CHAPTER 131: THE UNSEEN

"Do you have a minute to talk?" Vivienne asked.

Looking at her condition, Aveline responded without hesitation, "Get in the car."

No, she wasn’t doing it to be helpful, but to learn about the situation.

Did Damien do something to her? That’s what bugged her.

Walking beside limping Vivienne, Aveline swallowed hard.

The confident, sharp-tongued woman who walked everywhere on her high heels like the world was her ramp had been replaced by someone broken, someone desperate.

As Vivienne slid into the passenger seat, her hands trembled slightly as she adjusted her sunglasses. Aveline realized that her victory against Damien came with Vivienne’s world falling apart.

She didn’t have to feel guilty about it, did she?

For her, Vivienne was paying for her actions.

She quietly watched as Vivienne looked around, as if making sure nobody was nearby.

Vivienne said, "I met with an accident."

Though limping, Vivienne didn’t seem to have any other major problems. So Aveline waited for her to complete.

Vivienne recounted the incident.

–––––

Two weeks ago,

Vivienne hadn’t slept the whole night. Ever since she saw the faint pink lines on that small stick, her heart hadn’t stopped racing. She waited until morning, trying to keep her excitement from spilling over, then rushed to the hospital with Jeff, her bodyguard trailing behind her.

She met the doctor, gave samples for blood and urine tests.

Then she sat in the waiting room with too many coughs around and too little sunlight in the room. The result came back the same. She was pregnant.

Her lips trembled when the gynaecologist confirmed it, eyes warming before she could stop them. Her life was never gentle to her. It had been a roller coaster lately, but this... this felt like hope, a restart.

A restart as not just rich but as a socialite. Maybe Mrs. Ashford. She didn’t care unless she got the luxury of the Ashfords.

The doctor scheduled her ultrasound for the next week, told her to rest well, eat better, and not stress.

Vivienne had thought she would get an ultrasound immediately so that she could visit Damien. Hearing it needs a week more, Vivienne nodded, already planning a long nap and a call to her father.

Jeff didn’t comment on anything. He was quiet when he knew the reason behind her happiness wasn’t actually the baby but her chance at the Ashfords.

At the doors, "Wait here. I’ll get the car," he said and walked towards the parking lot.

Shortly, he returned in his car, and she was walking to the car, absentmindedly looking at her mobile, when the screech came.

The screech of car tires as it skidded at the gates of the hospital, as if it had lost control.

Vivienne lifted her head to find the car speeding towards her. Everything blurred in that second. She froze. Her body refused to move.

Before she could even take a breath, Jeff had lunged at her, his arms colliding with hers as he shoved her away.

She hit the ground hard. Not the car, but it felt like one. The fear hit harder than the pavement. Her vision spun, and a buzzing sound in her ears grew louder as the darkness drowned her.

When she opened her eyes, everything smelled like antiseptic and metal. Her leg throbbed with pain. Her hands were bandaged. A nurse spoke softly, telling her she had passed out in the morning, that her leg was sprained. There were minor bruises, but nothing was life-threatening.

The nurse went quiet when Vivienne was completely awake and touching her stomach. "The baby?" The words scratched her dry throat.

The nurse hesitated, "Your pants had stains of blood, and your hand had pregnancy reports..." Thus, they had tested her, "You have miscarried."

The baby was gone.

Vivienne: "..."

She stared at the ceiling as the nurse spoke kind words to pacify her, but the words didn’t reach her. Tears rolled down her face, her chance for a restart, her only hope lost in a few seconds.

Unable to walk, she was admitted to the hospital. Her parents arrived to look after her. They scolded her but were glad she was alive. They had no idea about her pregnancy.

Later, she learnt Jeff was the one who saved her, but he had been admitted too, critical but stable, and Sentinel Solutions was handling his care.

That was supposed to be comforting. It wasn’t.

All she could think was what she had lost.

A week passed, but her leg wasn’t recovering. After another scan, they learnt her recovery was slow due to insufficient rest and she might never be able to walk the ramp.

That shattered another part of her.

Another week passed with her locked in her bedroom. The news of Ashford Holdings or Damien wasn’t enough to ease her.

Her aim was never to destroy him. Her goal was to live the luxurious life even if it was at Damien’s defeat.

Then she waited outside Laurent Industries, hoping to catch a glimpse of Aveline. She never did.

One morning, she spotted Wilson exiting the building. It took effort to approach him. Her pride was already torn, but she did it anyway. "Why isn’t Aveline Laurent coming to the office? I need to talk to her."

"She doesn’t come here anymore," Wilson replied, without a hint of warmth. "And I can’t help you find her."

The dismissal stung. She didn’t argue, knowing he wouldn’t help her.

Just an hour ago, she saw the viral video, Aveline recreating her art on the floor of that exhibit.

She didn’t think twice. She headed to the private museum, even with a limp and the bruises not quite healed. She had to see Aveline.

....

Aveline sat frozen because Vivienne had lost a baby. She wanted to say something comforting, but Vivienne, as always, ruined that moment.

"Aveline Laurent, now that you’ve divorced Damien, he’ll come crawling back the moment he’s released. Don’t take him back. Ruin the Ashfords for me," Vivienne said, her tone sharp. "My former bodyguard said it wasn’t an accident. It was intentional."

Aveline didn’t respond immediately. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "When did it happen?"

"The 21st. Last month."

The breath caught in Aveline’s throat. Damien was detained on the 22nd. Which meant...

She couldn’t tell if he had a hand in it. But the timeline made her stomach twist.

"Don’t trust him, Aveline Laurent." Vivienne insisted, "If you don’t believe me, ask Alaric Lancaster. He’s the one who assigned the bodyguard for me."

’Alaric?’

Aveline’s thoughts stumbled. She opened her mouth to question her, but Vivienne had already stepped out. She limped away, tapping on her phone to book a cab.

’Alaric was helping Vivienne...? Why?’

With complex thoughts in her mind, she reached for the ignition. A knock on the window snapped her back.

She turned to see Theodore Marston standing outside, fidgeting with his cufflink, an apologetic smile on his face.

Aveline stepped out to meet him.

"Ms. Laurent, I’m truly sorry for what happened," he said, voice formal and laced with regret. "I arrived late, and things clearly spiraled out of control."

Meanwhile, Vivienne paused before entering the cab. Her gaze flicked back to Aveline.

She frowned at the man talking to Aveline. "Why is she talking to that man?" she muttered under her breath.

"You getting in or not?" the cab driver called out.

Still watching, her brows furrowed deeper. She climbed in the car and shut the door.

The cab pulled away, leaving behind more questions than answers.