Departed With A Belly {1}

I Can't Even Touch You

"Could it be that you don't trust him enough?" Victoria smiled faintly. "I don't have to worry about things on my end, so what are you afraid of?"

Seeing that Claudia wouldn't budge, Victoria added, "Don't worry. Grandma's surgery is just around the corner. Just wait a few more days, and you will get what you want. As long as the surgery is successful, I will leave and not return within five years."

As Claudia heard her words, she gradually calmed down.

She's right. Only a few days left, and it will be all over. When that time
comes, things will be over for her and Alaric, and I won't need to be scared
anymore.

"Fine, I'll trust you for the time being. I hope you can keep your word." Victoria lowered her eyes as she put her hand on her belly. "Let's hope this goes well, baby. After everything is over, Mommy will take you to Grandpa's place. He will surely take a liking to you."

Speaking of Tony, he had called her that day. However, he was busy, and Victoria could hear multiple people talking in the background as he called her. Thus, she didn't tell Tony about what had happened since he was busy.

In the end, both of them talked for a short while before hanging up. The day before Griselda's surgery happened to be a Sunday. Victoria and Alaric spent the whole day in the nursing home with her.

Since Victoria was worried that Griselda would be nervous about tomorrow's surgery, she bought many trinkets to cheer her up.

Then, she told Griselda about all the interesting things and funny customers she encountered at the company, making the older woman laugh cheerfully.

While they were chatting, Alaric stood beside them and watched. He was expressionless at first, but a tiny smile soon appeared on his face when he
heard their laughter.

At that moment, it felt as though everything was going well. Soon, the doctor came in and talked about preparations for the surgery.

Since Griselda would be having her surgery the next day, Victoria suggested, "Why don't I spend the night with you, Grandma? I can accompany you if you can't sleep."

"No, no, no." Griselda waved Victoria off. "I'm not a child anymore. I don't need someone to stay by my side. Just go home and rest with Alaric. You can come again tomorrow."

"But..."

However, Griselda refused Victoria's idea of staying the night. In the end, Alaric grabbed Victoria's arm and said, "Since Grandma refuses, let's just come by early tomorrow."

"That's right. You youngsters should get home since it's getting late. Don't stay here and interrupt my rest."

"Alright, then..." Victoria could only oblige. Then, she went up to Griselda and hugged her. "Sleep well, Grandma. We'll be here first thing tomorrow."

"I'll remember that." Griselda poked
Victoria's nose as she spoke. "You are a young woman, yet you nag more than I do."

In the end, Victoria left with Alaric. On their way back, Victoria tried to speak to him but held back since the driver was there too. Meanwhile, Alaric didn't notice her reaction as he talked about what they should do for tomorrow's precautions.

His voice was deep and steady. As Victoria heard his words, she hummed in response. When they returned home, the driver left while the duo returned to their room. While taking off his suit, Alaric said to her, "Go take a bath and get some rest."

"Okay." Victoria didn't refuse and grabbed her clothes. After thinking for a
moment, she turned around and asked,
"There is something I've been meaning to ask you."

Alaric had taken off his jacket and was undoing his tie. When he heard her words, he stopped what he was doing and stared at her. "What is it?"

"Do we get the divorce before Grandma's surgery or after?"As soon as her words fell, Victoria could feel a cold aura emitting from Alaric. Then, he stared at her intently. Looking into his eyes, Victoria shuddered as chills ran down her spine.

In that split second, she realized it was bad timing to bring up such a matter.
After all, Griselda was going into surgery tomorrow, so Alaric wouldn't be in
a good mood.

After thinking it through, she apologized to him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up. Let's discuss this after Grandma's surgery. Get some rest soon, Alaric."

After talking, she turned around and left when Alaric blocked her path. "Are you dying to get a divorce with me?" he asked, staring at her with a darkened gaze.

"No. It's just that..."

"'ll do as you wish."

At that moment, Victoria was stunned and looked at him dumbly. Alaric's eyes were as cold as ice, and his voice was frosty as he spoke.

"We'll get a divorce once the city hall is open for business." With that, he turned ground and walked into the bathroom.

Didn't he ask me to take a shower first? thought Victoria. The bathroom door was shut loudly, creating a loud noise. Then, it quickly fell silent.

Victoria stood there and lowered her eyes before taking out their marriage
certificates from the safe. The certificates were kept nicely and looked brand new under the light. Looking at the documents, Victoria recalled the day they registered their marriage.

Honestly, she was already nervous during the photoshoot. Her expression and body froze on the spot, and the cameraman was dissatisfied after taking a few shots. "Relax, lady. This is a wedding photo. You must be happy about it. Come on, smile," he said to her.

When Victoria heard his words, she grew even more nervous. She was as hard as a rock until a pair of hands grabbed hers. Subconsciously, Victoria looked at Alaric and tried to get her hands out of his grip.

Feeling their interlocked hands, Victoria was startled when she felt his warmth. "I'm sorry. My wife is a bit introverted." She heard him saying to the cameraman.

At that moment, Victoria blushed and thought, Our wedding pictures aren't even done, yet he's already calling me his wife... As she thought about it, Alaric suddenly leaned in closer to her, and she
could feel his hot breath against her ear.

"Don't worry. Just do what the camera man asks you to. If he tells you to look at the camera and smile, just do as he says. Otherwise, we won't get our photo done if you keep getting nervous." He then caught sight of her earlobe, which had turned pink from shyness.

At that moment, his eyes darkened, and he gently bit on her earlobe without a second thought. "Did I stutter?"
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Edited on: January 13th 2024
Time: 11:54 pm
Word count: 1132 words