Chapter 123: Chapter 123: This Is Where We End in This Life!
Upon hearing the voice, Victoria Monroe’s hands and feet went cold, and she shivered all over.
It felt as if she had fallen into icy water again, watching him walk towards Rachel Hayes. Her heart and body were bleeding, staining the entire pool red.
The agony of losing a child swept over her, filling her eyes with undeniable hatred.
Constrained by the public, she could only grip her palm tightly with her nails, using pain to alleviate the anger in her heart.
The crowd erupted in amazement, all turning to look at the newcomer.
Julian Fordham was dressed in a suit, standing tall with a strong presence.
His complexion, like Victoria Monroe’s, seemed unnaturally pale, as if from blood loss.
Compared to a month ago, Julian Fordham had lost weight, making his expression appear even more sharp.
His entrance was overpoweringly impressive, and those who had previously been crazily insulting Victoria Monroe were now silent like mutes, daring not to utter a sound.
Known as a devoted husband, Julian Fordham’s gaze fell on a fan waving a banner reading "Victoria Monroe, get out of the entertainment industry," and the arrogant fan immediately put away their items.
The venue that could hold thousands became orderly without anyone enforcing discipline instantly.
Their eyes turned to Julian Fordham and Victoria Monroe.
Julian Fordham casually took a microphone from a journalist and slowly walked towards Victoria Monroe.
His gaze fell on Victoria Monroe’s pale face; after a night without seeing her, she had become like this.
Clearly, he didn’t want this either; he hoped she would be healthy, happy, and live a carefree life.
But things didn’t go as planned, and he had cultivated that bright rose into a withered state.
He couldn’t help but murmur softly, "Victoria..."
Victoria Monroe was filled with hatred, disgust, and alertness upon seeing him. What on earth does he want? Is he going to stop her from revealing the truth?
Julian Fordham stepped onto the stage and faced the audience, "Everything is my fault, and it has nothing to do with my wife; she is an innocent victim."
A bold journalist risked being fired by asking softly, "President Fordham, previously, your company announced a relationship with Rachel Hayes. Furthermore, during a live broadcast, Rachel Hayes expressed her affection for you, and you didn’t reject it. Rachel also claimed she was pregnant with your child. Now you’re saying Mrs. Fordham is Ms. Monroe, what exactly is going on?"
The journalist’s voice wasn’t loud but precisely captured the key point, addressing the question that everyone gossiping had in mind.
Victoria Monroe instinctively wanted to speak, fearing Julian Fordham might pull some other stunt for his career.
But Julian Fordham seemed to have guessed her thoughts. He glanced at her, his eyes carrying a hint of reassurance, and spoke before she could, "The fireworks show and confession were all preparations I made for my wife, but fate played a joke on me."
Victoria Monroe’s body trembled, Julian Fordham wasn’t there to stop her.
He came today for redemption.
To correct the mistake he made himself.
Unfortunately, everything was too late.
She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to look at his back. She had given him chances.
Julian Fordham continued, "I met my wife eighteen years ago. We were in love for many years, supporting each other from nothing. She became a film queen, and I established my own company. Three years ago, she retreated from the industry and entered into a secret marriage for me."
The result left everyone dumbfounded. The film queen and the hidden marriage mogul they had once supported turned out to be real!
Someone curiously asked, "Then, is Rachel Hayes’s child real or not? Does President Fordham also want to admit he made a mistake that every man makes?"
Victoria Monroe opened her eyes, staring at the side of the man’s face. Would he expose that disgraceful truth in front of the public?
If exposed, it would ruin the company’s reputation, his image, and all collaboration.
Julian Fordham’s voice came slowly, "No, I love my wife deeply. Throughout my life, I won’t have affairs with any woman other than her. However, I did make a mistake. My wife’s health was damaged while filming. We prepared for pregnancy for many years, and she never conceived. So I made the choice to undergo IVF with Rachel Hayes without her knowledge."
"The photos at the airport were of me and my wife. The fireworks show that night was supposed to be an apology to her. Due to the dark venue and Rachel Hayes wearing a similar cheongsam with her back to me, I mistook her for someone else. The company’s prepared announcement was meant for me and my wife’s official declaration."
"One wrong step leads to many. To protect the company’s reputation, I chose silence, but I didn’t expect rumors to become rampant, ultimately hurting my wife."
"If you have any questions, direct them to me. My wife has been the victim from beginning to end, so do not disrupt her life."
Corbin Prescott sighed, it was all over, everything was over!
No one expected the truth to be so cruel, especially those who had insulted Victoria Monroe as if a slap had been invisibly smacked across their faces.
The reversal was faster than a tornado.
[I told you at the time that President Fordham was completely ignoring Rachel Hayes, his gaze on Victoria was almost pulling strings.]
[It was him who rushed over to support Victoria, but someone deliberately edited it to say Victoria threw herself at him. Damn, President Fordham was giving Victoria chicken wings, and were you all blind?]
[Let’s be honest, President Fordham loves Victoria, no doubt, but it doesn’t change his nature as a scumbag. Can’t they live a life without children? Does he have a throne to inherit?]
[If it doesn’t work out, I can inherit President Fordham’s company, ah! Victoria is such a dignified person, endured it for a month before exposing it. If someone pesters me like this, I’d twist their neck.]
[Rachel Hayes’s fans, speak up! How much pride do you feel being the fake Mrs. Fordham? This play was performed quite well!]
[Feeling sorry for my sis, she looked so haggard overnight, must have lost many little pearls!]
The comments changed from insults to sympathy, but Victoria Monroe felt no joy in victory.
She gently opened her mouth, "Mr. Fordham’s words are true. We were indeed very much in love, but those are past matters. We completed divorce procedures a month ago. Today is my last day as Mrs. Fordham."
She lifted the corners of her lips into a smile, "Apologies to those fans who supported me, for not allowing you to witness my happiness, but instead my disgrace and humiliation."
"Rest assured, I won’t return to the industry for now. I’ve taken up quite a bit of public resources recently due to personal reasons, truly apologizing. Do you have any other inquiries?"
Her candor was so overwhelming that even hostile journalists were left speechless.
One of her loyal fans weakly spoke, "Ms. Monroe, you once said when leaving the industry that for him, you willingly embraced marriage and entered the next stage of life. Now ending in divorce, do you regret your choice?"
Julian Fordham looked to Victoria Monroe, his gaze unpredictably anxious, wondering how she would respond.
In front of thousands, Rhys Hawthorne stared at the screen, fingers rapidly moving the black prayer beads.
Victoria Monroe softly said, "I do regret. What I rushed into, lifting the skirt was not happiness, but a grave."
Burying her youth, her life, and her daughter.
She faced Julian Fordham’s wounded eyes and said word by word, "Julian Fordham, if possible, I’d wish I had never met you. I wouldn’t choose to love you, nor marry you. In this life, we end here, and may we never meet in the next one!"