omeone of his stature.”
Averil sniffled, adding dramatically, “This is such a mess. Now Mr. Carter is going to misunderstand us because of Victoria.”
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Chapter 11
“Honestly, she’s completely out of line! She didn’t think about how this would affect you at all,” Averil continued, her tone full of false concern.
Julian’s face darkened. “Ridiculous behavior!”
Thud. Thud.
Charles slammed his cane against the floor twice, silencing the room.
“This is the last time I’m asking: are you going to drink willingly, or should I force you?”
The moment I regained consciousness, I realized I was lying on a hospital bed.
Buzz-
The phone on the bedside table vibrated. Instinctively, I reached for it and found a list of missed calls from Julian.
At the top were several of his text messages:
“Victoria Dean, you’ve truly let me down.”
“I never expected you to be as thoughtful as Averil, but at least don’t stab me in the back.”
“Keeping our marriage a secret was the smartest decision I ever made.”
“Are you trying to use Mr. Carter to provoke me? Don’t waste your time. A man like him would never go for someone as used up as you.”
“Explain everything to Mr. Carter, or don’t bother coming home.”
The memory of the deliberate humiliation at the gala came rushing back, and a wave of nausea hit me. My chest tightened as I doubled over, coughing uncontrollably.
A hand gently rested on my back, soothing me.
“Are you okay, Violet?”
I froze, my eyes widening in shock.
“What… what did you just call me?”
The name struck a forgotten chord–I’d been Victoria Dean for so many years that my previous identity as Violet Rivers had nearly slipped away.
I was once the heiress of Rivers Biotech, the star student everyone admired.
Hearing that name again brought a flood of painful memories. My reaction was instant–I jerked my hand away, curling into myself.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” the man said, his voice trembling with restrained emotion. “Don’t
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Charter
be afraid, Violet. Look at me carefully. See who I am.”
Perhaps it was the gentleness in his tone, but my frantic emotions gradually calmed:
1 rubbed my eyes hard, and as the man’s face came into focus, his handsome features began to merge with the boy I remembered.
“Are you… Ash?”
