.

"Apologize."

Hugh's face was thunderous. His eyes were dark and predatory as he ground out the single word.

Charles spat blood.

"I'm telling the truth. Why the hell should I apologize?"

He smiled—the kind of smile that begged to be hit again. "You really think you've got yourself some prize? She's nothing but a woman I threw away."

Hugh's gaze turned lethal. He slammed Charles to the ground and drove his fist into Charles's face, blow after blow after blow.

Charles fought back at first, but his resistance faded fast.

Within moments, his face was a mask of blood.

Victoria sat in her chair, unmoving. She watched Charles with cold, detached calm.

It was the restaurant owner, terrified someone might actually die, who called the police.

By the time officers arrived, Charles was barely conscious.

Hugh and Victoria went to the station to give their statements.

By the time they walked out, it was deep into the night.

Victoria walked beside Hugh. She turned to look at him and sighed. "You didn't have to go that far, you know. Beating him up just created problems for yourself."

If his assistant hadn't arrived in time, Hugh would probably be sitting in a holding cell right now.

Hugh didn't seem concerned in the slightest.

"He insulted you. Of course I had to teach him a lesson."

Warmth bloomed in Victoria's chest. The corners of her lips curved upward despite herself.

But she still shook her head. "What Charles says doesn't affect me."

She'd heard it all before. Too many times to count.

Hugh reached over and gently ruffled her hair, his heart aching for her. "But it matters to me."

Victoria's nose stung without warning. Heat prickled behind her eyes.

She pressed her lips together hard. Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "...Thank you."

"There you go, saying silly things again."

Hugh chuckled softly, his voice impossibly tender. "You and I don't need 'thank yous' between us."

The more he said things like that, the sharper the sting in her nose became.

She drew a deep breath. Then she spun around and threw herself into Hugh's arms.

She held him tight, her voice muffled against his chest. "You're doing this on purpose. Trying to make me cry."

Always saying things that made her tears impossible to hold back.

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her gently closer.

Hugh's deep, indulgent voice rumbled above her head. "How could I ever want to make you cry? I want nothing more than for you to be happy every single day."

Victoria couldn't help but hold him tighter.

Her heart felt more grounded than it ever had before.

How incredibly lucky she was to have found Hugh.

---

Compared to Victoria's warmth, Charles woke in a hospital room feeling hollow. His eyes were vacant, staring blankly at the stark white ceiling.

Michelle had told him Victoria was at the hospital.

He'd originally gone to check on Victoria—out of concern. But something in Michelle's words had made it clear that Hugh was with her.

What possible reason would Hugh have to accompany her to a hospital?

She had to be pregnant.

The moment that possibility crossed his mind, blind rage had obliterated every shred of reason.

He'd wanted to warn Victoria—don't trust a man so easily!

But Victoria hadn't sensed his good intentions at all. She'd only looked at him with hatred.

He was trying to help!

"Charles."

The door opened. Michelle walked in, bandages still wrapped around her head.

She sat on the edge of his bed, eyes rimmed red, and reached for his hand. "Charles, why do you have to be so reckless? Victoria already—"

"Shut up."

Charles cut her off, his voice cold as steel.

He jerked his hand away from hers. "You don't get to talk about her."

Resentment flickered in Michelle's eyes, but her face only grew more fragile and pitiful. "Charles, don't say that to me. I'm only worried about you. Look at you—you're covered in injuries. If I were Victoria, I'd never just sit there and watch you get beaten like that."

Charles finally turned his head. He looked up at her.

"You're not worthy of the comparison."