The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 157

Before she could finish, a figure on the sofa caught her eye.

Victoria froze, staring at the man, momentarily forgetting how to react.

Hearing her voice, Dawn left Elias's side and trotted over to her, letting out a soft "meow."

She had thought Elias was long gone.

Maybe she was imagining it, but every ache in her body suddenly felt sharper. Victoria pressed her lips together and glanced at Dawn's food bowl. It was filled to the brim with kibble.

And…

From the time she had spent with Dawn, she knew the cat wasn't friendly with everyone. When Sunny had come over once to pick up some files, Dawn had hidden under the sofa and refused to come out.

But this same shy cat had just been rubbing against Elias's hand.

That meant Dawn knew him.

Victoria's thoughts raced. She turned back to Elias, her voice hoarse. "That night… you were the one who brought her to my door, weren't you?"

When Victoria didn't pet her as usual, Dawn stood up and tentatively pawed at her leg.

Victoria was only wearing a thin house dress. Though Dawn's claws weren't sharp, they still stung, leaving faint red marks on her fair skin.

Elias's eyes darkened. He stood up, grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck, and lifted it.

"I was."

His confirmation made Victoria's heart sink. Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists. "Why?"

Elias looked at the wriggling cat in his hand. "I got bored of it."

"Meow!" Dawn cried out as if understanding his disdain.

Watching the cat struggle, Victoria was suddenly struck by an image of herself the night before—resisting, yet powerless.

For a moment, she saw her own reflection in Dawn.

And she thought she understood why Elias had left the cat with her.

Because…

He found her boring, too.

In his eyes, she was no different from this cat—a disposable object.

She opened her mouth, but it felt as if something was lodged in her throat, and no words came out.

Elias closed the distance between them and grabbed her jaw, his voice a low growl. "Speak!"

Victoria's pupils trembled, her heart pounding. The images of last night, of being forced to submit, flooded her mind. Her face went pale, and she jerked her head away, her voice firm and resolute.

"Yes!"

"Elias, we are about to be divorced. I am no longer Mrs. Shawn, and I will no longer fulfill my duties as your wife!"

"Go to Genevieve. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that the outcome you wanted all along?"

"You have a chance to fix the mistake from two years ago. Why wouldn't you take it? Let me go, so we can both get back on the right track."

Elias stared at her coldly, as if trying to read something in her eyes.

But after a long moment, he found nothing. No emotion at all.

He suddenly realized that when she looked at him—

The love was gone.