Chapter 368
Kelvin noticed the color draining from Victoria’s face, his worry growing with every second. “Are you alright?” he asked gently.
Victoria jerked her hand from his, her eyes turning colder by the moment. “I don’t need your help.”
Kelvin, a doctor by training, immediately realized something was wrong with her physically, but before he could act, Violet grabbed his arm.
“Didn’t you hear her? She said she’s fine. Besides, this whole place is crawling with her coworkers. What are you going to say if someone sees you?”
Kelvin shot Violet a look. “She’s not well. I’m taking her to the hospital. Now.”
Violet’s gaze was icy. “Go ahead. It’s none of my business. But if she dies, you’ll be up to your neck in trouble—and good luck ever making it back to the mainland. Think it over.”
“I can’t just stand by and watch something happen to Victoria.”
He reached out to steady Victoria, but she shoved him away hard. “I said I don’t need your help. Ailie’s just outside. If she sees her big brother’s suddenly back, aren’t you worried-“
Forcing herself to stand despite the pain, Victoria headed out in search of Ailie. At the mention of Ailie’s name, Kelvin froze, caught off guard.
Violet paid the bill.
Outside, as expected, a crowd of people had gathered around Victoria. Kelvin didn’t follow her anymore.
He was Ailie’s older brother—a straight-A student back in school, who’d once been offered a scholarship to study abroad. Desperate to climb the social ladder, Kelvin had forged his family background to fit in with the elite. One lie led to another, until there was no turning back. When Ailie realized he refused to acknowledge their parents, or even her and their younger brother, her heart finally broke. She cut ties with Kelvin for good.
“Vicky…”
Ailie spotted Victoria just as she staggered, barely able to stay on her feet.
“Ailie, I can’t… Please, don’t let them find out. Take me to the hospital, now.”
Ailie looked down and saw the blood running down Victoria’s leg. She was stunned.
“I’m taking you right now.”
Dialing 911, she threw an arm around Victoria and hurried her out. In less than five minutes, an ambulance screeched up to the curb.
Ailie climbed in with Victoria, leaving the restaurant behind-where their coworkers, already tipsy from the company dinner, had no idea what was happening outside.
Victoria was rushed straight into the ER. Ailie paced anxiously in the corridor. Two agonizing hours dragged by before the red emergency light finally dimmed. A doctor stepped out and approached her.
“Are you family?”
Ailie hurried forward. “I’m her closest friend.”
The doctor pulled off her mask, a relieved smile on her face. “You got her here just in time. Both she and the baby are safe. But you’ll need to be careful from now on-don’t let her get too worked up.”
Ailie’s mind went blank. Both she and the baby? “She’s pregnant?”
The doctor looked at her, puzzled. “You really are her friend? You didn’t know? She’s over two months along. Frankly, she’s lucky. Nine out of ten cases like this lose the baby. Keep a close eye on her. No more emotional shocks-no arguments, no stress.”
The doctor walked away. Nurses wheeled Victoria out of the ER and transferred her to a private room.
Ailie sat by Victoria’s bedside, still dazed by the news. She’d tried so hard to protect Victoria, even planned to go with her to Echo City, worried that McNeil might try something. Yet all along, Victoria had been pregnant for months-she must have been with McNeil from the start.
Ailie wanted to ask what happened, but looking at Victoria’s pale, exhausted face and lips drained of color, she didn’t have the heart.
Half an hour later, the anesthesia finally wore off. Victoria stirred and opened her eyes. The first words out of her mouth were, “What about my baby?”
Ailie let out a long breath. “Don’t worry. You’re safe, and so is the baby. You never told me you were pregnant. You scared me half to death with all that blood on the way here.”
Relief washed over Victoria as she learned the baby was unharmed.
Ailie went on, “The doctor said you need to avoid getting too emotional. All we did was eat some sushi-what happened that upset you so badly you nearly lost the baby?”
Victoria didn’t want to revisit what Violet had said to her.
“It’s nothing. Maybe I just couldn’t handle the smell of the raw fish.”
She saw no need to drag Violet into it. If Ailie ever found out Violet had pushed her to the brink, she’d never let her off the hook.
“Ms. Turner, you’re not exactly convincing. You’ve been pregnant for over two months, but that’s not the first time we’ve gone out for sushi together. Not once have you complained about the smell before.”