Chapter 215
Victoria was startled by Martin's sudden intrusion.
Her face turned deathly pale.
Her eyes widened enormously, her lips half-parted.
She never expected he would barge in!
To think she could be so detached right now, with the memory of their intimacy still hanging in the air, was almost more than he could take.
She still found it hard to accept being exposed like this.
Victoria's first reaction was to make him leave. She didn't want to be with him.
The words burned hot, rolling in her throat.
Victoria's foot slipped, and her whole body fell toward the hard floor.
In one swift, irresistible motion, Martin’s arm locked around her, dragging her back until she collapsed into him, trapped in the firm circle of his arms.
Her cheek collided with his chest .
The shower water flowed slowly down his body.
Her face, her body, her eyelashes were all covered in water droplets.
That unexpected touch sent a jolt through Victoria’s chest.
Her ears burned with a telltale glow, a silent admission of her flustered state, but her pride took over—she planted her palms against him, ready to break the contact.
Martin pressed her against the wall.
The wall was cold, carrying a chill.Though the air was humid and the water ran hot, a shuddering cold pierced through her. It was an invasion from within, a biting winter air that ignored the steam and settled deep in her core.
Martin must have felt her falter, for his large hand suddenly covered the small of her back.
He drew her in until she was fully supported, her back resting entirely against the furnace-like heat of his hand.
Completely separated from the cold.
Martin was much taller than Victoria, so she often had to look up at him.
Like now, for instance.
His hair was soaked by the water, plastered to his scalp.
Water flowed continuously down his handsome facial contours.
Martin's eyes held indescribable emotions, his high nose bridge, his tightly pressed thin lips.
They say men with thin lips are the most heartless. Victoria had to admit this was true.
His facial lines were cold and hard.
Yet his features were flawlessly perfect.
His whole being radiated intense masculine hormones.
He seemed like a sculpture, the most perfect work of divine craftsmanship.
Victoria blinked.
Water flowed into her eyes, making it hard to keep them open.
Her palm pressed against his chest , pushing slightly, "Get out."
His strength was enormous. She sadly discovered she couldn't budge him at all.
Her chin was lifted by his fingertips. Before she could react, he impatiently sealed her lips.
Victoria never imagined he he had come in to fuck her again.
Wasn't what happened just now enough?
Hadn't he bullied her enough?
A silent scream tore through Victoria’s mind: Martin, I am at my breaking point, a hollow shell ready to shatter at any second—and still, you refuse to stop?
Must you be so relentless in what you take from me?
Her nose stung terribly, tears spilling from her eyes.
Fortunately, they were in the bathroom. Fortunately, the shower water masked her crying from him.
Victoria thought he would stop after kissing for a while. If she didn't resist, he would lose interest and let her go.
But reality was far from that simple.
Martin suddenly flipped her body around.
She quickly sensed something wrong and tried to struggle, "No more."
If this continued, she would be finished!
She really would be finished.
"I'll make your father wake up sooner ."
Just that one sentence!
Victoria's fingers pushing him away instantly curled up.
He promised to let Hayden wake up early, so she could see Hayden before she died.
How could she refuse?
Such a tempting condition, such a desperately desired outcome—Victoria couldn't refuse!
Her body was already this terrible anyway. She was already someone waiting to die.
Maximizing benefits was what really mattered .
Victoria seemed to accept her fate, obediently lowering her arms.
As if completing a task, as if doing a job, as if making a transaction.
But wasn't everything between her and Martin just a transaction?
And she was the one who proposed it—letting him torture her brutally in exchange for the Gonzalez family's safety, in exchange for her parents' peaceful retirement.
Everything now was what she asked for.
Why should she still feel sad?
Why should she still feel sorrow ?
And why should she still shed tears?
Victoria once held nothing but contempt for those who bartered their bodies for gain, and even more for those who met adversity with nothing but hollow tears.
The crowning irony was her slow descent into the very person she once loathed, forced to do exactly what she had most despised.
Depression was like a beast she had subdued and locked in the deepest cage of her heart before .
But now the cage was open, the beast unleashed, frantically tearing at her sanity.
Endless sorrow swept over her.
Victoria's head throbbed painfully.
Martin continued endlessly.
Perhaps these crushing emotions had awakened the cancer cells.
Her liver suddenly hurt unbearably.
Her internal organs felt like countless venomous snakes, biting and tearing.
Victoria shuddered with agony, her hands pressed hard against the floor to keep from collapsing.
If she spoke up, would Martin let her go?
Probably not. He might get angrier and storm off.
She would still be in agonizing pain, but what about her parents then?
Hayden hadn't woken up yet. She couldn't close her eyes.
She would die with her eyes open.
Victoria's tears fell frantically. She didn't dare cry out loud.
Afraid of disturbing him, afraid he'd notice something wrong.
Maybe he would even mock her with cruel words.
She couldn't bear such vicious language anymore.
Perhaps noticing Victoria's abnormal , Martin released Victoria.
He felt he was going crazy.
He still showed restraint.
Still racked with pain, Victoria offered no resistance as Martin dried her off and carried her from the steam of the bathroom back to the bedroom.
He placed her on the bed.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
Her eyes were bloodshot .
Martin noticed her abnormality, "What's wrong with you?"
He actually asked what was wrong with her.
Victoria could have held it in, but when he asked like that, the facade she'd maintained for so long instantly shattered.
Her body hurt, but her heart hurt more.
Large teardrops burst from her reddened eyes, flowing down her thin cheeks.
"What's wrong with you?" Martin narrowed his eyes, looking at Victoria with confusion.
Victoria endured the severe pain in her body, staring at him unblinkingly, her brow furrowed, "I miss my dad. I feel so unfilial. He cherished me for over twenty years, but I let him lie in bed. I can't even make him open his eyes. I feel I deserve to die."
Tears flowed frantically.
Victoria gnawed at her lip until the parched, cracked skin finally gave way, blooming with tiny, brilliant beads of crimson.
Martin leaned down, kissing away the blood on her lips bit by bit.
Victoria's body hurt terribly. She couldn't help wanting to resist. Martin thought she was rejecting him, so he restrained her hands, preventing her from struggling, using an even more dominating, forceful kiss to seal her lips.