Departure with a Belly (Alaric and Victoria) novel Chapter 58

Chapter 58 

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Victoria instinctively looked up and glanced at him after hearing what he 

said. She felt rather self–conscious when she gazed directly into his deep, 

dark eyes–she felt as if he could read her mind then. She hastily looked 

away before responding in a nonchalant tone. “Yeah.” 

1/9 

“Is that so?” Alaric narrowed his eyes before looking at the area under her 

eyes, which she tried to cover up with her glasses. “Why do you have dark 

circles, then?” Alaric seemed to realize something the moment he finished 

his sentence. “That explains why you’re wearing your glasses today.” 

Victoria didn’t know what to say. She pulled her hand away before 

shooting him a disdainful look. “I’m done cleaning up for you, but you have 

a cut on your lip. You should get some medication for it later. Come on, 

let’s go look for Grandma.” Victoria turned to walk after finishing her 

sentence, while Alaric hesitated for a while more before going after her. 

“You have bloodshot eyes, which shows that your eyes are tired. Did you 

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Chapter 58 That’s Enough, Alaric 

not sleep last night?” he asked. Victoria finally turned around to snap at 

him. “That’s enough, Alaric.” Then, she hastened her footsteps, her high 

heels clicking on the ground. 

2/9 

After speaking to the doctor, they found out that Griselda fainted because 

she had been too anxious. Her vital signs were all fine, and she didn’t show 

any other significant problems after arriving at the hospital. The three of 

them heaved sighs of relief after hearing the news. Thankfully, she only 

fainted because she was nervous! I’m glad there’s no other issue, Victoria 

thought. 

“I wouldn’t recommend for her to get surgery with the current mental state 

that she’s in,” the doctor uttered with a frown. “Mental illnesses can lead to 

more severe problems as well. She’s physically prepared for the surgery, 

but her weak mental state might lead to other issues,” the doctor advised. 

“What should we do now, then? Do you have any ways to fix this, Doctor?” 

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Chapter 58 That’s Enough, Alaric 

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her down for now, but we may also need her family to be around for some 

counseling sessions with a psychologist,” the doctor said. Victoria 

understood the situation then–Griselda’s issue was still more of a 

psychological one than a physical one. Victoria pressed her red lips. 

together to form a glum look on her face. 

3/9 

Alaric walked over to give her a hug. “We understand. We’ll do our best to 

support her treatment. We’ll excuse ourselves for now,” he said in a calm 

voice. “Sure. You guys should pay Old Mrs. Cadogan a visit now,” the 

doctor replied. Alaric led Victoria–who felt like she was floating around in 

a daydream–out of the office and toward Griselda’s ward. 

There were two nurses keeping watch in Griselda’s ward, and they got to 

their feet to greet Victoria and Alaric when they walked in. “Old Mrs. 

Cadogan is still asleep for now, but she’s doing fine. You guys don’t have 

to worry,” one of the nurses said. 

Victoria nodded with a heavy feeling in her chest. “Thanks. We can keep an 

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Chapter 58 That’s Enough, Alaric 

eye on her now, so you guys can go on with your other jobs,” Victoria 

offered. Then, she took a seat by the side of Griselda’s bed. Her 

movements were gentle and careful, and she seemed as light as a 

feather even when she sat down on the chair. She didn’t make any noise 

at all. 

4/9 

Griselda, who was still fast asleep, had a peaceful look on her face. She 

still had the same elegant aura despite all the time she spent in the 

nursing home. One could tell that she was a special lady even just by 

looking at the way she lay silently on the bed. Both Victoria and Alaric were 

silent as they stayed in the room. 

Nearly half an hour had passed when the sound of a phone ringing filled 

the air. Victoria instinctively glanced in Alaric’s direction, and he hastily 

pulled his phone out to put it on silent. Since both Alaric and Victoria were 

sitting by the old lady’s bed, Victoria was close enough to see the caller ID 

on Alaric’s phone–it was a call from Claudia. Victoria met Alaric’s gaze for 

a moment before she looked away. “You should go out to pick up the call,” 

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Chapter 58 That’s Enough, Alaric 

she whispered. 

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5/9 

Alaric was silent for a while before he walked out to pick up the call. After 

he went out, a rather disheartened look flashed in Victoria’s gaze. Why is 

Claudia calling him at this time? Did he tell her that we’re getting a divorce 

today? Is Claudia calling to ask if we’ve successfully gotten a divorce? 

Meanwhile, Alaric made sure to walk a distance away from the room 

before he picked up Claudia’s call. “Al?” Claudia’s voice came from the 

other end of the line. Even though Alaric wasn’t in a good mood, he still 

tried his best to sound pleasant. “Yeah. Why are you up so early?” 

Claudia sounded worried. “I’ve been awake for a while, actually. I didn’t get 

much sleep last night as I was worried about Old Mrs. Cadogan. How is 

she now? Al, I know this might not be a good time to make such a request, 

but I’m really worried about Old Mrs. Cadogan, so… Can I drop by to visit 

her? Don’t worry–I’ll make sure that she doesn’t see me. I’ll just stay 

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outside, and I’ll leave when she wakes up. I won’t go in at all,” Claudia 

uttered. 

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6/9 

Alaric raised his eyebrow when he heard how meek she sounded. She was 

his savior, and she didn’t deserve such treatment. Alaric was tempted to 

agree to the suggestion, but he eventually decided against it when he 

considered Griselda’s condition. “Grandma hasn’t gone for the surgery, 

Claudia.” 

Claudia paused for a while after hearing his words. “Is that so? Was the 

surgery delayed, or…?” 

“Yeah. The surgery was delayed because Grandma got too nervous and 

fainted.” Alaric glanced in the direction of his grandmother’s room as he 

spoke. “The surgery will be delayed for quite a while.” 

“What? It’s… It’s going to be delayed?” Claudia froze as she glanced at the 

red wine and steak that she had prepared. She had even placed some 

scented candles on the table. She hadn’t expected such a situation to 

Chapter 58 That’s Enough, Alaric 

arise at this point.