Chapter 4

Elise blinked, forcing away the sting in her eyes. Just then, her phone buzzed. She'd received a new email. Her eyes widened when she opened it.

There were dozens of photos attached, each one showing Victor by Quinn's side. One showed him going to the obstetrician when she first started showing. Some showed him walking through a park with her as her belly grew. One even showed him waiting outside the delivery room while she went through labor.

Every image had a date. They were all from the year Quinn had given birth.

That year, Victor had constantly "traveled for work". So, he hadn't just gone to be with her for the delivery. He'd been with her through her entire pregnancy!

And right now, he lay beside Elise, his arm thrown possessively over her. The pain hit her a little late, but it was sharp, like a knife to the heart. The tears she'd fought so hard to hold back spilled over.

They'd been together for eight years. Had Victor ever truly loved her?

Elise jolted upright and slapped Victor hard across the face. He snapped out of sleep with the sting, ready to explode. Then, he saw her tears.

"Elle." His chest tightened. He got up and gripped her shoulders. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Victor, let's go file our divorce." She dropped her gaze and angled her body away, dodging his touch.

Victor's voice softened even more. "Elle, just what on earth is going on? Why do you suddenly want a divorce? Haven't we been doing fine all this time? Can you please stop this?"

Elise's tears had stopped. At his words, she asked, "Do you think I'm just throwing a tantrum?"

He said nothing. The silence said enough.

A hollow kind of helplessness washed over her, making her feel like she'd punched the air. Victor thought she was just jealous. He thought things would go back to normal once he placated her a little, after which he could continue bouncing between her and Quinn again.

Elise unlocked her phone and tossed it in front of him. "You kept traveling for 'work' that year. You said it was because you needed to meet partners and negotiate deals when the company's stock was unstable after Vaughn's death.

"But in reality, you were with Quinn for her entire pregnancy. What is she to you? Doesn't she have parents? Doesn't she have in-laws? Why did she need you, her husband's brother, to be there for her delivery? Answer me."

Elise thought she would break down, spiral, and scream, but the words came out calmly without so much as a tremor in her voice.

Her gaze was mocking. "Or did your family decide to let you step in to continue the line after Vaughn's death?"

"Elise Livingston!" Victor barked her name, his expression going dark. She was never supposed to find out about this. He would look into the matter carefully.

He sighed. "Vaughn died so suddenly that my parents couldn't handle it—they were crushed. They weren't in any state to care for her. As for her parents…"

He paused, his tone turning complicated. "You dislike her and don't want her near your parents, so she didn't dare tell them about it. Look, enough of this, okay? I only looked after Quinn and Daniel for Vaughn's sake. Don't overthink it."