Chapter 4

Victoria stood in the studio, studying the blueprints spread across the table.

It wasn't the kind of project that could change her life. It was a proposal for a line of office furniture, and her job was to optimize one of the functional components. The work wasn't particularly complicated, and the pay wasn't extraordinary, but to her, it meant so much more.

She picked up a pencil, drew a guide line across the blueprint, and pointed to one of the structures.

"If we modify the support here, we could reduce the weight a little more without compromising the overall stability. It would also lower the material costs."

Laura leaned over to examine the area Victoria had indicated, an approving expression crossing her face.

"That's exactly why I insisted on finding you," she said with a smile. "I don't need someone who only knows how to design pretty things. I need a designer who can actually solve problems."

Victoria smiled faintly.

"It's a small project."

"But it's your project."

Laura looked at her seriously.

"Victoria, you've been away from design for three years. I'm not expecting you to immediately reclaim the position you had before. I just want you to become part of your own life again."

Her own life.

Victoria lowered her gaze to the blueprints. Over the past three years, she had almost forgotten who she was.

Her days revolved around Francesca's medical updates, Adrian's visits to the hospital, Montgomery family meetings, and the problems her parents needed her to help resolve between the two families. Her time and emotions had always belonged to everyone else.

Those blueprints reminded her that before she became Adrian Montgomery's wife, she had been Victoria Altomare.

She had studied industrial design. She loved analyzing structures and checking every detail until she was certain everything worked properly. In the past, she had spent entire nights finishing proposals. She had even stayed awake from excitement after receiving an award.

Her biggest dream had been to open her own studio, not become someone's wife. Then she had buried those dreams because she loved Adrian.

"I'm still not sure how much time I'll be able to dedicate to it," she said at last.

Laura studied her.

"Because of Adrian?"

Victoria was silent for a moment before shaking her head.

"Because of a lot of things."

She didn't want to explain further. Her close friends knew she had been in love with Adrian for years and that their marriage hadn't begun with love.

Laura didn't press her. She gathered the documents and handed them to Victoria.

"Take this section home and look it over at your own pace. There's no rush. You can give me an answer next week. Victoria, you don't have to do everything perfectly from the start. What matters now isn't proving anything. It's starting again."

'Starting again.'

Victoria nodded and slipped the blueprints into a folder.

On her way home, she stopped at a red light.

She had spent only a few hours working on the design. She hadn't gone to the hospital, accompanied Adrian, or solved anyone else's problems. And yet she felt guilty, as though she had done something wrong.

A moment later, she smiled.

If spending time on something she enjoyed made her feel guilty, then she had been neglecting herself for far too long.

When she returned to the residence, it was already afternoon. To her surprise, Adrian was home, sitting on the sofa while handling work matters on his phone. At the sound of the door, he looked up.

"Where were you?"

His tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable seriousness beneath it.

Victoria took off her coat and set the documents on the entryway table.

"I went to meet a friend."

Adrian's gaze fell on the documents.

"You need design blueprints to meet a friend?"

Victoria held his gaze.

"I accepted a design project. We met today to discuss the proposal."

"A design project?"

Adrian looked surprised.

"Industrial design," Victoria clarified. "That's what I studied in college. I assume you haven't forgotten."

Silence settled between them.

Of course Adrian knew. He had even attended her graduation, although he had gone there with Francesca.

Victoria still remembered walking off the stage with her diploma in her hands and searching for him among the crowd. Adrian had been standing beside Francesca, leaning toward her as they talked. He hadn't even noticed Victoria passing nearby.

That was the day she realized the man she loved would never see her. Even so, she continued to love him.

"I thought you'd given up on design," Adrian said.

"I did before."

Victoria smiled faintly.

"Now I want to try again."

Adrian stood and looked at her.

"Victoria, if you're doing this to punish me for everything that's happened lately, you don't have to."

She understood immediately.

Adrian believed her return to work had nothing to do with her love of design. He thought it was because of their anniversary, the hospital, and Francesca. Another attempt to get his attention.

Victoria felt deeply exhausted.

"I'm not trying to get your attention."

"Then why didn't you tell me before?"

"And what would have happened if I had?"

Adrian frowned.

"I'm your husband."

For the first time, Victoria didn't avoid the conversation.

"Adrian, if I had told you I wanted to take on a small project, would you really have listened to me until the end?"

Adrian fell silent.

"You always keep too much to yourself."

He looked at her with a complicated expression.

"Is this because of Francesca?"

Victoria tightened her grip on the documents against her chest.

"Not everything in my life has to do with Francesca."

He stared at her in surprise.

"You're acting strangely."

"Maybe you're only just starting to notice."

"What's going on?" he asked quietly.

Victoria felt a pressure in her chest.

For a moment, she almost told him she was tired of waiting for the smallest scraps of attention. She nearly confessed that she had loved him since before their marriage and that she hadn't agreed to marry him simply to save the Altomares. She had done it because she couldn't bear to watch him lose everything after already losing Francesca.

But she realized none of it would change anything.

"There's nothing you need to fix."

She walked past Adrian and began organizing the blueprints.

"I don't like your silence."

Victoria replied calmly.

"It was never meant to please anyone."

Adrian watched her.

"Are you planning to continue with this?"

Victoria placed the pencil beside the blueprints.

"Yes. Because I want to slowly reclaim everything I gave up."

Adrian didn't respond. He left the room, and Victoria didn't know whether the project would succeed, but at least she had taken the first step. It wasn't for Francesca or Adrian. She was doing it for herself.

Then her phone rang, reminding her that she had a doctor's appointment the next morning. The doctor had asked her to bring a family member so they could explain the results to both of them.

After hesitating, Victoria decided to ask Adrian.

"Will you come with me?"