Chapter 5
Victoria could n’t go to the hospital . The moment she did so , her
pregnancy would be exposed . It sounded laughable , but she did n’t want to
anyone else to know about the baby . She tried to protect the last
remaining shreds of her dignity , She knew her pride was already gone
when she agreed to fake a marriage with Alaric . Right now , before hi
and the woman he loved , what sort of dignity did she even have ? Even so …
Then , she glanced down but did not wish to disclose anything that would
cause others to ridicule her .
Alaric scowled when he heard that . The car abruptly turned and
screeched to a stop by the side of the road ,
At that moment , Victoria thought he was telling her to exit his car , so she
reached out to open the door .
Clack ! The doors were immediately locked ,
He was staring at her with a dark look through the rearview mirror . “ Why
don’t you want to go to the hospital ? ” he asked .
She had been acting strange since walking through the rain the evening
before .
“ I can visit a doctor myself if I don’t feel well , ” Victoria calmly replied .
He narrowed his eyes dangerously when he heard that .
“ Al , is it because of me ?” Claudia hurriedly asked . “ Why not … Why don’t I get
off here while you take Victoria to the hospital ? After all , her illness is quite
serious . We cannot delay her treatment . ” Following that , she leaned
toward Alaric as if she wanted to unlock the car doors .
Victoria watched as he stopped her , holding her hand .
“ Don’t say that . ” Alaric frowned and glanced at Victoria before continuing ,
“ Don’t overthink it . It’s not because of you . ”
Then , Claudia glanced down at their hands as an embarra*sed glint
flashed in her eyes .
Meanwhile , Victoria silently watched them . After Claudia turned to look at
her , Victoria begrudgingly tore hor eyes away from them .
“ I’m sorry for the misunderstanding , Victoria , ” said Claudia . “ I thought you
were angry at Al because of me . I’m so sorry . ”
Victoria calmly glanced back at her . She would have thought Claudia was
a manipulator if she did n’t owe Claudia for helping her once .
Nevertheless , Claudia was her savior as well .
Then , Victoria forced a smile . “ It’s fine . ”
“ Are you unwilling to go to the hospital because you’re afraid of the
hospital ? ” Claudia asked with a grin . “ My friend opened a clinic of his own
after returning from abroad . Why not go to his place Dele? ”
Chapter Pachyrathy
She then turned to Alaric . “ What do you think , AI ? ”
He did n’t immediately agree to the idea . Instead , he frowned and asked ,
“ The clinic ? Is it reliable ? ”
“ Of course , ” Claudia somewhat awkwardly replied . “ If he wasn’t reliable ,
would I introduce him to you ? Don’t you trust me ? ”
After a moment of thought , he nodded . “ We’ll go there . ”
Victoria frowned . ‘ I- ”
However , the car was already speeding away , and her objection was
useless .
On the other hand , Claudia was even rea*suring her . “ Don’t worry , Victoria .
My friend’s a good man . He’s very kind and patient . I’ll ensure he knows
beforehand that your treatment will be negotiated later , alright ?”
Compared to the considerate and gentle Claudia , Victoria seemed to be
the exact opposite . Despite her sickness , she still refused to go to the
hospital ; how very selfish and inconsiderate .
What else could Victoria say to that ?
Thus , she kept quiet as the car continued on its way .
After arriving at the clinic , Claudia helped her out of the car , and she gently
asked , “ Does your head spin? If you feel sick , you can lean on me . ”
Her voice was so very soft , and her supporting hands were too . The faint
scent of jasmine lingered around her .
However , Victoria lowered her eyes in thought . Claudia is not only stunning
but also a wonderful person . Furthermore , she once rescued Alaric’s life from Him. If I’m
Alaric , I’ll probably fall in love with her too .
After Claudia’s friend arrived , she talked to him for a while . The man in the
white coat glanced at Victoria , nodded at Claudia , and walked over to her.
“ Hello , you’re Claudia’s friend , right ? I’m Dominic Fagan . ”
Victoria nodded in greeting . “ Hello . ”
“ Do you have a fever ? ” His voice was gentle as he placed the back of a hand
against her forehead .
With his unexpected proximity , she jerked to the side . Nonetheless , he
found humor in her response . “ I’m only testing your temperature , ” he said .
Dominic then turned around and pulled out a thermometer . “ Let’s get a
reading of your temperature . ”
Victoria accepted the thermometer .
“ You know how to use it , right ? ” Alaric asked as he stood behind her .
His question rendered her speechless . However , she chose to ignore him .
What makes you believe I have no idea how to use a thermometer ?
However , her movement was sluggish because she was so sick that
her head spun .
Once the thermometer was in place , Dominic told her to leave it there .
Seeing that , Claudia seized the chance to introduce her friend to Alaric .
7/11
12:58 Sun , 18 Jun
Chapter 5 Protect Her So – Called Dignity
“ Al , this is Dominic . I mentioned you to him before over the phone . He’s an
amazing doctor , but he loves his freedom so much that he decided to
open a clinic instead when he returned . Dominic , this is Alaric . He’s- ”
She paused before shyly continuing , “ My friend . ”
“ Friend ? ” Dominic raised his eyebrows when he heard that . He glanced at
Victoria before looking back at Alaric . “ Hello , I’m Dominic Fagan . It’s a
pleasure to meet you .”
A few long moments pa*sed before Alaric shook Dominic’s hand . “ Alaric
Cadogan . ”
“ I know .”
There was a mysterious smile on Dominic’s face as he suggestively said ,
“ Claudia talks about you often . She has a very high opinion of you . ”
“ Dominic ! ” Claudia’s cheeks immediately blushed red as if that remark
struck a chord .
“ What ? Am I wrong ? You’re always singing his praises of him in front of everyone . ”
“ Enough . Don’t mention it . ”
Alaric glanced at Victoria as the other two spoke .
She was sitting there with half – lidded eyes . Her hair hung low over her
forehead , blocking her eyes from view and hiding any signs of her
emotions . She silently sat there , calm and unbothered , as if she were an
outsider .
Then , his face instantly darkened upon seeing that .
Five minutes later , Dominic took the thermometer from Victoria . Hey
frowned . “ You’re running a little high . I’ll give you a shot . ”
Victoria’s head immediately snapped up . “ No shots . ”
Dominic looked at her and smiled . “ Are you afraid it will hurt ? Do not worry . I’ll
be gentle . ”
Claudia nodded in agreement . “ Your health is vital , Victoria . ”
Still , Victoria shook her head and insisted , “ I don’t want any shots or
medication .”
Her stubborn attitude made Alaric frown once more .
“ Our only option is to bring your temperature down externally . I’ll tell you
nurse to gather what you need . For now , put a cool , wet towel on your
forehead . We don’t want your temperature to go higher . ”
When Dominic left the room , Claudia said , “ I’ll help him .”
After the two left , Alaric and Victoria were the only ones left in the room.
Meanwhile , Victoria’s head was still spinning . She wanted to grab the wet
towel to place it on her forehead , but she could not muster a single ounce
of strength .
Then , Alaric , who had been relatively silent the whole time , abruptly spoke
- up .
“ Melodramatic ! ”
