The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 258

Victoria looked into Tobias's deep eyes, sensing what he was about to say.

She shot to her feet, avoiding his gaze.

"Tobias, I'm sorry, I... I just remembered I haven't fed Dawn yet."

With that, Victoria turned to leave.

Tobias's expression darkened. He stood up at the same time and grabbed her wrist.

Victoria stopped, forcing a stiff smile. "Tobias, Dawn gets grumpy when she's hungry. I—"

"You know what I'm about to say, don't you?" Tobias interrupted her.

She fell silent.

Tobias wasn't holding her tightly, so she easily pulled her hand away.

When she didn't answer, his gaze dimmed. He opened his mouth to speak. "Victoria..."

Victoria closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, it was as if she had made a decision. She turned to face him squarely.

"Tobias, right now, all I want is to find out what happened before my brother died. I want to find the evidence and personally send his killer to prison. Beyond that, I don't have, and I can't afford to have any other thoughts," she said, her voice firm and her words deliberate. "I'm sorry."

A long moment passed.

Tobias let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh.

Then, his expression softened as he looked at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Tobias, I..."

"I know. You don't have to explain." Tobias took a deep breath and raised his hand, resting his palm on her head, just like he used to when she was a child. "That was impulsive of me. I forgot what you're going through right now."

Cutting ties with a twelve-year crush, Grady Sanger's death, Garnett Sanger's release from prison, Tamara Prescott's suicide, the storm of public opinion online...

Elias's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

Seeing that he wasn't taking it, Tobias prompted him, "Mr. Shawn. Your water."

Elias's face darkened. "Dr. Holt, I'm a patient."

"Don't worry, Mr. Shawn. You're burning up, and cold water helps bring the core temperature down," Tobias explained tonelessly, pushing the bottle closer to Elias.

Elias's temple throbbed. He looked directly at Victoria, his voice sharp. "I don't drink ice water. Victoria, get me a glass of warm water."

Tobias frowned. "Mr. Shawn, Victoria is not your maid. And you're divorced. You have no right to order her around."

Elias's eyes turned menacing.

Tobias met his gaze without backing down.

The tension between them was electric, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still, the air crackling with unspoken hostility.