Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Missing You to the Point of Madness
Victoria Monroe sat on the narrow railing handrail, as the man in front of her, dressed in a suit, leaned toward her.
The person who used to be gentle and considerate in front of her now exuded an overwhelming aura of dominance, a kind of intimidating pressure that rushed toward Victoria Monroe.
That face still remained handsome and superior, even enough to be considered pleasing to the eye; otherwise, Victoria Monroe wouldn’t have taken the initiative to approach him in the past.
After enduring life’s trials, he seemed sharper and steadier compared to the aloof overachiever he used to be. Such a Julian Fordham was mysterious and captivating.
But when Victoria faced this extraordinary face, her heart was long devoid of obsession, only filled with disgust and hatred!
He had pushed her to the brink, with her back suspended in air, as the whipping sea breeze made her feel very unsafe.
Wanting to live, people often seek advantage and avoid harm, clutching at the only lifeline in front of them.
Julian Fordham’s hand wrapped around her waist wasn’t exerting much force. If Victoria Monroe didn’t voluntarily hold onto him, a big wave or an increase in wind speed could make Victoria’s body precariously sway and fall into the sea at any moment.
Yet she tightly gripped the railing, unwilling to yield and have any physical contact with him.
Julian Fordham’s lowered gaze fell on Victoria Monroe’s face, absorbing the stubbornness in her eyes completely.
The man’s deep voice softly grazed Victoria Monroe’s ear, carrying a magnetic murmur: "Victoria, it’s been so many days. Don’t you want to?"
"I don’t want to, let go of me!"
Julian Fordham’s hot breath lingered by her ear: "But Victoria, I’ve been wanting you so desperately I’m going crazy. Give me a chance, won’t you?"
His hand slowly traveled along Victoria Monroe’s thigh, making her instinctively lean back.
The sensation of emptiness at her waist frightened her, with her back feeling chilly, nearly forgetting there was nothing behind her to lean on.
Even so, she still didn’t reach out for Julian Fordham’s help, her face blanching with fear.
Julian Fordham tightened his grip and pulled her into his arms, where Victoria Monroe’s body, following inertia, fell into his embrace and was held tightly by him.
Julian Fordham buried his head in her neck, his voice faint and weak, "Victoria, do you really have to be so stubborn?"
Julian Fordham shielded her from the sea breeze coming from all directions. She could smell the familiar cold fragrance on him, a scent unique to Julian.
In recent years, his smoking habit had grown, and during these days, he had been resisting the urge to smoke just so she wouldn’t smell it.
He tried his best to change, to be good to her, hoping to win Victoria Monroe back.
Victoria Monroe wasn’t blind to these efforts, but her heart had been shattered completely on the day she fell into the swimming pool.
A broken heart, how could it be pieced back together to its former state?
She allowed Julian Fordham to hold her, her voice filled with sorrow, "Julian Fordham, please let me go. We can never go back."
"Victoria, I did wrong, there’s no doubt. I have cut ties with everyone in the Fordham Family, personally ruined the company, and Rachel Hayes will soon be done, too. Please give me another chance, okay?"
"If I give you a chance, then who will give our child a chance? Can she come back to life?"
Mentioning the child, Victoria Monroe’s eyes slightly reddened. Julian Fordham sadly carried her back to the room and placed her carefully on the bed, his position by the bedside showing utter humility.
"Victoria, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have scared you. Please don’t cry."
He reached out to stroke her cheek, "As long as you’re willing, we can have more children in the future. This time, I’ll accompany you to the check-ups, prepare for pregnancy, and never let you get hurt again, okay?"
"I don’t want to," Victoria Monroe replied without hesitation.
Julian Fordham’s expression instantly changed, his back to the light looking at Victoria Monroe, shadow drawing his facial features sharper.
The dark eyes fell on her face, making Victoria Monroe feel suffocated.
These days, he has been taking some kind of medication for his mental health, yet his emotions would sometimes still lose control.
"Victoria, you refuse to forgive me because of Rhys Hawthorne, right?"
Victoria Monroe frowned. She relied heavily on Rhys Hawthorne, but such feelings were unrelated to romantic love.
Not to mention she hadn’t thought of remarrying, even if she wanted to find a father for her child in the future, it wouldn’t be Rhys Hawthorne.
The Hawthorne Family’s status was something she would never consider in her lifetime, let alone Rhys Hawthorne being two years younger than her.
Julian Fordham had always disliked her interacting with other men. Back then, he coaxed her into withdrawing from The Portoros Circle, which gradually left her without friends or family, only him.
Now, the only man willing to help her had become Julian Fordham’s thorn in the eye, a splinter in the flesh.
Victoria Monroe was too lazy to argue about this topic with him.
Her silence turned into tacit agreement in Julian’s eyes, and he said with a cold face, "Victoria, you and Rhys Hawthorne are people from two different worlds. At most, he is curious about you. He definitely won’t marry you."
"Have you said enough?" Victoria Monroe really didn’t want to continue this meaningless topic.
Julian Fordham, however, pressed closer, "Victoria, do you really think Rhys Hawthorne would miss you during these weeks you left him? He’s been on dates with a Lowell Family heiress, and it seems they’ll soon announce their engagement. You’re nothing but a passer-by in his world."
Saying that, Julian Fordham deliberately opened the phone news, showing the gossip leaked by the media in Portoros.
"Heiress meets her boyfriend in secret."
The picture showed a girl wearing a white cocktail dress, looking sweet and charming, linking arms with a man.
Though blurry, only a side view of the man was visible, the girl’s hand slightly pulling up his sleeve to reveal the man’s cool white hand, and his wrist adorned with the iconic black prayer beads.
Even through the unclear screen, one could feel his chilling air of keeping others at a distance.
No mistake, it was Rhys Hawthorne.
Victoria Monroe wasn’t very familiar with The Portoros Circle, but since the media said so, she must be his suitable marriage partner.
If Rhys Hawthorne were here, she’d have no choice but to invite him for dinner to celebrate.
But in the next moment, a tinge of loss arose in Victoria’s heart.
Initially, she placed all her hopes on Rhys Hawthorne to rescue herself from Julian Fordham.
Now that he had a girlfriend, she couldn’t conveniently reach out to him anymore.
However, relying on herself to leave with her elderly grandmother, who couldn’t even care for herself, was akin to ascending to heaven.
The loss on her face was mistakenly taken as sadness for Rhys Hawthorne by Julian Fordham, who withdrew his phone, suppressing his jealousy.
"Victoria, I can overlook the issue between you and Rhys Hawthorne. We can start anew, living well from now on, alright?"
Victoria Monroe didn’t respond to this question. Otherwise, the topic would circle back to the beginning, becoming tangled again.
"I’m tired, I want to rest for a while."
Julian Fordham stroked her head, "Think about it, we have plenty of time. I can wait for you."
With those words, he left the room, and Victoria Monroe quickly locked the door as soon as he left.
She took out a phone hidden under her pillow, which she had stolen from a waiter earlier today.
At the time, she had intended to contact Rhys Hawthorne, but that area had no signal, so Victoria Monroe gave up.
Now knowing Rhys had a girlfriend, she dared not ask him as freely as before; his girlfriend would mind.
As the sunset gradually faded, the whole sea area turned dark, the wind picked up, and the waves beat against the ship hull, gently rocking it like Victoria Monroe’s current anxious mood.
She took out the phone, deciphering the gesture password through fingerprints on the screen.
Once the phone unlocked, Victoria Monroe weighed her options and decided to call him to report her safety.
Even among friends, her sudden disappearance would certainly worry him.
Victoria Monroe slipped into the bathroom, dialing the familiar string of numbers from memory.
Ring, ring, ring—
A sweet female voice answered, "Hello."