Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 180 No! I refuse!

Victoria’s POV

"I’m sorry, Patrick," I said, watching his expression carefully. "The water you just drank had sleeping pills in it."

Patrick’s face contorted with shock. "Victoria, you—!" His voice went hoarse, terror flooding through him.

"What are you trying to do? Kill me?" he roared, his body tensing as if ready to pounce.

I could smell the fear radiating from him—a sharp, acrid scent that betrayed the anxiety in his wolf nature.

I understood completely what was going through his mind. If he passed out, the doctor’s examination would reveal his legs were perfectly fine. His entire charade would collapse in seconds.

"Why would I want to kill you?" Damian asked slowly, his tone dripping with mockery.

"We just want to help you stand again, Mr. Wagner. Don’t worry—you just need a little nap." The terror in Patrick’s eyes intensified. His facade was crumbling completely before my eyes.

"Victoria, please," he begged, reaching out to grab my hand. "Make them leave. The other doctors said there’s still hope, remember? If I’m amputated, that hope dies completely. Call those doctors—I’ll cooperate with any treatment. Just not amputation. Please, Victoria!"

His desperation was palpable, clinging to him like a second skin. He was grasping at straws now, and I was his last hope.

I crossed my arms, standing firm. "Patrick, I’ve already consulted other specialists. The hope is slim. I think prosthetics would be better for you—modern prosthetic technology is very advanced. You could live almost like a normal person."

"No! I refuse!" His voice grew higher, the tendons in his neck straining.

Damian stepped closer, a cold smile playing at his lips. "I’m afraid you have no choice. Doctor, proceed. He’ll lose consciousness soon."

The doctor nodded and started the electric saw. The harsh buzzing filled the room, tearing through the tense atmosphere like a physical entity.

I watched Patrick’s face go deathly pale as the doctor approached him with the spinning blade. His pupils dilated with fear, and for a moment, I thought he might actually faint.

"Don’t touch my legs! Stay away from me!" In a movement he shouldn’t have been able to make, Patrick suddenly leaped from the bed, shoved the doctor aside, and desperately rushed toward the door.

I stood frozen, watching his fluid, powerful movements, his perfect coordination.

His legs worked flawlessly—not a trace of injury or weakness. The truth crystallized before my eyes, my stomach clenching in response.

Patrick had been lying all along. His legs were perfectly fine. He’d exploited my guilt and sympathy, making me believe for weeks that he might never walk again because of me.

He didn’t get far. Damian intercepted him with lightning speed, grabbing Patrick’s arms and effortlessly pinning him to the floor. Patrick struggled desperately, but it was like fighting a mountain. Damian’s wolf Arthur was too powerful, too dominant.

"Examine him," Damian commanded, his tone hard and brooking no argument.

The doctor examined Patrick’s legs right there on the floor. "Mr. Sterling, this gentleman’s legs are completely healthy—no problems whatsoever."

Patrick’s escape attempt had already proven this, but hearing the confirmation sent a wave of cold fury through my entire body.

"Let me go!" Patrick roared, still struggling to break free from Damian’s hold.

Damian finally released him, and Patrick scrambled to his feet. His eyes immediately met mine, his face written with desperation.

"Victoria," he pleaded, "you have to understand. I’ve been lying to you all along, haven’t I?"

"Patrick," I said quietly, my voice calmer than I felt. "So you’ve been deceiving me this entire time?"

"Listen to me, please," he rushed forward, speaking incoherently. "I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to stay close to you. I knew if my legs were fine, you’d never want to see me again. This was the only way I could stay by your side. I was afraid you’d leave me forever. I just wanted to be near you—that’s all."

His gaze burned with intensity, possessiveness roiling beneath the surface. The wolf within me growled low, recognizing this as an unhealthy obsession.

"Victoria, everything I did was for you," he continued with that sickening sincerity. "Maybe I was wrong. I shouldn’t have deceived you. But that wasn’t my intention. Please don’t be angry. Don’t hate me, okay?"

He lunged forward to grab my hand, his fingers digging painfully into my skin, making me wince.

"Let me go!" I commanded with quiet authority.

"Not unless you promise to forgive me," he insisted, tightening his grip. "Please understand." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Patrick," I said firmly, "let go of my hand."

"I won’t. Victoria, I did this because I love you. I love you more than anyone else in this world. Only I can make you happy. I’m the one who loves you most. I—"

His pleading didn’t make me feel sorry for him.

It only made me angrier.

He couldn’t hear a word I was saying.

My palm connected with Patrick’s cheek, the sharp crack echoing through the room. "Let me go! Don’t you understand?"

The coldness in my own tone surprised even me.

Patrick stared at me in shock, his cheek red from my slap. The hurt in his eyes might once have moved me, but now I only felt disgust.

"Victoria," he said quietly, "is he turning you against me? Don’t believe anything he says!"

"He didn’t say anything about you," I replied, rubbing where he’d grabbed me. "Patrick, I’m completely disappointed in you on my own."

What kind of love deliberately hurts someone? If you love someone, don’t you want them to be happy? Patrick had watched me struggle day after day with guilt, thinking his condition was all my fault.

His manipulation was no different from Ethan’s betrayal. They both claimed to love me while deliberately hurting me.

A disturbing thought suddenly surfaced—what if the entire accident had been orchestrated by Patrick? The whole situation had always seemed suspicious, and now I couldn’t help wondering if this had all been his carefully planned trap from the very beginning.

"Victoria, I know I was wrong," Patrick pleaded, holding up three fingers like he was making a Boy Scout honor pledge. "I promise I’ll never do anything like this again. I swear."

"Patrick, you don’t need to promise me anything," I said, feeling Nora restless within me. "We don’t have that kind of relationship. Now, I need you to be honest—did you orchestrate that car accident? Were you involved? If you tell me the truth now, we can still be neighbors. But if I discover the truth later, we won’t even be able to be friends."