Chapter 284

"Leave us." Alexander's voice cut through the air like ice as he dismissed Margaret.

Victoria lay motionless on the hospital bed, her fingers twitching slightly as she watched the exchange through half-lidded eyes. Margaret dabbed at nonexistent tears with a practiced motion. "Then I trust you'll take care of my daughter properly. She's fragile right now—no more distress."

With a final glance at Alexander, she swept out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Alexander approached the bed where Victoria lay, her face turned away in a carefully staged display of heartbreak.

"I've arranged for the top specialist in the country to treat your injuries," he said evenly. "Your recovery will be swift. If my presence upsets you, I'll go."

Victoria's head snapped back toward him instantly, her hand shooting out to clutch his wrist. "Don't leave me, Alexander!"

Her eyes shimmered with manufactured tears, her lower lip trembling with Oscar-worthy precision. "You despise me now, don't you? You can't even stand to look at me anymore." Her voice was a fragile whisper, her complexion artfully pale. "I'd rather die than live without you. Don't you understand? I'd give my last breath just to keep you by my side!"

Tears cascaded down her cheeks in perfect synchronization with her dramatic monologue. Alexander remained unmoved, his expression granite.

When her sobs hitched, she peered up through her lashes. "I know I've failed you, Alexander, but we have years of history together. Can't you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"Forgiveness?" Alexander's laugh held no warmth. His next words struck like a blade. "Did Evelyn ever get that luxury?"

Victoria froze. The question caught her off guard, her pulse stuttering.

She searched his icy gaze, finding no trace of the man who'd once adored her. "So you're discarding me?" Her voice cracked on cue. "You promised to marry me, Alexander. You—"

"I'll honor that promise," he interrupted flatly.

Her breath caught. "You mean it? Oh, Alexander!"

"Every word. Just as I'll mean the divorce papers the moment the ink dries."

Victoria's hopeful expression shattered. "Why?"

"Meeting you felt like destiny once. Every 'I love you' was sincere in that moment." His voice turned lethally quiet. "But it took losing Evelyn to realize those words were just the infatuation of a boy who didn't know what real love was."

Victoria's face drained of color.

A flicker of remorse crossed Alexander's features as childhood memories surfaced, but they vanished when images of Evelyn's suffering flooded his mind. His gaze pinned Victoria in place. "So yes, we'll marry. But without love, all you'll inherit is misery."

"No!" Her nails dug into his arm. "You've never loved anyone else! I'm the only woman you've ever wanted! This guilt over Evelyn is temporary—you don't truly care for her! You can't!"

Her hysterical wails filled the room until Alexander's phone rang, the screen displaying 'Unknown Caller.' Normally he'd ignore it, but the interruption was a welcome escape.

He answered to Nathaniel's furious voice. "It's you again, isn't it, Alexander Blackwood? How much more must Evelyn suffer? Tell me where you've taken her!"