Chapter 455 You Brought This on Yourself
"I'm here to see you," Grant stated firmly.
Victoria remained silent. 'Fine,' she thought. 'I can handle this.'
She turned to Alexander, batting her eyes. "Darling, you're not going anywhere, are you? I'm injured and can't defend myself."
Grant's mouth twitched in silence. Did he really look like someone who would hurt a woman?
Alexander's eyes filled with affection. "Of course I'll stay."
Grant was utterly exasperated.
"What brings you here, Grant?" Victoria asked, feeling more confident with Alexander by her side.
Even without saying it aloud, she knew Alexander wouldn't leave her alone with Grant.
Grant looked at her and suddenly laughed. "Your luck is terrible. This hospital might as well be your second home."
Victoria remained quiet momentarily.
Then, with a smile spreading across her face, she glanced at Alexander and replied with a hint of provocation: "Anywhere with my husband is home to me. Unlike some people who have wives that might as well not exist."
When it came to subtle jabs, she never lost. Though she hadn't named names, her meaning was clear.
Grant's mouth twitched again as a vein pulsed at his temple. He looked at Alexander, clearly expecting him to rein in his wife.
Unfortunately for him, Alexander appeared completely uninvolved. He didn't even spare Grant a glance.
Grant let out a cold snort. So much for being best friends who would die for each other—all meaningless when women were involved.
Just when Victoria thought Grant might lose his temper, he asked, "I want to know why she didn't want me to know about her pregnancy."
What?
Victoria thought she must have misheard. He knew Marlowe was pregnant? Who told him?
She turned to Alexander, who shook his head quickly. "It wasn't me."
She frowned, looking back at Grant, who seemed genuinely serious.
If Owen hadn't sent Grant to Victoria, he certainly wouldn't have come, knowing he'd hear nothing pleasant from her.
Just as Grant was internally grumbling about this, Victoria said, "Grant, you're only thirty, yet your memory is failing so badly? You really should take some supplements for that. With your memory deteriorating at this rate, the consequences could be dire as you age."
Grant fell silent.
Was she personally attacking him? Insulting him in a roundabout way?
Not a single word was explicitly offensive, yet somehow every word felt like an insult.
Still, he controlled his temper, pressing his tongue against his cheek. "What do you mean?"
His attitude seemed surprisingly humble.
This caught Victoria off guard. Perhaps she didn't know Grant as well as she thought. Who knew he could actually be humble?
Even Alexander, whose eyes were usually fixed solely on his wife, spared Grant a rare glance.
Grant felt uncomfortable under their scrutiny. What was that look about?
"Grant, have you truly forgotten the terrible things you said?" Victoria asked bluntly.
After their previous interactions, he knew she was always direct, but this time...
What had he said?
He frowned, genuinely confused.
He cleared his throat. "I don't know which statement you're referring to."
In the past, though he had been cold toward Marlowe, sometimes he spoke in the heat of the moment, not fully aware of what he was saying or why.
Victoria said, "You told Marlowe she wasn't worthy of carrying your child."
The words struck Grant's heart and mind like lightning.
He struggled to remember when he had said such a thing.
"So when she discovered she was unexpectedly pregnant, she considered terminating it," Victoria continued. "But then the doctor told her this pregnancy was miraculous. Due to her long-term use of contraceptives, her chances of conceiving were minimal. If she terminated this pregnancy, she might never have another chance at motherhood."
Grant fell into a deep silence.
Victoria's words echoed in his mind.
Victoria, unconcerned with his feelings, continued delivering painful truths. "Eventually, she chose to keep the baby, but couldn't let you know. She believed if you found out, you would force her to terminate the pregnancy."
"So don't blame her for not telling you, and don't blame us for keeping her secret. This is entirely your doing," she added.
Grant had never imagined that Marlowe saw him as someone so ruthless—someone who would force his own child to be aborted.
He laughed bitterly at himself internally.
A dull pain spread through his chest, as if something were piercing him.
After Victoria finished speaking, she noticed his prolonged silence and troubled expression.
She whispered to Alexander beside her, "Darling, was I too harsh? Can he handle it?"
Alexander stroked her head. "Don't worry. He won't do anything rash. Besides, you only spoke the truth. If he can't handle the truth, he wouldn't be our friend."
Hearing this, she nodded in agreement, as if that made perfect sense.
Comforted by Alexander's reassurance, she relaxed.
After a long silence, Grant finally spoke.
"So, I shouldn't go find her?" he asked.
Victoria was surprised again. Was this really Grant sitting before her?
It felt surreal. He was actually asking this question?
Given his personality, shouldn't he have already gone to confront Marlowe? To forcibly bring her home?
She cleared her throat. "Do you want the complete truth or a softened version?"
Grant looked at her, confused by the question. She always managed to say things he couldn't quite grasp.
"Tell me both," he replied.
Victoria said, "If you think seeing you would make Marlowe happy, then yes, you could go find her. You're still legally married, so you have every right to reclaim your wife and child."
Then she pivoted, "However, if you're not afraid of upsetting Marlowe further, you could still go. You have that right, and none of us can stop you, right? It depends on what outcome you want."
Grant remained silent.
Her words were essentially meaningless. She was clearly telling him, both directly and indirectly, that Marlowe didn't want to see him, and warning him not to use their legal marriage status to force Marlowe to return.
Never had anything troubled him so deeply.
Finally, Victoria offered one sincere piece of advice. "Grant, if you truly want to win Marlowe back, you'll need to put in some real effort. After all these years, even if she truly loved you at the beginning, without any reciprocation, that love will eventually fade away."
By "win back," she didn't simply mean physically bringing Marlowe home.
She meant bringing Marlowe home along with her heart—rekindling her love for him.
As Grant stood to leave, she added, "Marlowe is coming to visit me at the hospital tomorrow."
She left it at that, offering no further details.
Grant paused briefly. "I understand. Thank you."
With that, he departed.
Victoria watched him leave, blinking in surprise. "Darling, did he actually thank me?"
"Yes, I heard it too. You didn't mishear," Alexander confirmed.
"And he didn't get angry with me today. I said so many provocative things, yet he didn't lose his temper. That's unusual."
"It's perfectly normal. I was here," Alexander said. "Now, it's getting late. Let's get you cleaned up before bed."
He cut off whatever she was about to say next.
Rising, he carefully lifted her, avoiding her back injury, and carried her to the bathroom.
"We forgot my change of clothes," she called out halfway there.
"Don't worry, I'll come back for them," he assured her.
"And you haven't locked the door!" she added urgently.
She dreaded the thought of someone barging in, which would be mortifying.
Alexander replied affectionately, "I know. I'll lock it after I get you settled."
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