CHAPTER 106: CHAPTER 106: EUGENE VAUGHN’S FRENZIED PARANOID OBSESSION

Victoria Sinclair felt like a stone was lodged in her heart, causing discomfort as she stumbled forward, forcibly pulled along.

Behind them, Nathan Austin’s eyes were as cold as an abyss, and he smirked coldly, his smile carrying a piercing chill.

The midday sun blazed like fire, its scorching rays pouring down relentlessly.

Yet, Victoria only felt waves of cold rising from her body, her heart chilled, overwhelmed by sadness and grievance, almost drowning her.

Her arm was held roughly by the man, the pain piercing to the core.

Before, she would have been bewildered and puzzled.

Now, she was too aware of Eugene Vaughn’s reasons for anger.

Once out of the hospital, Eugene stuffed her into the passenger seat and after closing the door, moved to the driver’s seat.

Victoria rubbed her aching arm, her heart sour, her tear-filled eyes looking at Eugene beside her.

His face was ashen, shrouded in a thick haze, an oppressive air of gloom and intensity silently enveloping him.

The atmosphere in the car became suffocating, deathly still to the point it was hard to breathe.

Unable to bear the stifling silence, Victoria spoke first, "If you’re angry, just let it out, no need to suppress yourself."

Eugene closed his eyes, took a deep breath as if trying hard to suppress the emotions welling up inside, struggling to maintain calm. After a long pause, he finally spoke with difficulty, "Why did you go to see him?"

Victoria opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but the words got stuck in her throat.

She was still unsure if Nathan had done anything to her, the truth was not yet clear.

She also wasn’t certain if Eugene’s feelings for her were out of revenge or genuine affection.

All she knew was that the virus monkeys were still in her father-in-law’s hands, and she had to use divorce as a condition to get back those dangerous creatures.

This was a responsibility she could not escape no matter what.

Unable to await Victoria’s response, Eugene didn’t ask further, buckling his seatbelt, starting the car, and driving off.

Victoria turned her head to look at the city scenery outside the window, feeling lost.

At that moment, she realized how deep and volatile Eugene’s temper was, his endurance beyond imagination.

With another man, seeing his wife go to her former affair partner would have already set him ablaze with fury.

Looking at the familiar roads, Victoria softly said, "I have something very important to do, I can’t go home with you."

"I’m already handling the emigration procedures," Eugene said assertively, leaving no room for objection. "Once they’re done, we’re moving to New Zealand."

Victoria, tightening, looked at Eugene in disbelief, "I won’t emigrate with you."

Eugene ignored her protest, focused on driving, his visage grave and his words suffocating in their dominance, "I have enough money to help you restart your pharmaceutical research career in New Zealand, and I’ll leave a large sum for your parents, enough for them to live worry-free for several lifetimes."

Irritated, Victoria clenched her fist, "Eugene, I’m an independent person, not your accessory, you don’t have the right to decide my life."

"I’m still your husband now and have guardianship over you. Hate me or blame me, I’ve been driven to this by your actions." Eugene’s voice carried a trace of fatigue and helplessness, yet it was so resolute.

With chaos in her mind, Victoria felt something was amiss, hurriedly pulling her phone from her backpack.

Eugene glanced at her actions from the corner of his eye, turned the steering wheel, and parked the car by the roadside.

Victoria dialed a number.

Eugene quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, snatched Victoria’s phone, and seeing her dialing 110, his face darkened, he directly hung up and tossed the phone onto the car hood.

The phone clattered against the hood with a crisp sound.

"Give me back the phone." Victoria panicked, trying to grab it, her wrist held down by Eugene.

She pulled at the car door with her other hand, finding it locked, her heart sinking to the depths, clueless about what to do.

Eugene leaned over, restraining her other hand as well.

Faced with Eugene’s robust strength, Victoria’s efforts seemed minuscule, unable to escape his grip.

She had never seen Eugene this dominant and tyrannical, his pathological obsession made her uneasy, hair standing on end.

"What exactly do you want?" Victoria’s voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes.

Eugene pulled off his tie, decisively winding it around her wrists to tie her up.

Victoria dared not struggle, looking at Eugene in alarm and fear, then glancing outside the window, attempting to call for help.

But outside, there were only vehicles speeding past, no one else.

Eugene, saying nothing, with a cold expression, concluded her binding, started the car again, and drove forward.

"This is illegal." Victoria’s vision was blurred by tears, her voice soft and quivering.

She felt that Eugene was becoming increasingly unfamiliar.

Was this the side he said he had hidden for two years and no longer wished to pretend?

He certainly wasn’t the calm, stable, and gentle man she had once liked.

It turned out, he had always been disguising and hiding before her.

Eugene remained silent, earnestly driving the car.

Victoria, unable to break free from the binding on her wrists or open the car door, could only allow fate to carry her into the unknown.

The vehicle entered the apartment’s underground parking garage.

Eugene turned off the engine, got out, and walked to the passenger seat to carry Victoria out.

In the elevator, they didn’t encounter neighbors; Victoria’s hope for help diminished, despair growing stronger in her heart.

She was taken back home by force, placed on the large bed in his room.

Heart palpitating nervously, Victoria gazed quietly at the man before her.

His demeanor was calm and composed. Shedding his suit jacket, he gracefully removed his watch, placing it on the cabinet, unscrewing the two front buttons of his shirt unhurriedly.

He exited the room, returning with a pair of slippers in hand for her seeing, now wearing his slippers.

Kneeling on one knee before her, he held her ankle.

Victoria flinched with fright, uneasy and tense as a drawn bow.

His actions were gentle, helping her take off her white casual shoes and socks, placing her feet into the comfortable slippers.

The two of them exchanged no words, the atmosphere exceedingly oppressive.

Eugene took her shoes and socks away, and when he returned to the room, he had several disinfectant wipes in his hand.

Victoria swallowed, looking at him warily.

Tense inside, her mind kept wandering to scenes from "Don’t Speak to Strangers," leaving her shuddering.

Again kneeling, Eugene lifted her pale foot, gently wiping with a wet wipe.

The touch of the cold wipes combined with the warmth of his palm left Victoria disoriented between being gently treated and forcefully confined.

After cleaning her feet, Eugene threw the wipes into the trash bin, looked up at her, his gaze tender as water, "What do you want for lunch? I’ll cook for you."

Victoria mustered her courage, holding out her wrist to him, "Untie me."

"No, you’ll run away."

"How long do you plan to keep me tied up?"

"Until the visa is ready, the moment you board the plane."

Resigned, Victoria inhaled sharply, suppressing her emotions, speaking calmly, "The airport will be crowded, are you planning to drug me, tie me, and take me onto the plane?"

"It’s a charter flight, departing at night."

Victoria was stunned, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you planning to tie me up every day in New Zealand, keeping me locked in the house?"

Eugene’s eyes darkened, staring at her wordlessly.

"Can you guarantee I’ll never escape for a lifetime?" Victoria’s voice was full of defiance, unwilling to be controlled like this.

Sitting beside her, Eugene lowered his body, elbows propped on his thighs, hands covering his face, taking deep breaths.

He was shrouded in a gloomy aura, that sense of helplessness and melancholy especially evident, as if the whole world had abandoned him.