Chapter 208
Victoria was in a daze for a moment.
When they first got together, Martin was like this too—getting up early every day to cook for her.
And he'd make different things each time.
Then after what happened to Hayden, he gave her the cold shoulder and asked for a divorce, and he rarely cooked for her anymore.
The few times he did cook after that were just to pressure her into having a child.
It had long since lost its original meaning.
The nutritious meal Martin made was very wholesome.
The presentation was also appealing.
It should have tasted good, but eating it, she couldn't taste anything.
Victoria couldn't eat much and kept having morning sickness.
After two spoonfuls, she ran to the bathroom and threw up violently.
After vomiting, she returned to the dining room and sat down. He still made her keep eating, "It's like this when you're pregnant. It'll get better once the baby is born."
Victoria just wanted to laugh. Martin kept saying, once the baby is born, once the baby is born.
The baby would never be born.
She wouldn't last that long.
But she couldn't be bothered to argue with him. She didn't even have the energy to argue anymore.
She obediently lowered her head and forced herself to drink the porridge.
Watching Victoria being so obedient, Martin's lips unconsciously curved up. If she stayed this obedient, he would treat her better.
"After breakfast, I'll take you to the hospital." Martin's voice had no warmth though. He was good at hiding his emotions. Even though Victoria's obedience made him feel pleased and happy, you couldn't tell at all from his face, his voice, or his tone.
It was precisely because of his restraint, his habit of suppressing emotions deep inside, that he completely lost Victoria.
That's why he would kneel before Victoria's body with such regret, repenting, his hair turning white overnight, aging ten years.
Hearing this, Victoria instinctively felt he was up to something again. Thinking he was taking her to see Hayden, she frowned at him, "You said if I got pregnant, you'd let my dad wake up."
Aria had said Hayden was recovering well.
In just these few days, he would wake up.
Nothing could go wrong with him again, there couldn't be any more problems.
"I'm taking you for a checkup." Martin paused, then explained.
A checkup?
Victoria sneered as she ate the nutritious meal in her bowl. Didn't they just do a checkup last time?
And then Terry said she was very healthy.
Why did Martin want another checkup? Was this another way to torture her?
Was his life boring again?
Victoria exhaled, suppressing the deep sadness in her heart, "Martin, you'll keep following the contract we negotiated last time, right?"
The topic changed so quickly that Martin was dazed for half a second.
Seeing his reaction, Victoria thought he'd forgotten.
A flash of sarcasm crossed her eyes, then she reminded him, "We agreed—I help you have a child, and you help take care of my parents in their old age. You'd help the Gonzalez family. Have you forgotten already?"
They had even signed a contract.
Martin's expression didn't look good. His face showed slight anger.
He was worried about her health and wanted to take her to check if she had cancer.
And now she was talking business with him?
Martin pressed his lips together, "I don't want to talk about this right now."
"But I really want to talk about it. Martin, you don't want to talk—are you planning some trick? Or are you planning to go back on your word?"
Victoria laughed coldly. Was he planning to not keep his promise after she died?
"Don't forget, you made a vow in front of me. If you dare break your promise not to help my parents, you'll die a terrible death. Martin, you're an orphan, you should value your life, right?"
Martin had worked so hard to use her to climb to his current power and status.
Financial freedom.
He had worked so hard to get ahead, how could he bear to die a terrible death?
"Victoria, do you have to curse me to death first thing in the morning?" Martin narrowed his eyes, staring at her sharply, the coldness in his eyes layer upon layer, like unbreakable ice.
How could there be such an ungrateful person?
Victoria didn't think she'd said anything wrong. She curved her lips, "So you really are planning to go back on your word? I touched a nerve, so now you're angry from embarrassment?"
"Where am I angry from embarrassment?" Martin angrily put his bowl down heavily on the table, glaring at Victoria, his tone very unpleasant.
Victoria smiled, "Isn't this being angry from embarrassment right now?"
Martin ignored her, went to the balcony and smoked a few cigarettes, stood in the cold wind for a while, then returned to the living room.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Victoria lying on the sofa with a thin blanket over her.
Her whole body curled up.
Her smooth long hair seemed to have lost its original luster, like withered grass, draped over her shoulders.
Victoria's whole being radiated a sickly state.
Her cheeks were pale.
Not a trace of color.
Martin was a bit worried about Victoria's health.
She really did seem abnormal.
But he wasn't good at backing down.
His tone was still cold, flat, icy.
"Go change clothes. I'll take you to a different hospital for a checkup." Martin was already making a concession. Before, she wanted to change hospitals, but he thought it was unnecessary and refused.
Victoria didn't move.
Her lips smiled, but the smile was too sarcastic.
Had a miracle happened? He was suddenly being kind enough to take her for a checkup.
Before, she used to hope that after Martin learned about her illness, he would pity her, show her mercy, treat her better in her final days.
But She had tested him countless times, and his answer was always the same—telling her to die soon.
He'd even prepared a coffin.
Just waiting for her to die so he could collect her body.
Even if he knew about her illness, what would his reaction be? Would he be sad, would he grieve, would he hold her and cry?
No.
Martin hated her to death.
He'd probably clap his hands and tell her this was all Hayden's karma.
Living was already hard enough.
Some cruel truths were better left unexposed.
It would be too cruel for her.
She couldn't handle it.
Verbal attacks, cold words—she didn't want to experience them again.
Even if she suddenly found a suitable liver right now and recovered, she still wouldn't be happy.
Martin would still torture her to death because of his hatred.
So she'd figured it out.
Death was scary.
But living in humiliation would be more painful.
Thinking of this, Victoria's throat felt sore.
"Be good, go change clothes. I'll take you for a checkup."
"What if I really am sick?" Victoria suddenly looked up, staring at him seriously.
The question came too quickly.
So quickly that Martin hadn't thought of how to answer, so quickly his mind went blank.
Seeing him stunned and silent, Victoria understood.
She understood everything.
He was acting, and she'd taken it seriously.
"I would—" Martin wanted to say he would spare no effort to treat her illness.
But Victoria frowned and interrupted him, "That's enough, don't say it. Some things don't need to be said out loud—I understand. What you really want, I understand that too."