CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: JULIAN FORDHAM, I’M DYING!

Victoria Monroe was incredibly nervous, Julian Fordham’s obsessive possessiveness toward her was even deeper than she’d imagined. If he found out about the child, divorce would be impossible!

He might even demand Rachel Hayes to abort the child, completely severing all ties with her.

If he had done this at the time of the incident, Victoria could have forgiven him.

As she had said, no one is infallible, but as long as he corrected his mistakes in time, she would give him a chance.

At that time, Julian refused her proposal. Now that she saw through Julian’s hypocrisy, she would no longer be blinded by his love.

Victoria’s heart was racing.

Until Julian’s sharp eyes locked onto her guilty face, then he said coldly, "For Rhys Hawthorne’s sake, you’re refusing to let me touch you now?"

Victoria: "..."

Indeed, after years of failed attempts to conceive, he didn’t believe she could be pregnant, which was why Rachel was involved.

What exactly was she worried about?

Her silence seemed like acquiescence in his eyes, and Julian’s gaze darkened. He leaned closer to her, forcefully.

Disregarding Victoria’s struggle, his actions were no longer gentle, only violent.

"Victoria, it seems right to lock you up. Look at you, your heart becomes wild just after being outside for a short while."

The man’s long fingers dropped onto the metal buckle of his belt, but at this moment, the phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but the persistent ringing was like a haunting melody.

After glancing at the caller ID, he answered, displeased, "What’s the matter?"

In the quiet bathroom, Victoria heard the anxious voice of a bodyguard from the other side, "Boss, it’s not good, Miss just attempted suicide..."

Julian furrowed his brows and replied, "Call a doctor, I’ll be right over."

After hanging up, he cursed, "Little brat!"

In recent years, as Julian rose to prominence, Autumn Fordham also became more arrogant and unruly, causing trouble outside because she had a good brother.

This time, because of her behavior allowing Rachel to rise, Julian was furious, not only freezing her card but also confining her at home.

Who would have thought she would stage such a scene?

Julian turned off the faucet and got up, leaving Victoria feeling relieved.

"Let go!"

The tall man stood at the edge of the bathtub, looking down at her. His mood was extremely foul, and there was no warmth in his deep eyes:

"You and Autumn are the same, I’ve been too good to you both, which is why you’re spoiled beyond control."

"Stay here obediently, I’ll be back soon. Only then you won’t sneak out to find Rhys!"

Victoria had no choice but to give in, especially since she was pregnant now.

"Julian, let go of me, I really don’t feel well."

A hint of softness flashed in the man’s eyes. He was about to lean down to untie the tie for her.

Yet at this moment, Victoria’s phone received a message.

The screen clearly showed Rhys Hawthorne’s contact name.

[Are you okay?]

Just those two words made Julian’s face fill with anger. He sneered and said, "He really cares about you, doesn’t he, Victoria? You once said something I absolutely agree with - those who make mistakes should be punished."

He leaned down, both hands on the edge of the bathtub, spoke slowly in her ear, "Remember this feeling well today, from now on don’t let that name appear in front of me."

She shook her head, "I’m really feeling dizzy..."

"No wonder you’re the best actress, your acting is getting better and better. I won’t give you another chance to contact him."

Then Julian picked up her phone and replied to Rhys’s message.

[I need to rest, thank you for bringing me back.]

Rhys didn’t reply again. Julian, right in front of Victoria, deleted Rhys’s contact and blocked his number.

"Julian, stop! What right do you have to stop me from making friends?"

Julian chuckled coldly, "For the few years, you had only me, that’s enough. Rhys doesn’t mean well for you."

"Bastard, let go of me..." Her voice was choked with sobs, "Julian, how did you become like this?"

His rough finger pads wiped away the tears at her eye corners, his voice hoarse, "Wasn’t it you who pushed me to become like this? Victoria, be good, I’ll be back very soon."

Victoria called out his name, "Julian, come back! Let go of me! My hands hurt..."

Julian paused slightly, a hint of pain flashed deep in his eyes.

"Julian, I’m uncomfortable..."

In the end, the man remained ruthless and left, answering her with the sound of the closing door.

Victoria closed her eyes tightly, tears like broken beads falling into the bathtub, causing ripples.

She knew that with Julian’s departure, there really was no chance left for them.

Before she would trick him, claiming she sprained her ankle, making him stop to carry her.

He always knew she was lying but was still willing to fall for it.

But why wouldn’t he believe when she spoke the truth now?

She truly felt miserable.

It was not just the physical pain but also the psychological torment.

In the empty bathroom, she cried out loud!

Their eighteen years together were eventually buried by him personally.

How did it come to this? She had tried so hard to maintain their marriage.

She put away her thorns, stopped being stubborn, no longer rebellious, even gave up her career.

She became so gentle, even though she never learned how to cook, she had learned to tie his tie, iron his clothes.

He had said she was the best wife in the world.

He wanted a child, and she did her utmost to get pregnant.

Clearly...clearly she had tried her best, so why did it all end like this?

Julian initially thought Autumn was just pretending again, making a fuss. Just seeing her, saying a few words, or fulfilling her demands would suffice.

But he didn’t expect this crazy woman to actually slit her wrists because someone broke up with her.

When he arrived, he saw his beloved little sister covered in blood.

He completely forgot about Victoria in the bathtub.

The warm water gradually cooled, heating would only start next month. When he angrily threw her into the bathtub, he didn’t turn on any heating.

No one anticipated the sudden drop in temperature tonight. The outer rooms had air conditioning, but the bathroom was cold.

As the hot water turned cold, part of Victoria was in the water, and the other part exposed was long soaked.

The soaking wet dress stuck to her body like ice.

Initially, she was just a bit dizzy, but soon she developed a high fever.

Her head was in a daze; after receiving treatment for years, her body was weaker than average. Already ill, she fell into deeper illness.

She shivered from cold, struggling desperately to find warmth.

She could ignore her own body, but now she had a child.

Victoria used all her strength but couldn’t free herself; instead, exerting herself left her with cold sweat on her back.

The bathroom had a small window open, even with just a crack, when the biting cold wind blew in, it was even worse.

So cold!

Her wrist already had a red mark, and under her vigorous struggle, blood even started to appear.

Victoria gradually lost strength, weakly watching the snow dancing outside the window.

The first snowfall of early winter gently descended under the lights.

She felt as though she traveled through time back to the past.

At fifteen, she secretly bought yarn and clumsily knitted Julian a scarf.

On the day of the first snow, she tiptoed to put it around his neck.

He wore that scarf for three years. Even when it pilled and deformed, he never threw it away, just placed it in his wardrobe.

A snowflake fell onto her lashes, Victoria softly murmured, "It’s snowing again."

So cold.

She felt her body might have been frozen into an ice sculpture by the wind, even as she was feverish, she felt chillingly cold.

She lost consciousness but was awakened by the cold again.

She didn’t know how long it had been, Julian still hadn’t returned.

Victoria only felt her throat parched; her wrist and entire body were numb with cold.

Seemingly without sensation, but her skin’s surface felt covered with tiny thorns.

Julian, I’m in so much pain...

In her limited consciousness, she pondered one thing. Could she be the first person to freeze to death in a bathtub?

Death would be relief; she was truly exhausted.

Endless medication, incessant ovulation stimulation.

She never told Julian how much the ovulation shots hurt.

Would dying mean escaping this suffering forever?

Immediately, another thought crossed her mind.

No, she couldn’t die.

Weakly, she stared at the pitch-black deep night that seemed like a monster devouring the city.

With no one knowing, in some unheard corner, she was close to dying.

Help.

Anyone, save me...