CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 83: EUGENE VAUGHN’S TEARS

Victoria Sinclair pretended to be calm and asked, "If I propose a divorce, would you agree?"

Eugene Vaughn curled his lips into a bitter, cold smile, "No."

"I knew you wouldn’t agree, which is why I intend to file for divorce." Victoria suppressed the piercing pain in her heart, forcefully holding back tears, speaking calmly yet coldly, "We have no children or assets to divide; the process can be completed in two or three months."

Eugene gently touched her cheek, bending down, his moist, reddened eyes gazing down at her.

At the moment he touched her, Victoria’s body tensed up, feeling a bit uneasy.

She feared that in a fit of rage, Eugene might force himself on her, nullifying her grounds for divorce.

But she hadn’t expected to see the tears glistening in Eugene’s bloodshot eyes. His demeanor was soft and tender, his voice nearly hoarse to the point of silence, choking out from his throat, "Victoria Sinclair, this marriage is the only one I, Eugene Vaughn, will have in this lifetime, and you are my only wife. No matter how the judge decides, I won’t let go."

Victoria felt a panic rise inside her, "Eugene, don’t be too extreme."

Eugene’s breathing became increasingly heavy. He slowly closed his eyes, lowered his head, as if trying hard to control his emotions, his voice gaining some strength, "These past two years, I couldn’t bear to be angry with you. The emotions that accumulated needed time to digest, and indeed, I neglected you. But I’m changing, I..."

Victoria interrupted, "You don’t need to change, nor is there a need to. I don’t know what emotions you’ve been bottling up, as you won’t tell me anyway. But Eugene, I don’t love you anymore. Filing for divorce has nothing to do with whether you’ve neglected me."

Eugene looked up at her, his eyes red and soaked, curling into a bitter smile that was uglier than crying, his voice almost trembling, "You say that as if you ever loved me."

His words were full of disappointment and heartache.

Victoria felt an inexplicable stabbing pain in her heart, her wrist pulsing violently and painfully.

She could feel Eugene’s overwhelming sadness, disappointment, and anger.

His tears had even filled his eyes with bloodshot, yet he continued to suppress them, communicating with her in the lightest, most gentle voice.

It was undeniable that he was a man of extremely stable emotions.

Yet he was also proficient at neglecting people.

Victoria felt a sour ache in her heart, thinking that since they were getting a divorce, there was nothing to explain, so she adjusted her mindset and echoed his words, "Yes, I never loved you. Now, I just don’t want to continue with you."

Eugene suddenly clenched his fists, bending his elbows and leaning towards her.

Victoria shivered in fear, her body tensed, her racing heart pounding with fright.

The man braced his arm against the wall, pressing his forehead onto his arm, his other hand propped beside Victoria, trapping her in his embrace. Although it seemed like he was holding her, their bodies were separated by mere inches, his hot breath surrounding her like a furnace.

He inhaled audibly through his nose.

His breathing trembled, his strong body was both heavy and shaking.

The last time Victoria saw him this sad was at his grandfather’s funeral.

Seeing Eugene like this, she felt distressed.

Clearly, they had only known each other for three months before marrying, and after marriage, he didn’t like her, neglecting her for two years, only reconciling slightly recently.

She couldn’t understand why Eugene was so heartbroken, so painfully angry.

Her heart softened, wanting to embrace him.

But her rational mind told her not to be fooled by Eugene’s temporary change; this wasn’t love, just his tactic to prevent a divorce.

The road ahead was long, and she didn’t want to drain herself in such a marriage, didn’t want to foolishly hope for love from a man, didn’t want her mood affected daily by his unpredictable emotions.

The main point was that she needed to satisfy Harold Vaughn’s requirement, she had to exchange a divorce for the virus monkey.

If there had been any hope in this marriage, she wouldn’t have opted for divorce just to find the virus monkey.

Victoria’s heart ached faintly, closing her wet eyes, taking a deep breath, speaking softly, "Eugene, once I find a place in a few days, I’ll move out."

"Victoria Sinclair, don’t push me." Eugene’s husky voice became choked.

Victoria pressed against the wall, slowly turning her head to look at Eugene’s profile buried in his arm, so close that she could feel his painful trembling, yet couldn’t see if he was crying, couldn’t hear a single sound.

Tears welled in Victoria’s eyes, and letting go of first love, of marriage, she was unwilling yet had to admit it was a very failed marriage, suppressing her sadness, "Eugene, let’s part amicably."

"I won’t agree to divorce, even if it means hiring the best lawyer, even if it means bribing the judge..."

Victoria, driven by emotion, retorted, "Are you crazy? Would you go to any lengths? Even considering breaking the law?"

Eugene chuckled coldly, his bitter laughter trembling, his hand slowly tightening, grasping the back of her neck.

Victoria felt a pang of panic.

Eugene suddenly lifted his face from his arm, lowered his head and pressed against her lips, kissing her.

Victoria stood rigidly still, not resisting, letting him kiss her.

Her heart ached immensely, because the man’s cheeks were wet.

Because his kiss was tinged with the saltiness of tears.

Only then did she realize how many tears Eugene had shed.

But how much of his tears were genuine, how much false?

He kissed her for a long time.

Long enough for Victoria to feel her lips swelling with pain, and her brain short of oxygen.

Eugene gently left her lips, resting his forehead against hers.

Both of them breathed heavily with their eyes closed, the heated breath swirling around.

Eugene cupped her cheeks with both hands, his throat choked with a light voice, "Since we got married, I’ve never slept with you. The judge would definitely grant the divorce. Victoria, I’m sorry for tonight."

Having said that, his kiss again covered her, his hands slowly moving downward, stroking her shoulders and continuing down, caressing her curves, slipping inside her clothes.

Victoria remained motionless, pressed against the wall, allowing him to kiss her, allowing him to touch her, even when she knew what he intended, she offered no resistance.

Because she knew that Eugene could subdue her with just one hand.

She was no match for Eugene, any resistance would be futile.

At the moment Eugene tugged at her pajama pants, she turned her head to dodge his kiss, pressing his wrists with both hands, "Eugene, if you force yourself on me, I will hate you for a lifetime."

He froze!

Like someone struck, aside from the scalding breath, only an irregular heartbeat remained.