CHAPTER 101: CHAPTER 101: VICTORIA VANISHES, EUGENE VAUGHN GOES MAD SEARCHING

Half a month after the grand ceremony, the Luo and Vaughn families hosted a spectacular wedding.

Cousin Jenny Vaughn, at the age just after graduating college, married her childhood sweetheart Tiffany Rhodes, becoming Mrs. Rhodes.

On the wedding day, Eugene Vaughn stayed close to the groom with his group of groomsmen.

Everyone was immersed in happiness, but Victoria Sinclair took a call and hurriedly left the wedding venue without anyone noticing.

At the hospital.

Victoria Sinclair saw her father’s face yellow and waxy, his abdomen slightly swollen, clutching his chest and crying out in pain, causing her legs to go weak.

Timothy Sinclair and Victoria Sinclair were simultaneously called to the doctor’s office.

When the doctor laid out all the reports before them, the words "Stage 3 liver cancer" were like a bolt from the blue, making the siblings’ eyes red with tears, their bodies uncontrollably trembling.

Outside in the corridor, Timothy Sinclair was struck with sorrow to the point of being unable to walk, covering his face and sobbing loudly.

Victoria Sinclair silently shed tears, tightly embracing her brother’s trembling shoulders, and resolutely comforted him.

Faced with her father’s illness, despite being a research expert in the pharmaceutical field, she felt powerless, realizing her own insignificance.

Timothy Sinclair was already deeply in debt, and now faced with his father’s serious illness, the burden of medical expenses fell entirely on Victoria Sinclair, which was also one of his reasons for grief.

With tears in her eyes, Victoria firmly consoled, "Brother, this has to be kept from Mom and Dad for now, including Eugene and sister-in-law; absolutely don’t tell them. I’ll handle Dad’s medical costs and stay in the hospital to take care of him."

Timothy Sinclair’s eyes were filled with tears, his voice trembled with pain, "I understand you fear Mom and Dad can’t bear the shock. I can understand why you want to avoid Eugene spending money and effort since you’re soon divorcing him, but why keep it from your sister-in-law?"

Victoria Sinclair was somewhat helpless, "Because human nature can’t withstand being tested."

Timothy Sinclair couldn’t comprehend her words.

Victoria Sinclair didn’t want to explain it too plainly to him.

After all, her sister-in-law has always despised her brother for his poverty and incompetence, unable to give her a wealthy and prosperous life. After being swindled, he’s now burdened with debts, and a father with cancer; such pressure is not something every woman can handle.

Starry sky at night.

In stark contrast to the bleakness at the hospital, the wedding was particularly festive, and even when it ended, Eugene Vaughn didn’t touch a drop of alcohol, leaving everyone bewildered and astonishing the crowd.

Eugene Vaughn couldn’t find Victoria Sinclair anywhere, her phone went unanswered, and others didn’t know where she had gone.

He drove home, passed by the pharmaceutical research institute, finding it dark inside.

Back home, he switched on the lights, put down his car keys, and called into the house while changing shoes, "Victoria..."

The house was silent.

He headed straight to Victoria Sinclair’s room, knocked but got no response.

His expression was tense, he hurriedly opened the door and turned on the light, only to see the neatly made bed empty.

At that moment, he panicked.

He ran into the room, opened the closet.

The clothes were still there.

Eugene Vaughn took a deep breath, closed the closet, turned off the light, and walked out.

Seated on the sofa, he called Victoria Sinclair, sent messages, WeChats, QQ; he tried every possible means to contact her.

The night grew deeper, time ticked slowly away, Eugene Vaughn lay back powerlessly in the chair, pretending to nap, but his ears were constantly listening for sounds from the front door.

He grew more and more weary, took off his tie, removed his suit jacket, quietly waiting for Victoria Sinclair to return home.

In the early hours, Victoria Sinclair replied with a WeChat message.

"Eugene, I have urgent matters and need to leave home for a while. I will be present on the court date as scheduled, no need to worry."

Upon receiving her WeChat message, Eugene Vaughn immediately called back.

However, Victoria Sinclair had already turned off her phone.

Eugene Vaughn tossed the phone onto the sofa, holding his head with one hand, as if falling into an endless abyss, unable to extricate himself from agony and bewilderment.

Two years of marriage, and for the first time, Victoria Sinclair had shut down her phone and not returned home.

Though Eugene Vaughn knew she wasn’t coming back, he still sat up all night on the sofa, sleeplessly waiting the entire night.

At dawn, he finally trudged wearily to wash up in his room.

After freshening up and changing clothes, Eugene Vaughn drove off to find Victoria Sinclair.

He visited the pharmaceutical research institute and the Sinclair Family home.

Angela Austin said she had taken a few days off.

Mrs. Sinclair said she wasn’t at her parents’ home.

Victoria Sinclair disappeared for five days, Eugene Vaughn was nearly driven insane searching for her.

At this time, the court sent Eugene Vaughn a notice for the hearing scheduled on July 1st.

The divorce process, which would ordinarily take four months, had now bypassed mediation and jumped directly to trial stage.

There were only a dozen days left until the court date.

Such swift progress was akin to a rocket, unbelievable.

Eugene Vaughn tasked his lawyer with investigating.

He learned that the judge was a close friend of Vivian Miller’s father, then he knew he was about to completely lose Victoria Sinclair.

And for a fiery woman like Victoria Sinclair, once divorced, love or no love, she would never look back.

The sky was as dark as lacquer, the living room lights were on.

Eugene Vaughn returned from outside, leaning his head back on the sofa, arms pressed over his eyes, enveloped in a cold heavy presence, the entire home felt like it had plunged into an ice cave, stifling and desolate.

He was exhausted, unknowingly fallen asleep, awakened by nightmares.

With hands covering his face, he took deep painful breaths.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Eugene Vaughn sat up abruptly, quickly picked up the phone on the coffee table and checked the caller ID.

It was Angela Austin.

Stood nervously to receive the call, he placed it to his ear, "Angela, any news on Victoria?"

On the other end of the phone, Angela’s voice was extremely light, "Something happened at the pharmaceutical research institute, Victoria came back to handle it, but she’ll leave soon, hurry over."

"Thank you." Eugene Vaughn rushed out of the house.

The pristine night sky enveloped the heavens.

Victoria Sinclair and Angela Austin exited the pharmaceutical research institute, walking towards the subway entrance.

Underneath a tranquil street, the dim yellow glow of street lamps illuminated the road ahead, verdant lush bushes thrived alongside pedestrian paths.

They walked hand in hand, stepping on shadows.

Angela Austin was anxious, deliberately slowed her pace, "Victoria, you haven’t been to the pharmaceutical research institute for five days, did something happen?"

Victoria Sinclair did not plan to tell Angela Austin, pursed her lips silently.

Angela Austin understood and respected, changed the topic, "You’re really not going to regret the divorce?"

"No." Victoria Sinclair said firmly, slightly wistfully, "Perhaps I still love him, but this marriage drained me for two years. Looking back on the path taken, it feels so unworthy."

Angela Austin was quite saddened, "I don’t believe in love either, but my parents are forcing me into blind dates and marriage."

Victoria Sinclair couldn’t offer her advice, "What do you think then?"

"I just don’t believe that the rare good men in this world would appear to me during a blind date. I’m fine alone, I don’t want to get married, I don’t want to enter another unfamiliar family to serve them, both old and young."

"Then be resolutely yourself."

"My parents are too overpowering, it’s so difficult." Angela Austin sighed deeply.

Suddenly, the two halted in their tracks, gazing ahead.

Eugene Vaughn strode swiftly toward them.

The dim street lamp cast a glow on him, with a tall, elegant, and handsome demeanor.

Victoria Sinclair frowned displeasedly at Angela Austin.

Angela Austin felt guilt-ridden, betraying a friend left her very uneasy, and never expected Victoria Sinclair to immediately suspect her, leaving her vulnerable and hastily apologizing, "Sorry Victoria, Eugene keeps coming to the pharmaceutical research institute looking for you, I couldn’t bear it."

Angela Austin left her words, hurried to the subway station, "I’m heading home, goodbye."

Victoria Sinclair felt entirely worn out, stood unmoving, her gaze shifted to Eugene Vaughn.

His face was grim, appeared to be in exceptionally poor spirits.

"Did you come to find me for something?" Victoria Sinclair spoke first.

Eugene Vaughn adjusted his breathing, panting slightly, "I received the court notice, July 1st."

Victoria Sinclair nodded.

Eugene Vaughn’s voice was bitter with a sneer, "Divorce lawsuits usually take four or five months, we’ve completed the process in less than a month, skipping the mediation stage. Don’t you think it’s absurd?"

"Everyone hopes we divorce." Victoria Sinclair’s heart also felt heavy, but she feigned calm as she spoke, "Including myself."

"I really don’t want to divorce, nor do I want you to leave." Eugene Vaughn’s voice was particularly disheartened, each syllable laden with a deep sense of powerlessness, "But I truly seem... helpless."