Chapter 10 After a long time , Victoria sighed inwardly . Keeping the truth from him will keep any awkward situations at bay . Moreover , we can think of our relationship as a transaction in which both parties benefit from . At that thought , she pushed away Alaric , who had leaned in too close for " her comfort . " It's not you for sure . " Then , he frowned upon hearing that . " What do you mean by that ? Is there someone else who knows you better than me ? Who is it ? " He didn't notice how worked up he was due to her words . On the other hand , Victoria said nothing in response . Seeing how she ignored him , Alaric grabbed her shoulders and questioned somewhat viciously , " Is it a man or a woman ? " He applied too much pressure on her , causing her to raise her brows and push him away . " It hurts . Don't touch me . " Afterward , Alaric let up on the pressure a bit , but he didn't give up on badgering Victoria . "If you don't want me to touch you , then be honest with me . Who knows you better than I do ? Also , what's up with that report ? " Under his persistent questioning , she responded , " Nobody . I'm the one who understands myself best . Don't put too much meaning in my words , alright ? Besides , I don't know what report you're referring to . Is it from the company or somewhere else ? If you want a response from me , you should be clear about it , don't you think ? " She took the initiative to express her doubts , causing him to narrow his eyes . There is something fishy about the way that she is reacting . " The maid claimed she found a piece of torn paper while picking up the trash . " A piece of torn paper ? Is the report a piece of torn paper ? Then , Victoria met Alaric's eyes calmly . " What report ? Where is it ? " " It was torn and was found in the room . Is it not yours ? " " A torn piece of paper ? Yeah , it's mino . " Following that , she avoided his gaze and redirected her attention to the laptop . " That's the report I got from the hospital . What's wrong with that ? " Suddenly , he locked his gaze on her . " What kind of report is it ? " Victoria was unwavering and answered , " My body checkup report . Is there a problem with that ? " However , her answer elicited a scoff from Alaric . " Do you think you can fool me ? Why would you tear the report ? " His tone was stern as he asked the question . Suddenly , he grasped her thin wrist and prodded , " Are you hiding something from me ? What kind of report is it ? " Then , he reasoned that her peculiar quirk must have something to do with the report . As he exerted even more pressure on her, her brows knitted as she explained softly , " I didn't tear it on purpose . The report was soaked in water due to the rain , and I could no longer read the words. That's why I threw it away . " " Why did you have to tear it before you threw it away , then ? " Alaric was still dwelling on it. Obviously, he would keep pestering Victoria if she couldn't convince him with a reasonable excuse . Then , when she looked into his eyes , she noticed how dark and gloomy they were . After a sigh , she said , " Have you ever considered that I might not have torn it ? " " What ? " " It was raining heavily that day , and when I took the report out , it was already in a soggy state , and some pieces of paper even got stuck on my clothes . I could only take them off one by one . " Alaric was taken aback by Victoria's statement as he imagined the possible scene . The downpour was so intense that it drenched her completely . Hence , it was only natural that the paper had become soggy . She had no choice but to toss it in the laundry basket with the rest of her dirty clothes , but by the time the maids came to clean it up , the paper had dried out and appeared to be torn . After careful consideration , he decided that her words did not sound suspicious . Feeling the force on her shoulders loosen , Victoria assumed Alaric was Chap 6 Abortion is the Only Way convinced by her statomont . Dospito her rollef , she decided to put everything on the line to dispel any remaining doubts he had about her pregnancy . At that thought , she looked at him and uttered tentatively , " Why are you panicking ? Are you worried that it might have been a pregnancy report ? " At first , he had planned to deny it , but hearing her last question , he felt his chest tighten . When he glanced at her , he tried to suppress his emotions . His glance prompted her to raise her brows . " What's with that expression ? Are you afraid that my pregnancy might affect you and Claudia's relationship ? " " Are you pregnant ? " Alaric squinted his eyes in skepticism . Victoria shrugged . " No , or I would have shown you the report . As childhood friends , I suppose you'll compensate me a fair amount if I go for an abortion , won't you ?" However , her nonchalant tone and indifferent attitude made his expression change slightly . " What did you say ? Are you going for an abortion ? " On the other hand , his last sentence made her heart skip a beat . " I'm speaking hypothetically only . " As if trying to go against Victoria , Alaric questioned , " What if it's not ? " " What do you mean if it's not ? " She frowned slightly . Then , he narrowed his eyes as he looked at her , obsidian orbs carrying incomprehensible emotions . " Suppose you are pregnant ; would you undergo an abortion ? " She nodded subconsciously and lowered her head . " Yeah , maybe. " Nonetheless , she didn't notice how his expression turned dark when she blurted her answer . Alaric was annoyed by Victoria's indifference , and he felt something churning in his chest as anxiety surrounded him densely . Then , Victoria continued , " What will happen to you and Claudia if I don't abort the child ? " What will happen to Claudia and me ? Her question was like having a bucket of ice water dumped on him , causing him to snap out of his stupor and get his bearings . The woman before him had fair skin and bright red lips ; her features were dimensional and delicate , even without makeup . She had such a captivating appearance that it was hard to take one's eyes off her for even a moment . After a moment of observing Victoria , Alaric withdrew the emotion from his eyes , stood up , and had since calmed down . He suggested , with a cold voice that sounded entirely different from before , " You don't have to go to the company today . Take a good rest . " Soon , he turned and left the bedroom with a cold expression . Yes , she's right . Even if she ever gets pregnant , she will be forced to abort . the child . I simply could not , and would never , let Claudia down . Back then , Alaric stumbled and fell into the river . The flow of water was so rapid that even a person who could swim wouldn't have been able to escape death , let alone jump down to save others . He was having trouble breathing after taking several mouthfuls of river Chapte 10 Abortion is the Only Way water , his limbs fell heavy , and he was on the verge of losing consciousness , When he was on the verge of giving up , he saw a slender figure recklessly diving down and swimming towards him at a rapid pos Unfortunately , he had lost consciousness before she could swim up to him , Later , he awoke to find himself in the hospital , and it was only then that he learned Claudia had been hurt while rescuing him . Her hands were even wounded by the stones at the bottom of the river . When he visited her , she was sitting on the edge of the bed with a pale face and gauze wrapped around her treated wound . At the sight of him , she hopped off the bed and staggered toward him to ask if he was alright . From then on , Alaric was determined to treat Claudia well . He would make her his wife so long as she was willing to marry him . Since she had risked her life for him , he had to repay her kindness ,