CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: YOU’RE RUSHING TO DIVORCE ME—IS IT FOR ANOTHER MAN?

Victoria Monroe thought he was so handsome, it’s unlikely he never had a girlfriend.

Recalling the filming scene, Victoria played a character disguised as a man, injured and fallen into water.

When he rescued her from the water and discovered her true female identity, his long-held affection manifested in a forced kiss on the heroine.

Unexpectedly, during the shoot, he pinned Victoria against the rocks by the water, held her cheek, and devoutly placed a kiss.

The scene was beautiful, so beautiful it took one’s breath away.

But the director got angry, telling him it wasn’t supposed to be gentle, but wild and forceful with impact; his kiss was too weak and understated.

So the two repeated the scene multiple times, and after filming, Victoria’s lips were swollen and numb.

Years later, when it came up, Victoria coughed lightly, "You didn’t lose out; it was my first on-screen kiss too."

Having acted for so many years, that was the only kiss scene she ever filmed; it was simply absurd.

When something has a "first" attached to it, the atmosphere becomes subtly different.

Dominic Scott broke the awkwardness, "Is everyone finished eating?"

Victoria changed the topic, "Dominic, would you like to take a walk? The private garden’s scenery is beautiful; let’s chat some more."

"Sure."

As she was about to leave through the front door, Assistant Woods opened a hidden back door.

Victoria asked, "How did you know there was another door here?"

Assistant Woods replied smoothly, "I accompanied the boss here before."

Assistant Prescott at the front was still keeping an eye out, hoping to catch a glimpse of that person.

But even after the waitstaff cleared the area, no one came out, and when he checked the private room, it was empty.

Meanwhile, Julian Fordham’s meeting also concluded, and he smiled as he saw the Willis couple off.

As the car drove away, the humble smile from a moment ago faded, his gaze fell on the hand on his arm.

With a chill on his face, he said, "Let go."

Frightened, Rachel Hayes not only let go but also stepped back, "I’m sorry, President Fordham."

Julian gave her a cold look, "Get out."

"Yes..."

Rachel got into a nanny van, and as the door closed, she saw Julian eagerly take off his tailored coat and toss it aside like trash, coldly instructing his assistant, "Throw it away."

Just because she touched him, did he find her that disgusting?

Tears streamed down her face. What did she lack compared to Victoria Monroe?

As the car drove away, Julian lit a cigarette, smoke curling around his fingers, standing in the courtyard full of loneliness.

Looking up at the approaching Assistant Prescott, he asked indifferently, "Found anything?"

Assistant Prescott adjusted his glasses, "No, they left through the back door. I wanted to check the surveillance, but the person in charge here refused, citing client privacy."

Thinking about the waitstaff’s unyielding attitude, it was clear they didn’t respect him, unless they had a bigger backing.

Julian’s voice was low, "I remember the owner of this private space is from Portoros?"

"Yes, but the one in charge here is just a puppet; the real owner has never appeared."

Julian nearly crushed the cigarette in frustration, gritting his teeth, "Portoros again."

"Boss, is it possible we investigated the wrong person? Maybe the lady didn’t meet Ryan Zane in Portoros."

"Keep digging! Find that person even if you have to turn every stone."

No matter who it is, Dominic Scott took on the divorce case, and with his style, it’s all or nothing!

He wouldn’t allow a defeat in his career.

If the affair between himself and Rachel Hayes was exposed, just as Victoria Monroe predicted, a divorce suit would definitely succeed, at most, it’d just take some time.

In that case, they’d both end up hurt, with no winners.

But compared to those messy consequences, Julian was more concerned about Victoria Monroe’s current feelings.

He hurried back to the marital home, seeing through the car window that the living room lights were still on. He wasn’t sure if it was Victoria or Mrs. Xu inside.

Julian slammed the car door shut, rushing towards home anxiously; the closer he got to the door, the heavier and slower his steps became.

He was afraid the person inside was Victoria as much as he feared it wasn’t.

With a fingerprint scan, the door opened, and the brightly lit living room revealed Victoria just sitting on the sofa.

Unlike her usual sprawling posture, either lying down or lounging.

Whenever he came home, she’d collapse bonelessly into his arms, complaining about how tired she was.

Julian never thought of her as whining without reason; she often saw doctors, drank medicine, and got injections; she was never at ease.

Every time at this hour, he would hold her, his fingers gently stroking her thick long hair, his thin lips against hers, and as they played around, all decorum was lost.

On the sofa, on the carpet, every corner of the room had traces of them.

But now, that once lazy and relaxed cat sat upright, hands folded on her knees, her expression calm, looking at him as if he were a stranger.

No arguing, no noise, not even a single question.

This kind of calmness felt more like a huge stone hitting his heart, and Julian Fordham’s heart was as heavy as the atmosphere in the room.

He changed his shoes, habitually putting Victoria Monroe’s shoes into the shoe rack.

Then, taking slow steps towards her, he knelt on one knee at her feet, grasping her hand with utmost humility, attempting to explain, "Victoria, tonight..."

Victoria Monroe gazed at the face in front of her, after so many years, why did it suddenly feel unfamiliar?

Dominic Scott was right, the moment he sensed her wavering, it became a weakness. Without any cost, he could hurt her again and again.

Victoria Monroe wasn’t angry, nor did she rave. She just looked at him calmly and gently asked, "Julian Fordham, do you think I have no heart?"

It turned out her understanding of sadness wasn’t complete. True heartbreak wasn’t about screaming or pointing fingers at a man and asking why he did this to her.

All her brightness, hope, and pain were spent in the relationship called marriage, and the moment he turned away with Rachel Hayes, it was the final stab to her already dying heart.

The heart that loved him was sentenced to death by him, so how could it ever be stirred because of him again?

To this day, Victoria Monroe finally understood the true meaning of the saying that nothing is more sorrowful than a withered heart.

This version of Victoria Monroe terrified Julian Fordham. He hurriedly explained, "Victoria, the Willis couple changed their schedule and came earlier, and they requested I bring a spouse. The news is all over the place, I had no choice. If the truth is exposed, Willis would question my character and thus cancel the con..."

Victoria Monroe coldly interrupted, "Isn’t it true? You fathered a child behind my back and still want to be awarded a best morality prize?"

She lowered her gaze, examining Julian Fordham. She finally realized what about him had changed.

It wasn’t that his youthful face had matured, but his eyes.

When he was a young, cold academic genius, even in poverty, his eyes were clear. Back then, he was like a mountain stream, cold and clean.

Now, he was wrapped in fine clothes, tinted by power and desire.

Even the way he looked at her was laced with subtle calculations.

She never denied his love for her. What she denied was his love after weighing pros and cons.

"Julian Fordham, since discovering about Rachel Hayes, I neither caused her trouble nor blamed you. Everyone has their own choices. Even as your partner, I respected that."

"But you rely on my love for you, trampling on my self-respect time and time again. I know the fireworks incident was a misunderstanding, and as long as one corrects their mistake, it’s fine. But you, after weighing it, think work is more important than my feelings."

"For one lie, countless lies are needed to cover the first one. Because of your lies, how many more times will I get hurt?"

"Julian Fordham, my heart is made of flesh too, I also feel pain."

"Knowing full well you were playacting, when I saw you introduce her with such a smile, I couldn’t restrain myself. I just wanted to ask you, Rachel Hayes is your wife, but who am I, who accompanied you for these eighteen years from scratch?"

Julian Fordham’s face was full of guilt as he gripped her wrist, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Victoria, scold me, hit me..."

His gaze fell on her bandaged wrist, his pupils stalled.

He couldn’t bear to let her get hurt. He thought he could weave a beautiful dream for her, one that she never had to wake from.

But in the end, all her wounds were from him.

Victoria Monroe just looked at him silently, "I don’t know when it started, but your ambition has already surpassed your love for me. You’re not wrong, neither am I. What’s wrong is that the two of us are no longer a match."

"It’s not like that, Victoria. I work so hard to climb up, it’s to protect you. I don’t want what happened with Mr. Wang to happen again. That feeling of powerlessness, I never want to experience it again in my life."

Victoria Monroe’s gaze swept over him from head to toe, with mockery in her eyes, "But the way you are now, aren’t you just like another Mr. Wang wanting to keep me?"

Her words were sharp and piercing, and Julian Fordham froze entirely, like a stone sculpture in the icy snow, nailed in place.

Victoria Monroe withdrew her hand from his palm, "This is the last chance I’m giving you. I will have the lawyer draft a divorce agreement, terms can be discussed. Within three days, I want to see your signature. If you refuse again, I can only make your affair with Rachel Hayes public."

She stood up, looking down at the man who seemed humble.

From previous experiences, she had drawn a conclusion: never pity a man, it leads to unhappiness.

She lowered her eyes and added indifferently, "Even if your reputation is ruined and your family is bankrupt, I won’t hesitate. This time, I’ll do as I say!"

After speaking, she went upstairs, not sparing a glance at the man kneeling on the ground.

She took off her coat, preparing to go to the bathroom to take a bath.

The man entered the bedroom, his expression hidden in the dim light, not as humble as he was downstairs, carrying an air of mysterious danger.

Victoria Monroe instinctively backed away, "Get out, I want to bathe!"

Yet the man advanced instead of retreating, closing the bathroom door gently in front of her.

Julian Fordham trapped her between the sink, his eyes filled with deep meaning. He held Victoria Monroe’s chin, his voice cold and without warmth, "Victoria, I want to know, is there any other reason why you’re in such a hurry to divorce me?"

Victoria Monroe’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, "What do you mean?"

The man’s thumb brushed over her soft lips, his hot breath falling on her lips as he said word by word, "Is it possible that you’re divorcing me for another man?"