Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria)

Chapter 5

Victoria could not go to the hospital. The moment she did so, her

pregnancy would be exposed. It sounded laughable, but she did not want

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 hir

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 embarrassed glint

flashed in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Victoria silently watched them. After Claudia turned to look at

her, Victoria begrudgingly tore hor oyes 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 not 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?”

Chapter Pachyrathy

She then turned to Alaric. “What do you think, AI?”

He did not immediately agree to the idea. Instead, he frowned and asked,

“A 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 reassuring 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 softly

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. Moreover, she once rescued Alaric’s life. 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.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Victoria nodded in greeting. “Hello.”

“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?

Nevertheless, 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.

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 passed before Alaric shook Dominic’s hand. “Alaric

Cadogan.”

“I know.”

There was a mysterious smirk 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 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. He

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? Don’t 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 the

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

1. up.

“Melodramatic!”