Chapter 2

"Eight months," Victoria's voice was calm.

Charles lifted his eyes, his expression betraying no flicker of emotion. "That's convenient. Our prenuptial agreement states that the marriage will automatically dissolve after one year, which is right after the child is born."

So, he remembered it all so clearly.

"Fine," Victoria said, looking up at him. The throbbing pain in her wrist sharpened her senses. "We don't have to wait a year. We can handle the paperwork now."

"No." He refused instantly, his brow furrowing out of habit. "We'll follow the agreement as it's written. I don't want any unnecessary complications."

Complications? Was he afraid she would change her mind? The last vestige of warmth in her chest turned to ice. She was about to speak when the doorbell rang.

Lynn went to open it with a cheerful skip in her step, revealing Charles's parents standing on the threshold.

"Dad, Mom! What are you doing here?" Charles sounded surprised.

Victoria, however, was not. It was Tuesday. Ever since she was five months pregnant, Charles's parents, Mason Smith and Rhea Brown, had made a habit of visiting every Tuesday. Charles was rarely home to know it.

"To see my grandson, of course!" Rhea's gaze swept past everyone, landing directly on Victoria's belly. 

She walked over and patted Victoria's arm with a sincerity that felt thin and brittle. "Victoria, you must be careful. These last two months are the most critical. Nothing can happen to my grandson."

Mason nodded in agreement, his words concise. "Make sure you take care of the child."

From beginning to end, not a single person asked how she was. Not a single person noticed the gauze wrapped around her wrist.

Lynn took the bags from them and, glancing at Victoria, remarked with feigned casualness, "Mom, Dad, your timing is perfect. I was just about to tell Charles, Victoria is so precious now, she doesn't do a thing around the house. She just lies down the moment she gets home. That can't be good for her or the baby."

At this, Rhea's eyes, filled with disapproval, raked over Victoria. "How can that be? A bit of activity is necessary. In our day, we were still working the day before we gave birth."

A surge of anger rushed to Victoria's head. She had been at the airport all day, coordinating flights, handling luggage, and dealing with emergencies, all while eight months pregnant and walking no less than twenty thousand steps. And that was called "not being active"?

Her mouth opened. She wanted to tell them she had been in a car accident today. She wanted to tell them her wrist had been stitched up. She wanted to tell them her workload was already far beyond excessive.

But Charles spoke first, in his usual tone of an unassailable conclusion, "Lynn is right. Victoria, you can't be so lazy. Doing nothing all day is bad for your health."

Lazy?

The word, coming from his lips, sent a sudden chill through her heart. He worked at the same airport; could he truly not see how busy she was every single day? She looked at him, her gaze turning cold.

His brow only furrowed deeper in displeasure. "Remember this. From now on, handle your own things. A little movement will be good for the delivery."

Her chest felt tight, as if something heavy was pressing down on it.

Lynn shook the bag Rhea had brought, her voice taking on a wheedling tone. "Mom, I was just craving some fresh-squeezed orange juice for vitamin C, and you brought oranges. What a coincidence."

Rhea smiled and nodded, then turned to Victoria with practiced ease. "Victoria, why don't you take a few oranges and juice them for everyone?"

Victoria stood frozen, a tightening cramp seizing her abdomen. The wound beneath the gauze on her wrist began to sting.

"What are you standing there for?" Charles's voice deepened with a note of impatience. "Go make the juice. Don't keep everyone waiting."

In that instant, the sheer absurdity of it all struck Victoria as almost laughable. Arguing? Protesting? It was all meaningless. She picked up the bag and turned silently toward the kitchen.

As she fed the oranges into the juicer, the mechanical hum filled her ears, drowning out the murmur of conversation from the living room. In that room, Charles leaned back into the sofa, his face impassive as he listened to his parents.

"Even though Victoria isn't a good match for you in any respect, you can't divorce her the moment the baby is born," Rhea stated firmly. 

"What would our relatives, friends, and neighbors say about the Smith family? That we couldn't even tolerate our daughter-in-law after our grandson was born? Your father's oldest clients value a reputation for family harmony above all else."

Mason nodded, picking up the thread. "Charles, you've cultivated an excellent image as a captain, with a clean family background. News of a broken marriage at this time, especially right after the child's birth, won't do your professional reputation any good. The company will re-evaluate your public image. The risk to your reputation is something we have to consider."

After a brief silence, Charles made the most efficient decision. "I understand. We'll delay the divorce."

When Victoria returned to the living room with the orange juice, Charles was on the balcony, taking a call. He was leaning against the wall with a rare, relaxed posture, the lines of his profile softened and gentle in the dimming light. The wind drifted in, and she could even hear the indulgent tone in his voice. "If you like it, buy it. I'll send you the money."

Her hands, holding the tray, tightened slightly, as if something had pierced through the calloused numbness around her heart. So, he wasn't incapable of gentleness, nor was he incapable of indulgence. It was just that his tenderness was never meant for her.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Rhea's dissatisfied voice broke through Victoria's trance.

She turned to look at Rhea, who was observing her with a gaze full of criticism. "Victoria, it's not my place to say, but look at you. You have no vitality at all. Men are visual creatures, especially a man like Charles. There are plenty of temptations out there for him. If you don't even know how to present yourself, how can you expect to keep his heart?"

Once, those words would have been enough to make Victoria shrink with shame, to keep her awake all night. But now, touching her own rough fingers, a sliver of clarity bloomed within her.

"You're right, Mom," Victoria said, her voice even.

Rhea paused, taken aback.

"I should make some changes," Victoria continued, her tone soft but certain.

But not to capture anyone's heart. Only for herself.

About half an hour later, Mason and Rhea left, and the house fell quiet once more. It was getting late, and Charles headed straight for the master bedroom. 

Victoria turned toward the guest room. They had always slept in separate rooms. Standing at the guest room door, she watched the master bedroom door close, her eyes hardening for a moment before she entered her own room and locked the door behind her.

The night passed without a word.

The next morning, when Victoria woke up, Charles was already gone. She changed into comfortable clothes and left the house, heading directly to Lincoln's airline headquarters.

Just as she stepped into the office area, an alarm blared. "Tower calling! B-3471 reports a single-engine failure. Requesting activation of emergency protocol for support!"

Victoria's eyes narrowed. This was bad.

Just then, Lincoln rushed over to her. "Victoria? You're here. Perfect!" He spoke rapidly, gesturing for her to follow him while continuing to give instructions into his phone.

They entered an emergency command center filled with monitors and communication equipment, a room where they could hear the direct feed between the flight crew and the tower.

"Current altitude three thousand. Restart attempt failed. Right engine parameters continue to deteriorate. Eighty-seven passengers and five crew members on board..." The captain's voice crackled through the speakers, punctuated by the faint sound of alarms and passenger unrest in the background.

Lincoln's gaze swept across the screens, his brow deeply furrowed. He suddenly turned to Victoria, his eyes sharp. "Victoria, do you remember what to do in a situation like this?"