CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: EUGENE VAUGHN STAYED OUT ALL NIGHT

"Who is it?" On the other end of the phone, a woman’s lazy voice had just woken up, carrying a hint of morning grumpiness.

Victoria Sinclair’s heart felt like it was being tightly squeezed by a large hand, giving her a suffocating feeling. She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, "Hello, I’m looking for Eugene Vaughn?"

The woman’s voice was soft and delicate, "Eugene isn’t awake yet, who is this?"

The increasingly familiar voice made Victoria Sinclair feel as if her soul was being shattered, her limbs trembling, her heart cracking open and bleeding, aching faintly.

Victoria Sinclair didn’t know how her voice remained steady, but her nose was sore and uncomfortable, "What name has he saved my number under?"

The woman hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly said, "He saved it as Victoria Sinclair."

Victoria Sinclair’s tears couldn’t stop flowing out, bitterly sarcastic, "Renee, you know I’m his wife, so why do you still ask who I am?"

Renee’s little scheme was revealed, and she suddenly fell silent.

Victoria Sinclair’s voice trembled, as if she had lost her soul, weak and powerless, "Did you spend the whole night together?"

"Yes." Renee answered sincerely.

Victoria Sinclair feigned composure, "You’re a public figure, he’s a married man. You two spent the whole night..."

Renee interrupted angrily, "Victoria Sinclair, I’ve been with Eugene for over three years. What are you feeling aggrieved about? You’re the third party intruding on our relationship. Eugene only married you because I’m against marriage. You only qualify as my stand-in because you look like me. For my sake, Eugene has maintained his chastity, never touching you. Do you not have any self-awareness?"

Victoria Sinclair could no longer maintain her composure, tears rolled down her pale face, her heart pierced by steel needles, run over by a truck, slashed by knives.

So painful, so painful!

She bit her lower lip, her tears soaking her cheeks, her heart hurting so much it felt numb.

"Eugene’s favoritism and support for me is known throughout the industry." Renee’s tone became increasingly forceful, tinged with sadness, "I could have been with him openly, but because of your intrusion, we now have to be together in secret."

Victoria Sinclair closed her eyes, all the tears in her eyes squeezed out.

Her heart was tangled and confused, unable to discern which words were true and which were false.

Too painful! Whether true or false, she didn’t want to listen anymore!

Victoria Sinclair ended the call, threw the phone onto the sofa, covering her face with both hands, wiping away her tears forcefully.

She bit her lip, choking back sobs, not wanting to let herself cry.

The pain at the tip of her heart felt like it would take her life, relentless, intense, ferocious, leaving her at a loss on how to relieve it.

She opened her mouth to breathe, but as soon as she wiped her tears dry, they kept flowing out.

In two years of marriage, Eugene had never touched her, no hand-holding, no kissing, no sleeping together. The only hug was last time at her brother’s doorstep, given as comfort when she was too sad.

Lack of intimacy she could endure, as long as they lived well together.

Lack of love she could accommodate, as long as he didn’t betray the marriage and didn’t make her life miserable.

But all this was just self-deception.

She was now affected by the rotten peach blossoms around him, in pain to the point of suffocation, unable to live normally, much less work normally.

The ringtone sounded again.

Victoria Sinclair wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and looked at the screen. It was Angela Austin calling.

She adjusted her emotions, answered the phone, and put it to her ear.

Her throat was burning, wanting to cry out loud.

She couldn’t even speak.

Angela Austin couldn’t wait to speak, "Victoria, quickly check Weibo. Your husband is trending again, and it’s with that actress Renee."

Victoria Sinclair closed her eyes, tears trickling out, her throat hurting too much to utter a word, replied miserably, "Mm."

Angela Austin was annoyed, "This time it’s even more outrageous. They got a room in a hotel and were caught red-handed by paparazzi, didn’t leave the room all night. Reports say they’re still in the hotel, the hotel’s front entrance is now flooded with media."

Victoria Sinclair grabbed some tissues to wipe her tears, her heartache causing her body to stiffen, but her emotions gradually calmed down.

Her voice was light and weak, "Angela, if you were a reporter, and you found a trending actress with a rich heir checking into a hotel, what would you do?"

"Victoria! At a time like this, your husband is checking into a hotel with another woman, why are you asking such pointless questions?"

"I just called, it was Renee who answered, I know they’re together." Victoria Sinclair gripped the soaked tissue, shaking with anger, "But why has this blown up, with all media going to the hotel to catch them?"

Angela Austin was silent for a good while before saying, "It should be the video of them checking into the hotel that was released by entertainment reporters, right?"

"If I were an entertainment reporter, I’d keep it hidden, wait for them to leave the hotel, then secretly snap more evidence to blackmail them, or do an exclusive report."

Angela Austin was shocked, "You’re saying Eugene didn’t cheat, he was set up?"

Victoria Sinclair leaned back on the sofa, secretly wiping away tears, sarcastically, "The possibility of cheating is high, would a lone man and woman in a hotel all night be telling ghost stories under the covers?"

Angela Austin sighed heavily, truly speechless.

Victoria Sinclair’s tone was extremely disappointed, "Whether he cheated or not is no longer important. What’s important is someone deliberately staged this, using it to achieve some goal."

"Very few people know Eugene is married, entertainment media have rated him as the most eligible single heir." Angela Austin pondered for a few seconds and speculated, "Could it be Renee who staged this for hype?"

Victoria Sinclair hung her head, whispered weakly, "I don’t know."

Because these rotten peach blossoms around Eugene severely affected her mood, she was about to lose her ability to judge.

"Are you okay then? Do you want to rest at home for a few days?"

"No need, he’s just a man, not enough to affect my work. I’ll go back to the pharmaceutical research institute later." Victoria Sinclair stood up, walked into the room, ended the call, and placed her phone on the sink.

She washed her red eyes with cold water.

Marriage is important, but her career is her most reliable backing.

Two years of a sexless marriage, lukewarm, indifferent coexistence had long diluted her original pure, intense, deep love.

She didn’t want to let go because Eugene was her first love, and they had a marriage certificate, legally binding them with feelings that were hard to sever, making her live in hope that one day Eugene would fall in love with her and return to the family to live well with her.

Yet little did she know, as a legitimate wife, she became a third party in someone else’s relationship.

The saddest part is becoming someone else’s stand-in, yet unable to be on the bed.