Cold War between Mr. and Mrs Vaughn: He Regretted when Divorce-Chapter 141: The Choice Between Life and Love

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: The Choice Between Life and Love

As Victoria Sinclair was about to turn and leave, she heard Sarah Lowell’s indignant curses from behind her: "Victoria Sinclair, without Eugene Vaughn, you just lost love, but Vivian Miller lost her life. Can’t you see which is more important? How can you be so selfish?"

Victoria halted, stunned.

She took a deep breath, then another, her chest still felt stifled and uncomfortable.

What a phrase, lost her life.

Victoria didn’t indulge her anymore, she slipped her hands into her pockets, turned and looked at Sarah, speaking calmly and unhurriedly: "Vivian’s suicide was due to her illness, don’t attribute everything to love. She didn’t love herself, her parents, or Eugene; it was purely because her possessiveness was unmet, causing her to be emotionally disturbed. Isn’t love about wanting someone to be happy? How can forced possession ever lead to happiness?"

"Aren’t you also being possessive?" Sarah retorted unhappily.

Victoria replied coldly, "I love Eugene, so I respect his every choice, including his final choice of Vivian. I will bless them."

Having said that, she turned and left without looking back.

Sarah, furious, clenched her fists, stomped the ground, and yelled at Timothy Sinclair, "Why didn’t you stand up for me?"

Timothy sighed in embarrassment, "I think my sister is not wrong, and her values are correct. Vivian..."

Sarah hit Timothy’s chest, shouting furiously, "No wonder your ex-wife left you; you protect your sister like this. You’re so biased; just be with her. Let’s break up."

After speaking, she turned and walked away.

Timothy panicked, hurriedly caught up with her, and coaxed her lowly, "Sarah, I’m not biased towards my sister, don’t mention breakup over such a small matter."

"A small matter? My friend is still lying in the hospital, not out of danger yet." Sarah said while shaking off Timothy’s hand as she walked.

Timothy pleaded, "My sister is also your friend, can’t you think from her perspective a bit?"

"Friend." Sarah scoffed, "Victoria Sinclair is aloof and proud, she cut ties with me, not the other way around."

"Sarah..."

"Don’t say anything further, if you don’t stand on my side and unite with me, then we’re breaking up."

"You’re my girlfriend, I will surely stand with you, your stance is my stance."

"Next time you favor Victoria Sinclair, we’re breaking up, remember that."

"There definitely won’t be a next time."

——

In the dim, foggy night, the quiet room echoed with the sound of a door opening.

Victoria vaguely heard noises from the living room. She slowly opened her eyes and groped in the dark to check her phone.

It was 1:30 AM.

The bedroom door opened, and the man’s tall, strong silhouette was blurry in the deep night, but from the footsteps, Victoria already guessed Eugene Vaughn had returned.

He didn’t turn on the light, moving directly to the bed’s edge.

He seemed unaware that she was awake, leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, his hot breath brushing her skin.

His kiss was extremely gentle and light, carrying the faint smell of hospital disinfectant on him.

Victoria closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Eugene’s kiss left her forehead, he straightened and went to the wardrobe, gently opening its door.

Victoria opened her eyes, watching his silhouette by the moonlight spilling from the balcony.

She thought he was grabbing pajamas for a shower, but unexpectedly, he was taking the luggage he’d previously brought to her place, slinging the whole bag over his shoulder to leave.

"Eugene," Victoria called to stop him.

Eugene’s steps halted, he stood still for a few seconds, then turned to her: "Did I wake you?"

Victoria wasn’t in the mood to answer such meaningless questions. She slowly sat up, and they faced each other from a meter apart in the dim room, unable to see each other’s expressions, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.

Victoria suppressed the discomfort in her heart, composedly asked, "Has Vivian passed the critical period?"

"Yes, she’s been moved to a regular ward, but hasn’t woken up yet."

"Are you going to the hospital to take care of her?"

Eugene put down the bag, walked to Victoria’s bedside, sat down, holding her small hand in his large one, gently rubbing it, with a slight guilt, "I’m sorry, Victoria. Vivian attempted suicide because of me. If she dies, her parents won’t survive, and I’d feel terrible. The doctors assessed her previous state as severe depression, if she doesn’t see me when she wakes up, her emotions might be unstable, easily leading to another incident. Her parents even knelt to me, I couldn’t be so cold and heartless."

"You don’t need to apologize to me, what you’re doing is right. I just want to ask you one question."

"Ask away."

"What’s the difference between me and Vivian?"

Eugene reached out to hook the back of her neck, pulling her into an embrace, murmuring in a hoarse voice, "You’re my lover, she’s like family."

"If you had to choose between love and life, what would you pick?"

Eugene fell silent, his hold growing tighter.

Victoria’s heart felt heavy, a bitter smile on her lips as she slowly pushed away from his chest, emerging from his arms, "Go, I need to sleep, I have work early tomorrow."

"You’re not mad?" Eugene gently touched her chin, lifting her head lightly.

Victoria turned her head, avoiding his hand, appearing a bit helpless, "Vivian’s life is hanging in the balance, if I get mad over something so small, wouldn’t that just trouble you?"

Eugene was uneasy, cupping her head in his hands, fixing it in place, meeting her gaze in the hazy night light, "Victoria, I’m in a difficult position, but I hope you’d get mad, get jealous, argue with me. At least it would prove you care about me. But now you make me feel like you’re too calm, calm to the point of not caring about me at all."

Victoria felt sourness in her chest, remaining silent.

Eugene laughed bitterly, self-mockingly, "What am I hoping for? If you cared about me, you wouldn’t have divorced me."

Victoria continued her silence, but her heart ached faintly.

She had never been one to express love easily, especially when she had no certainty of lasting with Eugene. Concerning Eugene, she saw no future and refused to give her whole heart to him.

She feared being hurt!

"Once Vivian wakes up and her condition stabilizes, I’ll come back," Eugene spoke softly, cupping her face, lightly kissing her lips, "Sleep."

"Give me the house key," Victoria said with unusual calm, her inner feelings stirring with bitterness, struggling to say each word, "You won’t be coming back."

"I will," Eugene’s voice trembled, urgent, "I only see Vivian as a sister, my love is for you, Victoria."

"I never doubted your feelings," Victoria reached into his pocket, retrieving the keys.

Eugene grabbed her wrist abruptly, looking down, his breathing quickening, the atmosphere becoming suppressive.

Victoria tightly held the house key, her gaze heated, her heart feeling like it was being sliced, dripping blood.

His grip tightened increasingly, causing her wrist to hurt a bit.

Victoria had never blamed Eugene.

His current predicament, helpless and resigned, was much how she felt when they divorced.

"Wherever you are, that’s home for me, Victoria, I will come back." Eugene’s voice was hoarse and deep, filled with pain.

Victoria managed a smile, but tears blurred her vision as she feigned calmness, "Every time you come to me, Vivian nearly dies. I’d be branded a murderer, blamed and avenged by everyone."

"I’m sorry, Victoria." Eugene exhaled deeply, his voice choking, "It’s my fault."

"We didn’t do anything wrong, we’re just not suited."

"Victoria..." Eugene embraced her quietly, "No matter what, I won’t give up on you."

Victoria angrily pushed him away, "Eugene, if you can’t let go of Vivian, then you have to let go of me. If you want both, I’ll just end up being the pitiable casualty."

"What are you babbling about?" Eugene seemed unable to understand her words, "I..."

The phone ringing interrupted him.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then took out the phone, connecting and bringing it to his ear.

"Alright..." Eugene said into the phone, standing and picking up his luggage, "I’m on my way."

Ending the call, Eugene froze by the doorway.

Victoria stared at his back, her eyes filling with tears, her hands clenching the sheets, trembling.

Who said she didn’t care?

She was in agony now.

But she was powerless, how could she contend with the powerful Grant and Vaughn families, contend with Vivian, a woman insane enough to disregard her own life?

"Vivian Miller has woken up," Eugene Vaughn stated heavily. "I’ll come back as soon as her emotions are stable. Don’t overthink it."

After saying this, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Victoria Sinclair slowly lay down, pulling the blanket over herself.

The quiet room was utterly silent. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and drift off to sleep.

Her mind felt muddled, a complete mess.

She had long accepted reality, yet tears uncontrollably welled up, silently sliding down from the corners of her eyes.

——

The following days passed uneventfully. She went to work to conduct experiments, returned home to rest, and occasionally chatted online with Angela Austin.

Eugene often sent her messages, asking fairly simple questions.

"Good morning, are you up?"

"What are you doing?"

"Why are you ignoring me?"

Victoria felt that even if she replied, what would it change? If Vivian accidentally saw it, she might react dramatically, making Victoria the villain instead.

It was better to ignore it.

At noon, as Victoria had just returned to her post after a lunch break, Professor Mo came over with a document, visibly excited, "Victoria, great news! Apex Group has reviewed the materials you sent them and is very interested in our new drug. They want to discuss collaboration."

Victoria beamed with joy, "That’s wonderful. Professor Mo, you and the sales director should handle the discussions; I’m not good at business negotiations."

"That won’t do," Professor Mo said sternly, "You must be the one to go. Apex Group chose our drug among many competitors not solely because of its excellence. It’s definitely because of you."

"Because of me?" Victoria was taken aback, but upon reflection, she realized she wouldn’t have even had a chance without Hector Grant’s help.

"Alright, I understand." Victoria smiled and nodded, extending her hand, "Please give me the document."

"Give it your all. If we can collaborate with Apex Group, it will be a great honor for our research lab, thriving and prosperous!"

Victoria chuckled lightly.

Back in the laboratory, Victoria opened and read through the document, then sent Hector Grant a message.

"Senior Hector, thank you. Apex Group is willing to give us an opportunity to discuss collaboration."

She immediately took a picture of the document’s cover and sent it over.

A moment later, Hector replied, "I just passed it along for you. It has little to do with me, so you don’t need to thank me."

"Regardless, you’ve done me a big favor, and I should properly thank you."

Hector Grant: "Then treat me to a meal."

Victoria looked at the message, hesitant.

She had only intended to express verbal gratitude, never intending to invite him to a meal.

Since he said so, she had no reason to refuse.

"Alright, Senior Hector, when are you available?"

"When is Angela free? Invite her along."

Victoria smirked slightly, sending a question mark emoji.

This man was too obvious.

Hector Grant: "She hasn’t come in for her follow-up."

Victoria: "She’s shy. If she knew that her attending doctor was there, she wouldn’t go."

Hector Grant: "Then don’t tell her."

Victoria: "I’ll ask her."

Hector Grant: "Thank you."

Victoria turned and dialed Angela Austin’s phone.

"Victoria," Angela’s voice was cheerful and gentle, "What’s up?"

"I’m treating you to a fancy dinner after work; are you free?"

Angela was excited, "I absolutely must be free! You, with your frugal nature, rarely ask me out for a fancy dinner. This meal is more important than national affairs, do send me the address. I’ll dash over after work."

"Alright, see you later." Victoria felt a little guilty, though.

But what could she do?

The contract at hand might need Hector’s help in the future, so she could only sacrifice her friend’s pride a little.

Victoria booked a Chinese restaurant close to the hospital, with exquisite, elegant decor and a unique style.

In the lobby, she saw Hector Grant walking over, quickly standing up and waving at him, "Senior Hector, over here."

Hector gave a gentle smile and walked over, glancing around, "Where’s Angela?"

"She gets off work at six; it might take her another ten minutes to get here," Victoria politely invited him to sit: "Shall we order first?"

Hector sat down, "No need, let’s wait a bit."

"Alright." Victoria looked at Hector’s short hair, noticing it was different from the last time they met at an event.

Although he was handsome, he was quite casual then.

Today, his short hair seemed purposely styled, lending a sense of casual elegance, with a faint fragrance of cologne wafting in the air.

Do doctors usually wear cologne?

Victoria wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, pursing her lips and lowering her head to hold it in, genuinely feeling a bit happy for Angela.

After all, being noticed by a quality man like Hector should be seen as an opportunity.

It was certainly better than living with a non-committal mindset towards marriage, wasn’t it?

Hector Grant: "Your shy smile resembles my grandmother a bit."

Victoria paused, "Do I seem that old?"

Hector was instantly flustered, "Sorry, I didn’t mean that, I didn’t mean you’re old, I..."

Victoria chuckled, "It’s okay, you probably find me very approachable, right?"

"Yes, very approachable." Hector hurriedly nodded, taking a sip of warm water, "My grandmother was a forensic scientist; my mom used to be a surgeon."

"A family of doctors?"

"My dad is a businessman, but he’s in the pharmaceutical business."

Victoria recalled what Angela had mentioned before.

A man choosing to study gynecology is somewhat psychologically peculiar, isn’t it?

Victoria asked, "Why did you choose to study gynecology?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Hector pursed his lips in bitterness, silent for a moment before exhaling and saying, "When my mother gave birth to my sister, due to a doctor’s negligence, she died from excessive bleeding in the delivery room. My sister, barely half an hour old, was also lost. Not wanting such a tragedy to happen again, I chose this field."

Victoria’s skin prickled, a wave of sadness swept over her heart, and she felt a deep sense of guilt, "I’m sorry."

"It’s okay, it’s all in the past."

At that moment, a familiar voice came.

"Eugene, I want to eat the braised pork and grilled lamb chops here."

Upon hearing this, Victoria looked over.

Not far away, Eugene was pushing in a wheelchair, with Vivian sitting in it, dressed in hospital patient attire.

As she looked over, Eugene’s eyes met hers.

Both were frozen, their exchanged glances filled with a suppressed, somber atmosphere, making the world seem silent and suffocating.

Vivian followed Eugene’s gaze, and Hector also turned back.