Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Victoria stood at the factory entrance and watched as Michael was loaded into the police car.

He turned to look at her one last time. She was wrapped in Edward's coat, leaning against the doorframe, her left cheek still swollen, the split at her mouth no longer bleeding.

She didn't look away. She watched them push him into the back seat.

Before the door closed, she saw his lips move—saying something—but the distance swallowed the words.

Whatever it was, she doubted it was kind.

Victoria tugged at the corner of her mouth.

A man like him—ungrateful, willing to destroy his own family.

He deserved to rot in prison for the rest of his life.

The door slammed shut. The cruiser pulled away, tires grinding over gravel, kicking up a cloud of dust before rounding the bend and vanishing at the end of the road.

Victoria lowered her gaze and pulled the coat collar tighter around her shoulders.

The aches were catching up to her now.

The ropes had been tied too tight. Her wrists had already bloomed purple.

---

Edward stood beside her, phone to his ear, coordinating the wrap-up at Crescent Harbor warehouse with Chase.

His voice was low. She caught only fragments—"suspect's been taken," "hand the rest to the police."

After he hung up, he walked over and looked down at her, brow furrowed deep. "Hospital. Now."

As he spoke, he reached for her wrist and began rubbing it gently.

His touch was feather-light, as if afraid of hurting her.

Victoria nodded and followed him to the car.

She should go. Everything hurt.

---

They'd been driving about ten minutes before she spoke. "When did you call the police?"

"The moment you were put in that van."

Edward's hands were steady on the wheel, eyes on the road. "Veda got to the gate and you weren't there. She checked the security footage and called me immediately. I had someone trace the van's route. It took forty minutes to find you."

He glanced at her, his gaze sweeping over her swollen left cheek. His voice dropped a register. "I won't let you be alone again."

He said it like he meant it. Like a vow.

Victoria leaned back in her seat and turned her head to watch him. The burning in her cheek had dulled to a low throb, but something in her chest felt solid and steady in a way she couldn't quite name.

If anyone else had said those words, she would have smiled and let them go.

But Edward was different.

Victoria's eyes softened, and a small smile surfaced.

When Edward said something, he followed through. Every single time.

He said never again.

So it would be never again.

She looked down at her lap. The coat sleeve covered the edge of the platinum ring on her finger. She turned it once with her thumb, the cool metal band sliding against her skin.

She could manage on her own. She always had.

But hearing those words from him—

It made her feel safe in a way she hadn't expected.

---

At the hospital, the doctor examined the soft tissue bruising on her left cheek and the split at her mouth. "Nothing serious. Apply the ointment for a few days and the swelling will go down. Just keep the cut clean to avoid infection."

After they bandaged her up, Victoria sat in the hallway waiting for the prescription. Edward sat beside her.

His phone kept buzzing. He took a few calls, each one clipped and efficient, none lasting more than a minute or two.

Victoria turned to watch him, and her expression finally eased.

Thank God.

Edward was still here. Right beside her.

She'd been so afraid.

Michael was unhinged. If anything in the plan had gone wrong—

They might not both be sitting here right now.

She didn't even know exactly what she'd been afraid of. But it didn't matter anymore.

They were both okay.

Edward clearly hadn't noticed the direction of her thoughts.

After his last call, he looked at her. "All the materials for overturning the case have been handed over to the police. Combined with the kidnapping charges against Michael, the chain of evidence is complete. The lawyer says we could have a preliminary ruling within a week."

Victoria leaned back in her chair. The hospital's fluorescent lights cast a harsh white glow down the corridor. She closed her eyes. "My dad... he could be out within a week?"

Her voice caught slightly.

Tinged with disbelief.

For so long she'd begged everyone she could think of for help, and nothing had worked.

And now—it was just going to be over? Just like that?

Her eyes burned, but no tears came.

Edward said, "Five days, at the earliest."

Victoria kept her eyes closed, but the corner of her mouth curved upward.

She felt him stand, walk to the pharmacy window, return with the bag of medication, and sit back down beside her. A bottle of water, cap already loosened, appeared at her hand.

She took it, drank two sips, screwed the cap back on, and held it. "Thanks."

Part of her still couldn't believe it.

Was it really over?

The man who had haunted her and Nolan for so long—just like that, gone.

Her lips curved again. Something in her chest loosened.

---

That night when they got home, Yara was already asleep.

Victoria didn't let Lily get a close look at her face. "Just bumped into something. It's nothing."

Lily studied her for a moment but didn't press. She brought out a bowl of hot soup, then went back to tidying the kitchen.

Victoria sat on the living room sofa and drank the soup slowly.

Edward made a call on the balcony, then came back and sat down beside her.

Victoria spoke first. "You told me before... to think things over carefully. I have my answer now."

Edward turned to look at her.

Only the floor lamp was on in the living room. The warm light softened the angles of his face.

He waited.

"You don't have to wait anymore."

Victoria set the soup bowl on the coffee table and turned to face him. "After everything you've done, if I still can't see what kind of man you are, then I'm the fool."

She looked down and turned the ring on her finger. "The proposal—you were keeping it from me. But Veda let it slip. She told me you've been planning something."

She hadn't intended to bring it up.

But seeing Edward, she suddenly wanted to ask.

They were already together. Why a proposal?

Something shifted in Edward's expression—subtle, barely there. "When did she tell you?"

"This afternoon, before I went to the hospital. She said someone had been in frequent contact with an event planning team. Asked if I knew about it."

Victoria lifted her eyes to his. "I didn't. But when she told me, my heart was racing."

In that moment, she'd known with absolute clarity.

She had fallen for Edward. Completely.

She was in love with him.

---

The living room was quiet for several seconds.

Edward reached into the inner pocket of his coat and produced a slim brown leather folio. From it, he drew a single sheet of paper, unfolded it, and laid it flat on the coffee table.

Their marriage contract. The one they'd signed at the very beginning.

He took out a lighter and touched the flame to one corner.

Fire climbed the edge. The paper curled and blackened. Clause after clause—black ink on white—disappeared into the flames.