Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283
The kids did as they were told, and Victoria closed the door. She then stood still, and
silence fell between them. A while later, she turned around and smiled at Bane. “You
still haven’t had dinner? I think there’s a good place nearby, Wanna go?”
Bane didn’t seem to be affected by her obvious attempt at putting some distance
between them, and he smiled, nodding, “Let’s go.”
They went downstairs. At the same time, the kids were leaning on the door, trying to
listen in on the conversation. Alas, the door’s soundproofing system was too good for
them to even hear anything no matter what they did. A long while later, Nicole turned to
her brother, looking solemn. “Did they get into a fight, Nathan?”
The mention of a fight made Nathan frown. “Dunno, but we should stop making any
guesswork.”
“If they do get into a fight, should we still talk to Mr. Bane?”
Nathan gave it some thought. “I think we should. Mommy’s the one fighting with him,
not us.”
Nicole nodded, though she looked a little bemused.
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Chapter 233 UNCO
A Emotions
275
They came to the hospital, and Bane made his orders, asking Victoria if she liked the
food. Victoria answered patiently at first, but when he asked the same thing three times
in a row, she got impatient, and she frowned. “Alright, that’s enough. I don’t eat much
anyway.”
Bane froze for a moment, then he handed the menu back to the awkward waitress.
“That’s all for now.”
“Of course.”
Once the waitress was gone, Victoria looked at Bane and decided to cut to the chase,
but Bane whipped out another beautiful box and pushed it over to her. “The kids have
their presents, so this is yours.”
Victoria looked at the box and took it, then she opened it and revealed a beautiful
brooch inside. Judging from the color and design, it was the latest model, and it fit her
favorite coat perfectly. He spent so much time and effort just to pick a small gift. If I
refuse him, I might look like a villain.
But then she was reminded of the advice Summer gave her. No. I shouldn’t be
harboring any guilt. I don’t have any romantic feelings for him, so I should refuse him.
She forced a smile. “Nice brooch.”
Bane adjusted his glasses. “As long as you like it.”
“I do.” Victoria said, “The brooch, I mean. Not the giver.”
Bane was silent.
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“I like beautiful things, but that depends on who’s giving. Doesn’t mean I have to take
anything given to me by anyone.” Victoria put the brooch back in the box and pushed it
back. “Keep this for someone more deserving. And don’t waste your time on me. Thank
you for taking care of me all these years. Tell me if you need my help with anything. I’ll
be right there.”
“I do not buy anything wasteful.” Bane pursed his lips, a look of resignation flashing in
his eyes. “I only bought this because I wanted to give it to you. If you refuse, then the
brooch is nothing but trash.” Bane looked at the table. “You didn’t want me along while
you were picking your car out because of this?”
“No. I just didn’t want you to come with me.” Victoria stopped for a moment and coldly
said, “If you hadn’t come all the way to the kids’ school, I wouldn’t have let you take us
home, nor would I be talking to you right now. I’m… getting annoyed.”
Bane froze. “Annoyed?”
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“Yeah. I don’t like you, and I’ve made that clear, but you wouldn’t let me go. I get really annoyed because I have to spend so much time dealing with you every day, especially after I came back. I don’t have any more patience for this, so please stop wasting your time on me. Find someone else to annoy.”
A hint of darkness flashed in Bane’s eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and another voice in his head overlapped with Victoria’s.
“You’re annoying, you know that? Am I the only person in your whole life? Why do you
keep coming to me? Go to your father, you useless trash. Why’d you bring this to me?
You know why he treats me like garbage? Because you’re useless!”
It was a freezing night, and the boy was forced to kneel on the cold, hard ground as his
mother drenched him with a basin of cold water. The icy air seeped into his bones,
almost killing him. “I-I am sorry, M… Mother…”
The woman he called his mother tossed the basin away coldly and left him freezing in
the cold. The dark days of his past washed over him, drawing his soul. He bit his lip, and
his hands were clenched.
Victoria was oblivious to the change, however. She looked at the table and continued
coldly, “I made myself clear. Don’t waste your time on me ever again. Focus on your
own life.” She picked up her bag and left.
The waitress came in holding some tea. When she realized she was leaving, he said,
“Ma’am, your-”
“No, thank you.” She left the restaurant.
The waitress saw her off dumbly, then she turned her gaze to the man at the table. He
was silent, but the air around him felt… different after the woman was gone. It felt like
he was locking himself up in a prison of ice that kept everyone away from him. His face
was pale like he was triggered or something. Or perhaps a condition was acting up.
The waitress was scared, but she was more worried about what might happen if she
left this customer alone. In the end, she went ahead carefully. “A-Are you alright, sir?”
“P***s off!” The quiet man lashed out at the waitress, shoving her tray away.
The scalding tea splashed all over the waitress, and pain made her scream, then she
backed off. Everyone else in the restaurant turned their attention to the scene, and the
screams made Bane snap out of his stupor. He paused for a moment and calmed
down, then he helped the waitress up. “Sorry, I… wasn’t in a good headspace just now.
Are you alright? I’ll take you to the hospital.”