Chapter 90
“It’s her! She was the one that ran over Miss Spritz! She’s still being rescued right now!”
“It’s her! She was the one that ran over Miss Spritz! She’s still being rescued right now!”
“Aren’t the two of them good friends? Why did Victoria have to go to such extremes?”
“Even if they aren’t friends, how can she be so cruel? This…Isn’t this murder?”
“It’s no surprise, really. Just like her brother, the two siblings have always been sitting on their high horses, bullying their cla*smates in school. If it weren’t for how powerful the Colemans are, these two siblings would’ve been jailed long ago.”
A few people were waiting in front of the hotel elevator, and they all stared at her, just like everyone else. But, their mouths were opening and closing, clearly saying something.
However, Victoria couldn’t hear a word. In her head, they were all criticizing and laughing at her. She ran past the elevator with a pale face as she lifted her skirt and ran right into a relatively hidden stairwell.
The stairwell was pitch-black. Her high heels’ rapid, clacking sound turned on the voice-activated light, but the stairwell returned to darkness once she ran past it.
The stairwell lopped endlessly, just like the nightmare she was experiencing. She just couldn’t get to the end.
Bang!
Victoria stubbed her foot and rolled down the stairs. Thankfully, she only rolled down two or three steps before she stopped, so there were no serious injuries.
Then, silence followed. The stairs’ lights dimmed down instantly, and the whole place was dark and quiet.
There was a faint sound of water droplets falling to the ground. Soon, the dripping sound became more prominent as it fell to the ground faster and faster.
Victoria was curled up as she hugged her legs to her chest tightly. Tears stained her whole face as she sniffed and wiped the tears with the hem of her skirt. She stared blankly at the darkness ahead. She didn’t want to move an inch or speak; there were so many things she didn’t want to do.
Cold.
The stairwell was cold but not as cold as her heart.
Maybe if she died here, it would be the janitors that would find her.
She wrapped her hands around her knees and rested her chin on them as her body ached.
It wasn’t that she had never considered exposing Bella after she had gotten out of prison. It wasn’t that she didn’t know that Christian and her parents would be drowning in guilt after knowing the truth. It also wasn’t because she hadn’t thought about getting Bella to apologize to her repeatedly…
But when she was released, she realized that all those were just daydreams and she was living in the real world.
She had no evidence against Bella. Thus, she could only suffer under Christian and Bella’s shadows, hoping her torment would end one day.
“Tori? Tori, where are you?” A hasty and anxious male voice echoed in the corridor. Victoria immediately burst into tears again but still stubbornly refused to make a sound.
“Tori? Tori, where are you?” A hasty and anxious male voice echoed in the corridor. Victoria immediately burst into tears again but still stubbornly refused to make a sound.
“Tori, where are you? Come out. Don’t scare me like that!”
“Tori, tell us what you’ve been through. You don’t have to suffer alone like.”
Vincent and Teresa’s voices were heard, one after the other. Still, Victoria bit her bottom lip tightly until they bled and didn’t remain as silent as a mouse.
Click.
The two voices got closer and closer, and the voice-activated lights came on.
When Vincent caught sight of Victoria curled up at the bottom of the stairwell, he was stunned. He felt his heart tortured at her pitiful state as if it had been pierced by a knife.
She shrunk into a small ball in the corner; her hair was a little messy, and blood oozed out the corner of her mouth.
From his point of view, she was bent over, and because of how thin she was, the dress outlined her spine, coupled with scars on the shoulders, giving her a morbid sense of beauty.
Unfortunately, this was anything but beautiful to Vincent. If anything, it distressed him further. He remembered how she couldn’t lose weight in the past, and her face was always a little chubby with some baby fat.
“Vince—” Victoria raised her head and looked at him blankly; her voice was hoarse.
Teresa quickly covered her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. Then, she dragged her husband, who was still in a daze, beside her. “G-Get over there.”
“Why is your mouth bleeding? Did someone beat you?” Vincent quickly rushed over. He couldn’t find a handkerchief or a tissue, so he simply took off his suit and wiped the corner of Victoria’s mouth gently yet unskillfully. His eyes were filled with genuine pain and worry for her.
There was a taste of blood in her mouth as she shook her head wearily.
“Why are you sitting here? Did you twist your ankle?” He lifted her skirt impatiently and checked her ankles. Although they weren’t swollen, they were obviously injured.
However, these minor wounds were nothing compared to the crisscrossing scars on her legs.
His eyes turned red-rimmed as he gritted his teeth at those terrible scars, throwing a few punches on the ground. Soon, blood began to drip from his hands.
“Tori, are you injured?” Teresa nudged him anxiously. “What are you still doing here? Send her to the hospital!”
Victoria looked up at Teresa and said hoarsely, “I’m not hurt. But, Teresa, you can leave with my brother. I just want to be alone for a while.”
“Have you been through a lot these past two years?” Vincent asked bitterly as he sat down beside her and rested his hands on his knees to support his head.
“Tori? Tori, where ore you?” A hosty ond onxious mole voice echoed in the corridor. Victorio immediotely burst into teors ogoin but still stubbornly refused to moke o sound.
“Tori, where ore you? Come out. Don’t score me like thot!”
“Tori, tell us whot you’ve been through. You don’t hove to suffer olone like.”
Vincent ond Tereso’s voices were heord, one ofter the other. Still, Victorio bit her bottom lip tightly until they bled ond didn’t remoin os silent os o mouse.
Click.
The two voices got closer ond closer, ond the voice-octivoted lights come on.
When Vincent cought sight of Victorio curled up ot the bottom of the stoirwell, he wos stunned. He felt his heort tortured ot her pitiful stote os if it hod been pierced by o knife.
She shrunk into o smoll boll in the corner; her hoir wos o little messy, ond blood oozed out the corner of her mouth.
From his point of view, she wos bent over, ond becouse of how thin she wos, the dress outlined her spine, coupled with scors on the shoulders, giving her o morbid sense of beouty.
Unfortunotely, this wos onything but beoutiful to Vincent. If onything, it distressed him further. He remembered how she couldn’t lose weight in the post, ond her foce wos olwoys o little chubby with some boby fot.
“Vince—” Victorio roised her heod ond looked ot him blonkly; her voice wos hoorse.
Tereso quickly covered her mouth os teors streomed down her cheeks. Then, she drogged her husbond, who wos still in o doze, beside her. “G-Get over there.”
“Why is your mouth bleeding? Did someone beot you?” Vincent quickly rushed over. He couldn’t find o hondkerchief or o tissue, so he simply took off his suit ond wiped the corner of Victorio’s mouth gently yet unskillfully. His eyes were filled with genuine poin ond worry for her.
There wos o toste of blood in her mouth os she shook her heod weorily.
“Why ore you sitting here? Did you twist your onkle?” He lifted her skirt impotiently ond checked her onkles. Although they weren’t swollen, they were obviously injured.
However, these minor wounds were nothing compored to the crisscrossing scors on her legs.
His eyes turned red-rimmed os he gritted his teeth ot those terrible scors, throwing o few punches on the ground. Soon, blood begon to drip from his honds.
“Tori, ore you injured?” Tereso nudged him onxiously. “Whot ore you still doing here? Send her to the hospitol!”
Victorio looked up ot Tereso ond soid hoorsely, “I’m not hurt. But, Tereso, you con leove with my brother. I just wont to be olone for o while.”
“Hove you been through o lot these post two yeors?” Vincent osked bitterly os he sot down beside her ond rested his honds on his knees to support his heod.
“Tori? Tori, where are you?” A hasty and anxious male voice echoed in the corridor. Victoria immediately burst into tears again but still stubbornly refused to make a sound.
The two were whispering, and the lack of voices dimmed the voice-activated lights. The surroundings returned pitch black again.
Teresa shot him a glare at his insensitive words, only to realize that he couldn’t see her. So, she stomped on the ground a few times, coughed, and said, “Tori, your brother said that you enjoy roller coaster rides, parties, and whatnot. If you’re not enjoying this birthday party, how about we go to the amusement park instead?”
She was met with silence.
Then, the three people stop talking. But every time the lights dimmed, Teresa stomped her feet a few times.
Vincent, who was usually the most annoying and playful person in the room, was now quiet, and he was like a completely different person.
“Tori.” In the end, it was Teresa that broke the silence. “You haven’t met your little nephew or niece, have you? I think they look a lot like you. Do you want to see them?”
Victoria’s eyes lit up as she raised her head to look at Teresa, but the light in her eyes dimmed again. Victoria’s voice was soft as she murmured, “Maybe not.”
Maybe when they grow up, they might be ashamed of their ‘murderer’ aunt, so they might as well not see her.
At this point, Teresa had run out of ideas.
“Do you remember Jill?” Vincent tilted his head at Victoria. “After you were sent to prison, she resigned from our family and opened a small noodle shop near the area. Let’s visit her and have a bowl of noodles.”
She lowered her head and didn’t say anything to his suggestion.
Just when Teresa thought Victoria might refuse or continue playing mute, she murmured lowly, “Vince, I don’t feel like walking anymore.”
“The birthday girl shouldn’t be walking anyway.” Vincent squatted on the ground and proudly patted his back as if nothing had happened. “Hop on.”
Teresa, worried that Victoria might fall, hurried over to help Victoria. She even nagged Vincent, “Can you walk steadily? If you can’t, I’ll take your place!”
“How can you say that? How can you look down on your own husband like that? Who has been helping around the house with the two kids if I’m that incapable?” He retorted.
Victoria wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as he walked out of the stairwell and listened to the couple bickering.
The three of them were eye-catching, both in terms of their clothing and behaviors. The people around the hotel looked over them, and some were acquaintances.
Nonetheless, the three didn’t pay any attention to them and went straight to the car before driving away to Jill’s noodle house.
The two were whispering, and the lack of voices dimmed the voice-activated lights. The surroundings returned pitch black again.
