The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge

Victoria drifted through her days in the house Stein had bought for her, time blurring together in a haze. She barely noticed the weeks passing until her physician finally declared her fully recovered, assuring her she'd be able to return to normal life in just a few more days.

Of everyone involved in that terrible, orchestrated car crash-Marcus, Victoria, and Max-it was Max who'd been hurt the worst. Victoria had managed to get in touch with Marcus; he'd already been discharged from the hospital for some time. Max, though, had been unconscious for over two weeks before he finally woke up. Thankfully, none of them had suffered any life-threatening injuries.

"Where's Max now? I'd like to see him," Victoria said. She couldn't get the kid off her mind.

She hadn't told Marcus about Teague rescuing her that night. Instead, she'd simply said her injuries weren't serious and that she'd been released from the hospital after just a few days. That was enough to ease Marcus's guilt-if anything had happened to Victoria, he would have blamed himself forever.

Victoria was just about to visit Max when Yasmine showed up, a folder in hand.

"Ms. Turner, Xenia wanted me to pass along a message from Haley. She asked that you pick this up from Langford Mansion, but I brought it instead." Yasmine's voice trembled as she handed Victoria the documents.

Victoria glanced down and saw the words "Divorce Agreement" printed on the front. Yasmine's eyes grew red and misty. Mr. Langford had really gone through with it—signing divorce papers when Ms. Turner needed comfort the most.

Yasmine couldn't bring herself to look at Victoria's face. The truth was, Victoria had been expecting this day for a long time.

"Could you take me to the hospital?" Victoria asked, tossing the agreement into her nightstand drawer without another thought.

From that moment on, she and McNeil were nothing more than Gwyneth's parents. Whatever had once been between them was now over, for good.

Victoria brought a box of homemade pastries with her to visit Max. Marcus was sitting at his bedside, but when he saw Victoria, he quickly stood up.

"Miss Fannie," Marcus greeted her.

Victoria paused, caught off guard by the name, and then remembered the fake name she'd given him. She answered a little awkwardly, "Yes, that's me."

Max, looking pale but alert, had lost a lot of weight but otherwise seemed to be recovering well. Victoria, by contrast, looked healthier than ever after being cared for by Stein-much better than she ever had during her time with McNeil.

Seeing Victoria safe and sound, Marcus finally relaxed. "Miss Fannie, will you play games with me?" Max asked, his voice hopeful.

Victoria couldn't help but laugh. "Once you're out of the hospital, I promise we'll team up and win some matches."

Marcus's face was etched with guilt. "This is all my fault. You almost got hurt because of me."

Victoria shook her head. "It's not your fault."

She hesitated. "What happened to your car?"

Marcus sighed. “It's probably totaled."

Teague had caused them so much trouble, but Marcus had heard that Teague's grandfather had given him a serious whipping-so much so that Teague couldn't get out of bed for a week. Marcus didn't feel the slightest bit sorry for him. If Teague's grandfather hadn't dealt with him, the consequences Teague would have faced next would have been far worse.

Victoria fell silent, deep in thought. Marcus studied her for a moment. "You... can you really fix it?"noveldrama

After visiting Max, Victoria left the hospital. She was walking down the corridor when she suddenly came face-to-face with McNeil and Violet.

Violet looked far from pleased. No matter where she went, it seemed, Victoria was always lurking in the background. She'd heard from Gwyneth that Victoria had been off the radar for a while. Violet suspected Victoria was up to her usual tricks, probably trying to get McNeil's attention again.

And sure enough, during the days Victoria had been gone, McNeil had seemed distracted-sometimes in the middle of a conversation with Violet, he'd suddenly

fall silent.

Victoria walked toward them calmly. Violet tightened her grip on McNeil's arm, her chin lifted in defiance. No matter what games Victoria played, she'd never come between Violet and McNeil.

McNeil saw Victoria, too. His face gave nothing away, not a flicker of emotion. The two of them, once husband and wife, now passed each other in the hallway like strangers-neither one seeing the other anymore.