Chapter 117
Martin frowned. "That's right."
"Ms. Gonzalez, she—"
The doctor blurted out that she didn't have much time left, and she was pregnant too. She needed to have an abortion as soon as possible.
Just as he started, a faint cough came from the hospital bed.
Both Martin and the doctor looked over, only to see Victoria lying in the bed opening her eyes, looking weak.
"Martin, I'm thirsty. Could you help me get a glass of water?" Victoria gazed at Martin, weakly pulling at her cracked lips.
Martin stood there in a black trench coat over a white shirt and black tie, looking impressive as he stared straight at her.
He expressionlessly shifted his gaze from her thin face. The doctor told him there were disposable cups at the water dispenser outside.
Martin turned and left the room.
Victoria waited until his figure completely disappeared from the room before looking at the doctor. "Don't tell him about my condition."
"But Ms. Gonzalez, he's your husband. Besides, I saw he seemed quite concerned about you when he brought you in." The doctor looked at her, confused.
Victoria sneered. Martin concerned about her? He probably just hadn't finished tormenting her yet.
Even if he knew, so what? It would just be more cold words and harsh criticism.
She didn't want to die that quickly. She wanted to live a few more days, to personally receive the gift Tamsin was sending her, to see Hayden wake up with her own eyes.
"We've already registered for divorce. If I can avoid troubling him, I'd rather not."
"I see. Ms. Gonzalez, the cancer cells in your body are spreading again. This time it's aggressive, and it has a lot to do with your pregnancy."
"For the sake of your health, you really need to have the abortion as soon as possible."
The doctor looked down at Victoria with a serious expression, his eyes full of sympathy. How could such a young girl have late-stage liver cancer?
Victoria smiled numbly. "I understand, thank you doctor. I've already scheduled the abortion surgery. I can have it the day after tomorrow."
At that moment, Martin walked in holding a disposable paper cup and handed it to Victoria.
Victoria held it in her hands, her whole palm warming up. She lowered her head and took a sip of water.
"Doctor, come out for a moment. I need to ask you something." Martin glanced at the doctor in the white coat, and with his long strides, left the room first.
Victoria looked at the doctor pleadingly.
The doctor nodded at her, signaling her not to worry.
In the corridor, Martin asked again about Victoria's condition. The doctor smiled and gave a diplomatic answer, "Mr. Collins, Ms. Gonzalez is very healthy. She just has a minor issue with low blood sugar. Nowadays everyone has some minor health issues. Mr. Collins doesn't need to worry."
"She really just has low blood sugar?"
Martin leaned against the railing behind him, squinting his eyes with a half-smile.
This smile sent chills down the doctor's spine.
"Really just low blood sugar. Surely Mr. Collins doesn't hope his wife is sick?" The doctor forced himself to stay calm, asking back with a smile.
Martin snorted coldly, "What a shame. I thought she had some incurable disease. Such a waste of the coffin I prepared for her."
"Mr. Collins, you—"
The smile on the doctor's face instantly froze. He somewhat understood now why Victoria wanted to hide this from Martin, why she wanted a divorce.
After the doctor left.
Martin turned around, wanting to go back to the room.
He saw Victoria holding the IV bag in one hand and gripping the bed rail with the other.
She stared at him intently. Obviously, she had heard what he just said.
Victoria wasn't surprised by his response. After all, he had always wished for her death. But hearing it with her own ears still hurt.
"Why aren't you lying in bed properly? Why are you wandering around again?" Martin glared at her impatiently.
She was used to this disgusted tone, so she kept telling herself, Victoria, it's okay, just get used to it.
It becomes natural with habit.
Victoria shifted her gaze away from Martin. She pushed open the bathroom door.
Holding the IV bag in one hand, her steps were a bit unsteady.
She almost fell, and Martin quickly grabbed her arm.
But Victoria didn't appreciate it. She broke free and looked down at her toes indifferently. "I don't need your fake kindness."
Then she entered the bathroom and closed the door.
Martin touched his nose and sneered. Fake kindness?
No good deed goes unpunished. He was the one who brought her to the hospital!
How come when Aaron gave her a piece of chocolate, Victoria smiled so sweetly and looked so grateful?
He was still her husband, her first love in her own words, the man she was supposed to love forever, yet this was her attitude.
She's really gotten bold.
Martin angrily turned and left the room, but when he reached the elevator, he thought again—Victoria, a girl alone in the hospital late at night, without even a caregiver or anyone to look after her.
Martin turned back to the room.
For a full ten minutes, the bathroom light stayed on.
But the door remained tightly closed.
Realizing something was wrong, that something might have happened, Martin reached out his bony fingers and knocked on the bathroom door.
Victoria didn't make a sound.
Martin suddenly pushed open the bathroom door.
He saw her pants pulled up halfway.
They were bunched at her knees.
She held the IV bag in one hand and was trying to pull up her pants with the other. Clearly, her hand had no strength.
When Victoria saw Martin come in, her face showed both embarrassment and anger. "Who told you to come in?"
"Can't even put on your pants properly. Victoria, you're really useless." Martin strode over. His words were still hurtful, his tone cold to the extreme.
Victoria didn't want his help, but he still forcibly held her thin waist and helped her put on her pants.
"Besides insulting people with your mouth, what else can you do?"
After Martin finished his sarcastic mockery, he carried her out of the bathroom and placed her back on the bed.
Victoria felt like she was a doll, one without a soul, to be manipulated however he wanted.
While acting disgusted with her, he tucked the white blanket around her. "I'm giving you tomorrow off. Hurry up and get better, then come back to work."
So he was giving her time off just so she could recover enough to be tormented more, to clean the office building.
Victoria felt terrible inside. She lifted her eyelids and smiled at him. "No need for time off. I'll come back to work tomorrow. Mr. Collins, you don't need to pretend to care about me. I don't need it."
"Victoria, who gave you the nerve to talk to me like this?"
Martin's anger suddenly flared up. He grabbed Victoria's chin and glared at her.
Victoria tried to shake off his hand, but it was like an iron wall—she couldn't break free no matter how hard she struggled.
Finally, she gave up struggling and smiled. "Mr. Collins, shouldn't you keep your promise and send money to my father?"