Chapter 148
âYouâve probably guessed what actually happened in the car accident two years ago, havenât you, Mr.
Coleman?â Christian inquired slowly, his gaze fixed steadily on Glenâs face.
For the first time, Glen talked about the car accident that occurred two years ago. âRegardless of who
is in the right or wrong, Bella was ultimately injured while Victoria got her leg broken and was
imprisoned,â he said after giving it some thought. âShe has received the penalty that she deserved. And
as forâ â
âYouâre such a âgreatâ person.â Christian smiled and cut him off.
Glen couldnât figure out what he meant and thought he was complimenting himself, so he continued
saying, âVictoria deserved her punishment for doing something wrong. Although she is my daughter, I
have to be reasonable and not stand on her side.â
âYes, youâre a great man indeed.â Christian sniggered sarcastically.
Glen smiled. âAs for the land in Glogan⦠â
He did not finish his sentence, but it was obvious what he was implying.
âTake part in the auction the way you normally would. Iâd suggest you prepare some cash in advance.
Going to the bank for a loan is an option if the available cash in the company is insufficient. I have other
stuff to do, so Iâll take my leave first.â Christian walked away without giving Glen a chance to speak.
The smile on his aged yet well-groomed face was replaced by confusion, which grew even more as he
watched Christian leave.
Since the accident where Victoria knocked Bella, Christian held a grudge against the Colemans. Why
was Christian still unhappy with him even after he made it clear that it had nothing to do with him?
From his expression today, it didnât appear like he hated Victoria to the core, but ratherâ¦
After giving the ward a quick glance, he frowned and finally decided to head in.
With bare feet and a sullen face, Victoria made her way to the grass in front of the hospital. The lights
were on, but they werenât particularly bright. The patients and their accompanying family members had
also left by the time it was 9.00PM, leaving the area vacant.
Her limbs became cooler as time went on. Her entire body was frigid but her heart was warm, and the
heat brought by rage and sullen fire nearly scorched her soul to death.
âTori, put on your shoes. The ground is cold, and itâs not good for you.â After lingering behind her for a
while, Teresa gave a soft sigh and approached Victoria with her shoes.
Whether it was a disabled leg or pulmonary edema, catching a cold could be troublesome.
Victoriaâs head lowered, ignoring Teresa as she wore no shoes. The heat of her heart was entwined
with the chill on her body; it was as if she was on the rack.
âNo matter how mad you are, donât take your body lightly. If you have a relapse of your illness, itâs you
who suffers, not those that you hate.â Teresa squatted down to hold her feet. âRaise your feet.â
âI need to cool down for a moment. Go back, Teresa. Itâs chilly here,â Victoria remarked in a slightly
harsh manner. As she shook her head, tears dropped down the corner of her eyes.
âIf you donât want to make me mad, do as I say,â Teresa screamed at her. âIf you donât obey me, Iâll let
your brother out to deal with you.â
âWith a physical disability, he canât even get out of bed, let alone beat me up,â said Victoria while
grinning, which caused a salty tear to fall into her mouth.
As she spoke, she raised her right foot that was held by Teresa.
âWhen he recovers, heâll certainly beat you.â Teresa put on her right shoe and lifted her left foot, saying,
âLift it up.â
Looking down at Teresa as she put on her shoes, Victoria elevated her left foot. She was holding it in
so much that she felt like her chest was being choked, causing her to struggle for breath.
She hurriedly wiped the tears that were about to fall and laughed again. âMy brother wonât hit me.â
âYouâre aware of that, yet you continue to punish yourself.â After putting on Victoriaâs shoes, she stood
up. Her eyes became slightly red. âYou have no idea how your brother has been living here for the past
two years; he always drinks, and when heâs wasted, he sits on the ground sobbing while apologizing to
you.â
She choked and exhaled deeply, her voice returning to normal. âHeâs now beginning to work and learn
the ropes in the company, and he always makes a fool of himself. Every time he returns, heâd get so
pissed that heâd want to give up, but heâd still arrive at work an hour earlier the next day. It seems as
though heâs two entirely different people!â
Victoria lowered her head as she remained silent. Her upper body was obscured by darkness, making
it difficult to see her face or read her emotions; all that could be seen was crystal clear droplets dripping
onto her shoes.
âYour brother is doing this just to help you.â Teresa patted the back of her hand tenderly. âDonât torture
yourself, or both your brother and I will be heartbroken.â
Only once in the previous two years had Victoria shed a tear in front of her brother and novelxo.com
fast updatesister-in-law, which was during her birthday celebration. At other times, even if she was
frustrated and angry, she never shed a tear in front of them.
However, Victoriaâs tears at this very moment were uncontrollable. She tried to stop them by raising her
head, yet tears continued to stream down her auricle and her neck.
Her two years in prison had harmed both her dignity and caused her fury. The sole reason she wanted
to live was to see her parents, brother, and sister-in-law once she was released from prison. She then
intended to commit suicide and escape this terrible world after that.
Still, she didnât expect to see Christian before seeing her parents. He threatened to make her a Delta
Club employee, a life that was worse than death.
She considered her time in jail to be the worst period of her life, but she didnât want her parents to
judge or talk poorly of her. Thus, she had to work at Delta Club. However, the humiliation and targeted
harassment she had to endure while working there only made her feel worse.
It was until then that she realized the worst period of her life had just begun.
She struggled with exhaustion, agony, helplessness, and despair every day. Victoria knew that dying
would be the ideal outcome, but she didnât want her brother and sister-in-law to be dragged into the
situation, so she had to continue to live every day like a walking dead instead.
Coward, worthless, shameless, and murderer were among the labels that had been placed on her by
others. It did hurt her sometimes, but Victoria had suffered many deaths, so only her brother and sister-
in-law were relevant to her; she was already numb to how others judged her.
âVictoria,â said Teresa as she put her coat back on. Then, she hesitated before saying, âNo matter how
strong they are, the Thatchers cannot disobey the law. You donât need to stay at Delta Club with your
brother for me. How about this? Your brother and I will figure out a way to send you abroad after you
get discharged from the hospital, and you shall never return.â
Victoria lowered her head and wiped away her tears numbly. Then, she said hoarsely, âIâm fine.â
âIâm serious. Once youâre discharged from the hospital, go abroad.â Teresa sighed softly. âYou only
make your brother and I worry even more when youâre living like this for us.â
âAs for Mr. Thatcher⦠No matter how furious he is, he canât murder me and your brother,â she said with
a smile.
âA lot of times, living is harder than dying.â Victoria appeared to be a lifeless figure as she gazed up at
the darkened sky with her soulless eyes.