Chapter 209
"Do you really know what my wish is?" Martin narrowed his eyes meaningfully, sizing up Victoria on the sofa.
His wish was for Victoria Is to have a child. He was trying to let go of the hatred and go back to how things used to be between them.
From beginning to end, he'd only had this one wish.
Last time he took Victoria to the university campus and they saw a shooting star, this was the wish he made.
Even when he paid respects to Wesley and Scarlett, he asked them again to bless two people—one was the child, and the other was Victoria.
If she truly understood his wish, he would be so relieved.
Victoria's eyes met Martin's, and the sadness in her heart grew stronger.
His wish—wasn't it just hoping she'd die soon, so he could collect her body and then marry her best friend Mia?
Such an obvious intention. Why did he keep reminding her?
Was he afraid she'd forget how much he hated her?
Maybe she was just used to his coldness. In the past, when he stabbed at her heart like this, she would get angry and fight with him.
But now Victoria had no desire to argue at all.
"I know," Victoria murmured.
She understood Martin better than anyone. She knew better than anyone what he was thinking.
Martin's expression softened a bit, his gaze falling on her belly, "Then just have the baby."
Victoria blinked. Again with this child. Sure enough, he was hoping for her death.
"Go change. I'll take you for a checkup," Martin urged again, though his tone was gentler.
Victoria sneered, "No need."
She didn't want any of this fake acting anymore. Didn't need it.
"What do you mean, no need?" Martin frowned and pressed on, "You mean you don't have cancer?"
Victoria shot back, "Don't you know whether I have it or not?"
"I'm not a doctor. How would I know?" Martin blurted out.
He was telling the truth. He really didn't know.
But to Victoria's ears, these words sounded extremely harsh.
She thought he was really good at pretending. What a waste not to be an actor.
"Victoria, tell me clearly—do you have cancer or not?" Martin couldn't figure out what she was thinking. His frown deepened as he demanded an answer.
Victoria found his questioning annoying and snapped at him irritably, "Martin, do you really want me to have this baby that badly?"
The subtext was: having this baby would kill her.
It meant he wanted her dead.
Of course Martin wanted her to have it, because their relationship wasn't what it used to be. Victoria was becoming more and more like a stranger.
They say women love children, especially their own flesh and blood.
With a child, he could naturally tie down her person and her heart.
"Yes," he answered quickly.
Victoria's heart felt like it had been hacked countless times with a cleaver, bloody and torn to pieces.
Clearly, she had misunderstood.
Martin paused, then changed direction, "If you—"
If you really have cancer, we won't have this child, and I'll do everything I can to save you.
Before he could finish, Victoria didn't want to hear it. She smiled and cut him off, "I'm perfectly healthy. No need to go to the hospital."
"You really have no health problems?" Martin sensed something odd and couldn't help asking again.
Victoria was too tired to keep up the act. She hadn't studied acting. Making small talk like this was just too exhausting, too draining.
"Martin, you just need to remember—no matter what happens to me later, you have to take care of my parents in their old age and help the Gonzalez family. As long as you do that, it's enough."
Victoria looked at him and told him to leave, "I want to be alone for a while. Please go."
"I'm not comfortable leaving you alone."
"Martin, I don't want to see you right now. I find you annoying. Can you really not tell, or are you pretending? Please go. I'm begging you. Seeing you really gives me a headache." Victoria frowned, very impatient.
How could Martin not see it?
She was rejecting him. She really didn't want to be around him.
But what could he do except pretend not to notice?
She didn't seem to need his concern either.
Martin felt a bit angry too. He also felt that if he stayed any longer, they'd end up fighting again over nothing.
"Call me if you need anything. Kaida will come tonight to cook and take care of you." After saying this, Martin turned and walked toward the stairs.
Victoria watched his retreating figure, "Martin, if you dare break your promise, I won't let you go even as a ghost! I'll haunt you and make sure you and Mia can't even be ghosts for all eternity!" Victoria roared.
She knew she shouldn't lose her temper like this.
She knew she should be in a better mood.
But she couldn't control her emotions.
Martin thought she was cursing him again. His back stiffened, and his expression grew even darker.
Why was it so hard to get her to have a child?
There was nothing wrong with her body, so why wouldn't she just have his baby?
She was still his wife, Martin's wife.
Hayden had done so many bad things. She said she was willing to atone for her father's sins. Was this her attitude toward atonement?
Martin quickened his pace, coming down the spiral staircase.
He didn't answer yes or no.
It was as if he didn't leave quickly, her cold words would provoke him into tormenting her again.
When Martin completely disappeared from view, Victoria felt very suffocated.
A breath stuck in her chest—she couldn't swallow it down or let it out. It was unbearably uncomfortable.
Worried that her body would hurt again, she found painkillers and popped them in her mouth.
Lately, she'd been taking painkillers very quickly. The dosage had gone from half a bottle to a whole bottle.
The pill bottle was soon empty.
Victoria casually changed clothes, then took a cab to the hospital where Hayden was staying. She found the attending doctor and asked him to prescribe her medication.
The doctor noticed she was taking the medicine too quickly. Sensing something was wrong, he asked her to get a liver examination.
Victoria knew what he was worried about. He was worried that her cancer cells had spread more seriously.
She didn't go for the examination. She smiled and pressed her lips together, "No need for such a hassle. Just prescribe the medicine."
"Ms. Gonzalez, I'm a doctor. You need to listen to the doctor," the attending physician looked at her, his expression growing more complex, "Go on."
Seeing how much he cared, even though it was just a simple doctor-patient relationship, she still felt a long-lost warmth.
She got the scan done.
The attending doctor looked at the images, then stared at Victoria with both anger and shock, "You're pregnant? Ms. Gonzalez, have you lost your mind? How can you get pregnant again with your body in this condition? No wonder, no wonder the disease is spreading so fast."
"Doctor, is my body really that bad?" Victoria blinked.
The doctor pointed at the enlarged liver in the scan and said emotionally, "What else? Look at this liver. The cancer cells have completely spread. Your condition is progressing too fast. It's not just this liver that's the problem now. Your entire body, all your internal organs are full of cancer cells. This child is your death countdown, do you understand?"