The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 117

Elias stirred the headache powder into some warm water and went back to the camp bed.

Victoria was still sleeping restlessly, her brow furrowed and her eyes tightly shut. Her eyelashes trembled, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, dampening her hair.

He leaned over and touched her forehead.

In just that short time, her temperature was already starting to climb again.

Elias's gaze deepened. In the past, when she had chased after him through wind and rain, he'd never seen her so much as catch a cold. When did she become so fragile?

He sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning against the wall. Balancing the cup in one hand, he drew her up against his chest with the other.

"Mmm..." Victoria murmured unconsciously, a sound like a kitten's mewl.

When it reached Elias's ears, something seemed to gently pluck at his heartstrings. He instinctively tightened his arm around her, letting her lean more comfortably against him.

He looked down, bringing the cup to her lips and tilting it slightly, letting the medicine trickle into her mouth.

Perhaps because the fever had left her parched, Victoria obediently opened her mouth at the touch of moisture. But after only two small sips, she turned her head away, refusing any more.

Seeing this, Elias, with uncharacteristic patience, coaxed her in a soft tone, as if speaking to a child, "Just a little more."

He brought the cup to her lips again.

Victoria pursed her lips and dodged it once more, her voice a soft, weak protest. "Bitter..."

Bitter?

Elias took a sip himself, and his brow furrowed instantly.

The dissolved powder was indeed quite bitter. But the two sips Victoria had taken were less than a tenth of the cup, not nearly enough to have any effect on her fever.

He never knew she was this delicate...

Elias's eyes darkened as he looked at her, and he suddenly remembered a night about six months after they were married. He had been drinking and got caught in the wind, waking up in the middle of the night with a headache and a low-grade fever.

Under the dim light of the bedside lamp, Victoria, wearing her pajamas, had fussed over him, first applying a cool, damp towel to his forehead, then mixing fever medicine for him. Worried it would be too bitter, she had tasted it first. He remembered how her face had scrunched up from the taste, but she hadn't complained. Instead, she had gotten a piece of candy and told him to eat it before drinking the medicine.

The truth was, the Victoria from before had always had her delicate side.

She had, after all, been the celebrated Miss Sanger, coddled and adored.It was only natural for her to be just as sensitive as any other spoiled rich girl.

But because she loved him, she had lost herself, forcing herself to become the poised, resilient Mrs. Shawn who never complained of pain or hardship.

At the thought, a suffocating tightness constricted Elias's chest, accompanied by a sharp, prickling pain.

He stood up and walked out of the room.

After a long while, he returned, a piece of candy in his hand.

Her thoughts slowly returned.

"Elias, how could you..."

Fuzzy images of her delirium flashed in her mind, especially the fiery kiss they had just shared. Her words trailed off.

She remembered now.

That kiss... she had initiated it.

Victoria looked down and saw her half-open shirt. Her breath caught in her throat. Her hands clenched as Elias's mocking words—"Victoria, you're so cheap"—seemed to echo in her ears. The color drained from her face.

"Just now, we—"

Lost in a wave of intense shame, Victoria didn't notice Elias watching her, taking in every flicker of emotion on her face.

They weren't even officially divorced, and she was already so unwilling to have any contact with him?

He suddenly recalled how she had tossed his jacket away without a second thought last night. Elias's expression turned icy. "You were feverish and couldn't drink the medicine. I was just feeding it to you. Don't overthink it."

Victoria's lips pressed into a thin line. She said nothing.

Just then, Mr. Jenkins's voice came from the doorway. "Mr. Shawn, the rescue team is here."