The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 148

Genevieve pressed her lips together and continued to act. "Elias, you shouldn't say that… It really was my fault. I heard Grandpa Shawn was unwell, so I brought some gifts to visit him. I didn't expect Victoria to be here today. She got upset when she saw me and insisted on leaving. Grandpa Shawn couldn't convince her to stay, no matter how hard he tried."

"In the end, Grandpa Shawn had no choice but to ask me to come back another time."

The more Elias listened, the tighter his brow furrowed, his expression growing darker.

Genevieve carefully watched his face as she went on. "I can understand how Victoria feels. After all, she used to love you so much. Now that you're getting a divorce, seeing me by your side must be hard for her."

"It's just…"

Two tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks. She looked at Victoria with red-rimmed eyes. "I just don't know what I did wrong. If you didn't want to see me, I would have left. Why did you have to throw out the gifts I brought for Grandpa Shawn and then stop me here just to yell at me?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes, realizing she'd underestimated Genevieve's talent for making things up out of nothing.

Elias saw Victoria's impassive expression and asked in a low voice, "Victoria, is what Gen said true?"

Victoria looked at him and was struck by the sudden realization that she had lost all desire to explain herself. The old her would have frantically tried to tell Elias her side of the story, desperate to clear up any misunderstanding, terrified of leaving a single stain on her image in his mind. But now, she just didn't care.

You can't get through to someone who's determined not to listen. If someone has never believed you, they're not going to start just because you explain yourself.

"If you've already decided it's true, Mr. Shawn, why bother asking me?" Victoria's heart was unusually calm. Her tone was flat, devoid of disappointment or sadness.

With that, she pressed the elevator button and stepped into the car she had originally been waiting for.

Elias watched her with a cold stare until the elevator doors slowly slid shut, obscuring her face from his view.

For some reason, the image of her calm, detached expression lingered in his mind.

His chest felt strangely hollow, as if something were missing and the emptiness itself ached.

Elias's eyes darkened, his face a mask of frustration.

Victoria was gone. Even though Elias was right beside her, Genevieve could feel that his heart had left with Victoria.

Genevieve bit her lip and looked at him with soulful eyes. "Elias…"

"Hawk, take Gen to get an X-ray to make sure she isn't injured," Elias ordered coldly. Then he turned to Genevieve. "Gen, I have something to take care of at the office. I'm leaving now."

Without waiting for her to respond, Elias handed her over to Hawk and strode into the other elevator.

"Elias!" Genevieve tried to follow him, to demand an explanation, but he had already pressed the close button. The doors shut completely when she was just a step away.

Genevieve stared at the closed elevator doors, her eyes red and filled with a bitter jealousy. She couldn't understand what had gone wrong.

***

She had tried to explain, but he had reflexively chosen not to believe her.

As he thought about it, his mind drifted back to the hospital just now, to the way Victoria had faced him without offering a single word of defense. The hollow feeling in his chest grew stronger.

A short, sharp honk from the car behind him snapped him out of it. He realized the light had turned green. Pushing his thoughts aside, he stepped on the gas and drove off.

***

Instead of going to the office, Elias drove back to The Imperial Crest Estates.

He unlocked the door with his fingerprint and stepped inside.

"Meow~"

A small black furball poked its head out from under the shoe cabinet. Its glossy eyes studied him for a moment before it seemed to recognize him and trotted over to rub against his leg.

Elias picked it up by the scruff of its neck.

He hadn't been back in a month, and the palm-sized stray had grown quite a bit.

"At least you have more of a conscience than she does."