Chapter 736
Suddenly, Edward squeezed my fingers, a spark of excitement in his eyes. “Victoria, the way you see things is a lot like me. You’re not one to just go along with the crowd.”
I blinked in surprise. I was just speaking up for women, never thought Edward would actually respect me for it.
Guess this is what they call a happy accident—doing something without meaning to, and it turns out better than expected.
“So, all that stuff online has been wiped clean. Is there any chance your dad or Ryan saw it before it was deleted?” I asked, a little curious.
Edward stayed calm. “Are you really that worried they might see it?”
“I’m not worried about Ryan, it’s your dad I’m worried about. What if he gets upset…” I hesitated, not sure how to finish.
Edward reached over and gently brushed my hair aside. “Relax, I already talked to him. He said I’m free to choose who I want to be with, whether it’s marriage or just dating. He’s fine with it.”
“Just because he agreed doesn’t mean it’s all fine,” I said with a wry smile. “I mean, I was with Ryan before.”
Edward let out a soft snort. “He had a wife and still basically forced my mom to marry him. If we’re talking morals, he’s really got no leg to stand on.”
I stared at him, a bit shaken. His expression turned grim—he was obviously not happy about what his dad had done.
“Oh!” I said. “Yeah, when you put it that way, it’s true.”
Edward reached out and patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Times have changed. My dad’s in his seventies now. Even if he wanted to stop us, he doesn’t have the energy for it.”
My heart tightened. ‘Is Edward just using me to challenge his dad’s authority?’ I wondered.
“Edward, did you get together with me on purpose?” The thought hit me, and I blurted it out without thinking.
Edward looked at me, surprised. “Why would you think that?”
I stared straight into his eyes, my voice steady. “Because deep down, you want to see if you’ve really broken free from your father’s control. And I’m the one you’re using to test it.”
“Victoria, I…” Edward looked genuinely stunned, his brows drawn tight in shock.
“Pull over!” I snapped, suddenly hit by the gut-wrenching feeling that I was just being used. Anger surged through me.
Edward grabbed my arm, sounding desperate. “No, Victoria, that’s not it—I swear I’m not using you…”
“Just pull over. Now,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.
The driver hesitated, glancing back at Edward, clearly unsure who to obey.
Panic flickered in Edward’s eyes as he clung to my arm, his grip getting tighter by the second.
The driver finally pulled over. I ignored the anxious look on Edward’s face as he tried to say something, my voice cold. “Let go of me.”
Edward reluctantly let go, his brows furrowed with worry. “Victoria, please, just hear me out…”
“Don’t bother explaining. Since I already guessed it, there’s nothing left to say,” I muttered, feeling suffocated inside. Suddenly, I hated that I’d gotten so smart—if I’d stayed naive like in my previous life, maybe things with Edward wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Edward looked like he wanted to say more, but I didn’t want to hear it anymore. I hailed a cab and got in without looking back.
The cabbie probably saw me getting out of a Bentley, and now that same white Bentley was following us really close.
He shot me a playful look in the rearview mirror. “Trouble with your husband?”
“Uh-huh,” I replied, not feeling like explaining. I just gave him an address.
The only place I could really hide from Edward was at Sally’s house.
Just as I expected, the moment Yvonne came running out of the villa to greet me, that white Bentley behind us spun around and left.
I knelt down and hugged Yvonne, glancing back at the white car as it faded away down the road. My heart was a mess I couldn’t even put into words.