Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Sudden Attack
Matthias stared at his blood-stained palms and his body slowly collapsed onto the asphalt due to the large amount of blood flowing from his stomach.
Meanwhile, Victoria screamed as she stared at her husband, who had been stabbed suddenly, until her vision became increasingly blurry. She panicked, looking around, but couldn’t see the suspicious person trying to kill her husband. Then, she looked back at her husband, called an ambulance, and held back the blood that continued to flow from his stomach.
"Matthias, I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have taken you shopping today."
Matthias continued to endure the pain so his wife wouldn’t worry too much. His right thumb gently brushed her eyelid. "Don’t apologize to me."
"You have to hold on, Matthias! I’ve called an ambulance to take you to the hospital. Please, don’t leave me!"
However, due to the excessive blood loss, Matthias couldn’t hold on for long. He slowly closed his eyes, and his hand slipped limply from the grip of the woman he loved.
Victoria continued to sob throughout the journey to the hospital. She had lost her father, and now she feared losing someone special in her life. Everyone close to her was constantly in danger. Why was Fransisca so determined to make her live alone? Was it really so enjoyable to make her sad and alone all the time?
Upon arrival at the hospital, Matthias was immediately operated on. Fortunately, the stab wound wasn’t too severe, so Matthias was expected to regain consciousness in about an hour or two. Matthias was then allowed to move to an executive room. However, Victoria still couldn’t breathe easily due to her intense fear of losing her husband. If the killer had stabbed Matthias in a vital area, it was highly unlikely that his life would have been saved.
She was disgusted to see everyone close to her hurt because of her. Should she have let Fransisca down now? Was today’s incident an act of revenge by Fransisca for Matthias’s daring to deceive her yesterday?
Her sobs intensified, adding to the solemn atmosphere in the room. Her trembling right hand held her husband’s hand and kissed the back of it for several seconds. An hour had passed, and she was growing increasingly anxious that her husband wouldn’t return to her.
"Tory..."
Victoria slowly raised her head, staring at her beloved husband with wide eyes. "Matty, I—"
Matthias spontaneously hugged his wife tightly. He rhythmically patted her back to calm her, who continued to cry. Hearing her cries broke his heart. However, he didn’t want to show his anxiety, which could worsen the situation.
"I’m fine now. I promised you before, I wouldn’t leave you."
"I’m scared, Matthias. If you leave me, I’ll have no one to defend me. I just want you to be my life partner."
"Are you not interested in Ansel anymore?"
Victoria broke the hug for a moment, hitting him on the shoulder. "So, you like me dating him?"
"No, I mean–"
"Okay, I’ll ask him out today so you’ll learn your lesson and won’t say anything stupid again."
Matthias hugged his wife tightly again. "I won’t let you belong to another man. I love seeing you smile because of me. Even when we were gardening earlier, I really enjoyed it, even though we weren’t on a date outside."
"I also like seeing you being mischievous like that. But, I don’t like seeing you get hurt either."
"Actually, none of this is your fault. Don’t keep blaming yourself. I hear you keep apologizing to me."
Victoria lowered her head for a moment. "So it’s safe to say you’ve been conscious for a while."
"I didn’t do it on purpose to eavesdrop. But, I wanted you to vent all the pent-up anxiety you’ve been holding inside. I know you don’t want to show it to me openly." His right hand pinched his wife’s cheek. "I know all too well your pretentious personality."
"I’m embarrassed to tell you directly."
"But I heard everything from the beginning."
"Anyway, I don’t want to be separated from you anymore. You have to be hospitalized for two weeks!"
Matthias rolled his eyes. "Two weeks? I think that’s too long! I’m fine now. I’m not in any pain anymore."
"Still, I’m worried about your condition. Especially since the last time I saw you, you lost a lot of blood."
"I still have to leave the hospital. What about all my work?"
Victoria took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "Okay, promise me. You have to bring Marcel with you whenever you go somewhere."
"I would rather have you be my personal bodyguard."
Victoria had already suspected her husband wanted to pamper him. Of course, she didn’t want to turn down this offer. Her cheeks grew hot at the thought of spending every day with him.
"I want to too. I actually wanted to be your assistant. I have to apologize to Marcel for stealing you from him."
"Then, I want to accompany you to work in your office too."
"No need. You should focus on your health. I want you to not work too hard."
"Don’t worry, for the sake of us being able to fight Fransisca, I will definitely recover quickly."
"But, we don’t have any evidence to prove that Fransisca is the main criminal." Victoria snapped her fingers for a moment. "Looks like I’ll have to do this tomorrow."
*****
The next day, Victoria returned to work at her office, albeit only for half a day. She had to take care of her husband in the hospital. However, before that, she wanted to confront Fransisca, who had been trying to ruin their marriage. Without thinking, she barged into the CEO’s office with a furious expression.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Fransisca said arrogantly, staring at the document.
Victoria folded her arms. "I want to get straight to the point. I won’t let you hurt Matthias! How dare you attack him yesterday!"
Fransisca lifted the corners of her lips as she glared at her stepsister. "Do you have any proof?"
"I don’t have any proof. But I will prove that you are the mastermind behind this strange incident! If you dare touch her again, I will not hesitate to forgive you!"