Chapter 483 I Married Another Man
Twenty Minutes Later
"We found him! We found him!" shouted the rescue team from the water's surface.
At the hospital, Victoria watched as Alexander was rushed into the emergency room. He was covered in blood—she couldn't even tell where his injuries were. He had been unconscious since they pulled him from the water, his face deathly pale. Blood continued to seep from his wounds, and she was afraid to touch him.
It was the first time she'd seen Alexander so vulnerable. In that moment, she understood how he must have felt when he saw her injured. The pain, the panic—it was like a fear from the abyss, leaving her limbs rigid, her mind chaotic, her breathing rapid.
With trembling hands, she grabbed Owen just before he entered the operating room. She wanted to speak but couldn't form a single word.
Owen saw her bloodshot eyes and felt her trembling fingers. "Victoria, don't worry. I'll do everything I can to save Alexander. He'll be alright."
Owen turned and entered, the doors closing behind him as the red light came on.
Thomas guided her to a nearby bench, his arm around her shoulders. He noticed her reddened eyes, yet she refused to let her tears fall. He knew her heart was in turmoil and pain as she fought to control her fear. But her rigid body and trembling betrayed her.
She hadn't cried since Ronan's incident, not even when she herself was injured. She always said nothing in this world could frighten her—not even death.
But now? She was afraid. Terrified. Nearly broken.
"It's okay to cry," Thomas said, patting her shoulder. "Alexander will be fine."
Victoria leaned against his shoulder, tears instantly flooding from her eyes. Her silent crying was heartbreaking to witness.
When Cedric and Cressida arrived, they found Victoria leaning on Thomas, silently weeping. Thomas had briefed them on what happened.
Later, Gideon arrived with Grant. They found Victoria sitting by the operating room doors, arms wrapped around herself, eyes fixed on the entrance.
Zephyr arrived shortly after, having learned the details of what happened. He had always known Griffin was ambitious, but never imagined he would do such things behind the scenes—or that he would want Victoria dead.
Seeing Victoria's pale, disoriented state broke his heart. He felt guilty, thinking that perhaps if he hadn't done the paternity test, none of this would have happened.
No one dared disturb her. They simply stood nearby, waiting with her.
Victoria didn't know how long she had maintained her position, or how much time had passed. She only knew she couldn't blink, afraid to miss a crucial moment.
The sky outside gradually brightened. Seven hours had passed—an entire night.
Her heart had calmed somewhat, but she still couldn't relax. They said no news was good news, but...
Suddenly, the red light above the operating room turned off.
Before anyone could react, Victoria was already stumbling toward the door.
The doors opened, and Owen emerged with another surgeon.
"How is he?" Her voice was hoarse from crying and silence.
She desperately needed an answer.
Owen looked at her. "The surgery was successful, but..."
Victoria's heart, momentarily relieved, tensed again. She frowned at Owen.
"What is it?" Her voice trembled slightly. "Tell me. I can handle it."
As long as Alexander was alive, she asked for nothing more.
The other doctor continued, "Mrs. Howard, your husband's brain was impacted by the explosion. We've removed part of the blood clot, but some remains pressing on his skull that we couldn't extract."
"Get to the point!" Grant snapped impatiently.
Startled by Grant's intensity, the doctor explained, "The patient isn't in immediate danger, but the clot is pressing on his nerves. If he wakes within 24 hours, he'll be fine. If not, he might remain in a coma indefinitely."
Indefinitely—meaning he could become a vegetative state patient.
Cedric caught Victoria as she swayed, hearing her murmur, "He'll wake up. He'll definitely wake up."
In the ICU, only one visitor was allowed at a time.
Cedric, Thomas, and the others didn't want Victoria to go in, fearing she might collapse, but no one could overcome her determination. And truthfully, no one was more suitable than her.
Victoria sat beside the bed, holding Alexander's hand—thankful it still felt warm. She pressed his hand against her cheek, her eyes misting over as she looked at him lying quietly, connected to various machines and tubes. For the first time, she realized he wasn't invincible, though she wished he could be rather than see him like this.
She had fallen for him long ago, but hadn't known how deeply until now.
She feared losing him, feared him leaving her forever. When she saw the explosion, her entire body trembled as if shattering. In that moment, she thought if he had died in that inferno, she would have followed him.
She couldn't accept a life without him.
"If you just wake up, I'll agree to anything you say in the future. I promise, no more excuses," she whispered.
"And I'll never again hide things from you or do anything that worries you. Okay, darling?"
She said many things, not even knowing what all she said. Whatever came to mind, she spoke.
Gradually, her heart calmed.
Then she remembered something she'd heard—that besides speaking comforting words to comatose patients, sometimes you needed to say something provocative.
So she said, "Darling, if you don't wake up, I'll marry someone else. You'll regret it then, but it'll be too late."
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