Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

After a long time, Victoria sighed inwardly. Keeping the truth from him will 

keep any awkward situations at bay. Moreover, we can think of our 

relationship as a transaction in which both parties benefit from. 

At that thought, she pushed away Alaric, who had leaned in too close for 

” 

her comfort. “It’s not you for sure.” 

Then, he frowned upon hearing that. “What do you mean by that? Is there 

someone else who knows you better than me? Who is it?” He didn’t notice 

how worked up he was due to her words. 

On the other hand, Victoria said nothing in response. 

Seeing how she ignored him, Alaric grabbed her shoulders and 

questioned somewhat viciously, “Is it a man or a woman?” 

He applied too much pressure on her, causing her to raise her brows and 

push him away. “It hurts. Don’t touch me.” 

Afterward, Alaric let up on the pressure a bit, but he didn’t give up on 

badgering Victoria. “If you don’t want me to touch you, then be honest with 

1. me. Who knows you better than I do? Also, what’s up with that report?” 

Under his persistent questioning, she responded, “Nobody. I’m the one who 

understands myself best. Don’t put too much meaning in my words, 

alright? Besides, I don’t know what report you’re referring to. Is it from the 

company or somewhere else? If you want a response from me, you 

should be clear about it, don’t you think?” 

She took the initiative to express her doubts, causing him to narrow his 

eyes. There is something fishy about the way that she is reacting. 

“The maid claimed she found a piece of torn paper while picking up the 

trash.” 

A piece of torn paper? Is the report a piece of torn paper? 

Then, Victoria met Alaric’s eyes calmly. “What report? Where is it?” 

“It was torn and was found in the room. Is it not yours?” 

“A torn piece of paper? Yeah, it’s mino.” Following that, she avoided his 

gaze and redirected her attention to the laptop. “That’s the report I got 

from the hospital. What’s wrong with that?” 

Suddenly, he locked his gaze on her. “What kind of report is it?” 

Victoria was unwavering and answered, “My body checkup report. Is there 

a problem with that?” 

However, her answer elicited a scoff from Alaric. “Do you think you can fool 

me? Why would you tear the report?” His tone was stern as he asked the 

question. Suddenly, he grasped her thin wrist and prodded, “Are you hiding 

something from me? What kind of report is it?” 

Then, he reasoned that her peculiar quirk must have something to do with 

the report. 

As he exerted even more pressure on her, her brows knitted as she 

explained softly, “I didn’t tear it on purpose. The report was soaked in water 

due to the rain, and I could no longer read the words. That’s why I threw it 

away.” 

“Why did you have to tear it before you threw it away, then?” Alaric was still 

dwelling on it. Obviously, he would keep pestering Victoria if she couldn’t 

convince him with a reasonable excuse. 

Then, when she looked into his eyes, she noticed how dark and gloomy 

they were. After a sigh, she said, “Have you ever considered that I might 

not have torn it?” 

“What?” 

“It was raining heavily that day, and when I took the report out, it was 

already in a soggy state, and some pieces of paper even got stuck on my 

clothes. I could only take them off one by one.” 

Alaric was taken aback by Victoria’s statement as he imagined the 

possible scene. 

The downpour was so intense that it drenched her completely. Hence, it 

was only natural that the paper had become soggy. She had no choice 

but to toss it in the laundry basket with the rest of her dirty clothes, but by 

the time the maids came to clean it up, the paper had dried out and 

appeared to be torn. 

After careful consideration, he decided that her words did not sound 

suspicious. 

Feeling the force on her shoulders loosen, Victoria assumed Alaric was 

Chap 6 Abortion is the Only Way 

convinced by her statomont. Dospito her rollef, she decided to put 

everything on the line to dispel any remaining doubts he had about her 

pregnancy. At that thought, she looked at him and uttered tentatively, 

“Why are you panicking? Are you worried that it might have been a 

pregnancy report?” 

At first, he had planned to deny it, but hearing her last question, he felt his 

chest tighten. When he glanced at her, he tried to suppress his emotions. 

His glance prompted her to raise her brows. “What’s with that expression? 

Are you afraid that my pregnancy might affect you and Claudia’s 

relationship?” 

“Are you pregnant?” Alaric squinted his eyes in skepticism. 

Victoria shrugged. “No, or I would have shown you the report. As childhood 

friends, I suppose you’ll compensate me a fair amount if I go for an 

abortion, won’t you?” 

However, her nonchalant tone and indifferent attitude made his 

expression change slightly. 

“What did you say? Are you going for an abortion?” 

On the other hand, his last sentence made her heart skip a beat. 

“I’m speaking hypothetically only.” 

As if trying to go against Victoria, Alaric questioned, “What if it’s not?” 

“What do you mean if it’s not?” She frowned slightly. 

Then, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, obsidian orbs carrying 

incomprehensible emotions. “Suppose you are pregnant; would you 

undergo an abortion?” 

She nodded subconsciously and lowered her head. “Yeah, maybe.” 

Nonetheless, she didn’t notice how his expression turned dark when she 

blurted her answer. 

Alaric was annoyed by Victoria’s indifference, and he felt something 

churning in his chest as anxiety surrounded him densely. 

Then, Victoria continued, “What will happen to you and Claudia if I don’t 

abort the child?” 

What will happen to Claudia and me? Her question was like having a