Chapter 192
Thinking about what should have been a brilliant life, a youth as beautiful as flowers, now turned into such a mess—she had a great hand of cards but played them terribly.
Thinking about the promise she made with Martin—one life, one love, just the two of them—yet now when they met, they were filled with hatred.
Tears rolled down from the corners of Victoria's eyes.
The teardrops fell onto the white snow and disappeared instantly.
Martin, goodbye forever.
Victoria murmured silently in her heart.
In the apartment.
Martin was still taking a cold shower.
The icy water pounded relentlessly on Martin's well-defined, muscular body and his buzz cut.
Water droplets ran down his cheeks and straight nose, falling continuously.
He could barely keep his eyes open.
He showered for a long, long time.
But the anger in his heart wouldn't go away.
Martin really didn't understand—when they first met, Victoria always wanted to have his children.
How come now she seemed like a completely different person, hiding it from him and heartlessly getting rid of their baby?
The Victoria he used to know was innocent, kind and lovely, definitely not this lying, scheming person she was now.
What was most hateful was that even though she had become so terrible, he still couldn't bring himself to really make her suffer.
If being soft-hearted was a disease, then he was already terminally ill.
Beyond cure.
Martin suddenly felt very anxious and confused, sensing that something had happened.
He reached up and turned off the shower.
He grabbed a cream-colored towel and wiped the water off his body.
He went to the walk-in closet to pick out clean clothes.
Martin sadly realized that all his clothes had been chosen by Victoria.
His devotion and her heartlessness formed a stark contrast.
After bringing up divorce with Victoria, he had moved to this standalone apartment.
He had thought about throwing away everything Victoria had bought for him and starting fresh.
Mia had bought him clothes too, but when he wore them once, they felt especially awkward and uncomfortable.
So he stopped letting Mia buy him things.
He kept his old habits. He tried to convince himself that wearing the clothes Victoria bought was to remind himself that there was deep hatred between them.
That two lives stood between them.
Martin had always thought this way, but now looking back, somehow it had changed.
Victoria was affecting his emotions more and more.
Seeing her secretly keeping that mute boy's photo, he would angrily tear it up and throw it out the window.
Seeing her laughing happily with Aaron, he would get jealous, like knocking over a jar of vinegar.
She had done so many things to hurt him, quite brazenly too.
But he had never really done anything to her.
Even though he was jealous, he still hadn't gone after Aaron.
Not because he didn't dare, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.
He knew his relationship with Victoria was very strained, but once the child was born, her heart would eventually return to the child.
Aaron—he didn't take him seriously at all.
Martin felt Aaron wasn't worthy of competing with him.
Who would have thought Victoria would secretly abort their child for Aaron's sake.
Thinking of this, Martin's face darkened. He took out a white shirt from the closet and put it on expressionlessly, then changed into a gray shirt over it.
He picked out a black tie and started tying it.
Before their cold war, Victoria had always tied his ties for him.
She was clumsy at it. Tying a tie was simple, but she was all thumbs and couldn't get it right after several tries.
Later, through persistent practice, she got better and better at it, but then he brought up divorce, they started their cold war, and he moved out of the apartment.
He never reached out to her, and she never contacted him either.
In Martin's eyes, Victoria was proud.
Even when the Gonzalez family fell on hard times, she never bowed her noble head.
Not until Hayden's car accident did she give in to him for the first time—though it wasn't really giving in, more like temporary submission.
Martin buttoned up his suit jacket.
He picked out a watch and put it on.
Martin walked out of the closet.
His phone was on the table.
He bent down to pick it up.
The screen showed several blocked call records.
Martin opened the details and took a look.
His expression became complicated.
They were from Victoria.
Thirty calls. He hadn't answered because he was showering.
Even if he hadn't been showering, he wouldn't have answered.
He wasn't a fool to be played with.
Martin put down his phone, took out a pack of cigars, and started smoking.
People who do wrong should pay the price.
Like Hayden.
Like Victoria.
If they didn't cherish the chances they were given, he didn't need to keep giving them chances.
He sat on the sofa for a while.
Martin was a bit worried about how Victoria was doing now. She should have left by now, right?
He got up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
He pulled open the heavy curtains.
In the white snow.
There was a figure lying there.
Not moving at all.
Martin held his cigarette between his fingers and sneered. She really wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted.
Still hadn't left?
For Hayden's sake, Victoria could shamelessly lie there for so long—that must be hard for her.
Martin released his fingers and the curtain fell. He pulled the curtain closed again and returned to the sofa.
Swirling white smoke.
Made Martin's features look even harder and colder.
His brow furrowed even more.
He smoked one cigar after another.
His phone suddenly rang.
A new incoming call appeared.
Martin picked it up, glanced at it, and answered unhurriedly.
"Martin, what exactly do you want? Tell me, what do you want! You and Victoria had a fight—what does that have to do with Hayden? Hayden's medication has been stopped for five hours now!"
"I went to see Terry, but he wouldn't see me at all! If this continues, someone's going to die, you know that?" Aria shouted furiously on the phone. "You've already destroyed the Gonzalez family like this, destroyed Victoria like this—isn't that enough? Know when to stop!"
Martin's eyes flashed coldly, "Is this your attitude when asking for help?"
"You! What will it take for you to restore Hayden's treatment!" Aria cursed angrily.
Martin snorted coldly, "I don't want anything. You should go ask your precious daughter what she wants. She doesn't know when she's got it good—can't blame me for that!"
"Martin, you—"
Before Aria could finish, Martin impatiently hung up.
It was already night.
The snow was falling even harder.
Martin pulled open the curtains.
He saw Victoria still lying there in the snow.
Was this crazy woman trying to get herself killed?
To force him to give in, she'd stop at nothing?
Martin felt angry, heartbroken, and helpless all at once. These complicated emotions mixed together, and his whole heart felt like it would explode.
He couldn't worry about punishing her anymore, couldn't sit back and wait anymore. He stubbed out his cigar, and Martin went downstairs and opened the apartment door.
A blast of cold wind hit him hard, lifting his dark gray suit jacket.
He saw Victoria lying in the snow.
Strings of fresh blood stabbed at Martin's eyes.
She was coughing up blood? How could she be coughing up blood?
Martin's face changed instantly. He rushed forward, pulled her into his arms, and kept shaking her, "Victoria? Victoria, Victoria!"