THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.-Chapter 323
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Lisa didn't speak. Neither did anyone else. Even Victoria, who had stood so confidently just minutes ago, now looked like she had seen a ghost. Her hands trembled. Her lips parted slightly as if to say something—but no words came out.
And then, a strange, subtle sound broke the stillness in her mind.
It was Cora, her eyes were wide—far too wide. Her breathing shallow, and her lips trembling as she slowly turned toward her father, who was still kneeling in quiet shame. Then her gaze moved to the others Abigail father. Her brother.
All kneeling. All silent.
Her legs nearly gave out beneath her.
Her heart started pounding in her chest. The realization settled in her like a boulder, heavy and suffocating.
It was because of her, everything was because of her.
She, Cora, the woman she used to mock—the quiet one, the overlooked one—was now the center of this storm.
The reason behind their fear, the force that made grown men fall to their knees. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Her hands trembled as she lifted them slightly, not knowing what to do with them. And then, slowly, her lips parted and a voice escaped her throat— it was weak, shaky, but laced with disbelief.
"Hold on a minute," she said, barely above a whisper.
Then she took a step forward, her voice louder now, but still quivering as the truth clawed its way out of her chest.
"Don't tell me… all of this is because of that lady called Cora."
At that moment, seeing what just happened and knowing fully well that there was just one condition, one situation, one escape route out of all of this. However, Victoria wasn't even sure if she was going to take that escape route. It is disrespectful, it is embarrassing—it simply means that ever since she was born, ever since she opened her eyes into this world as the pampered daughter of Mr. Jackson, this would be the first time she would kneel. The first time she'd ever beg for her life. Not just her life, but her parents' too.
Her heart was beating so fast, it felt like drums in her chest. Her mouth became dry and her pride something she had always carried like a crown—now weighed on her neck like chains. She swallowed hard as she slowly looked at the scene in front of her again.
Her father was still on his knees. Her brother, silent and trembling beside him. And Benedict… that proud, loud Benedict was still on the floor, hands together like someone praying for salvation. All because of Cora.
Cora. A name Victoria once believed she could erase with a single snap of her fingers. A name she used to mock, to insult, to step on. A name that now had the entire room on its knees.
She gritted her teeth. Her eyes welled up but she blinked back the tears. This couldn't be real. No… it couldn't. How could someone like Cora have so much power? What did she do? Who was backing her?
She slowly looked toward Cora again, and the mysterious man beside her silent, calm, like someone watching ants struggle in the rain. He hadn't said a single word, yet it felt like he had already spoken volumes. There was something terrifying about his presence. His silence made everything worse.
Victoria's legs trembled, and for the first time in her life, she didn't know what to do. If she doesn't kneel now, her entire family would suffer. She had no doubt about that anymore. The warning from Benedict's uncle, the fear in her father's eyes, the way her brother kept avoiding eye contact all pointed to one thing: they had messed with the wrong people.
But to kneel… to beg… in front of Cora? Her lips quivered.
Her voice cracked as she whispered to herself, "This can't be happening…"
But it was, It was happening—right in front of her.
At that moment, with a defeated and shaking voice, Victoria turned slowly to Benedict. Her face was pale, her brows pulled together in disbelief, and her voice cracked like glass under pressure.
"I wasn't… I wasn't expecting what you just did," she said softly, almost like a whisper that still carried all the weight of betrayal.
Her eyes, once sharp and proud, now glistened with a kind of pain that words couldn't describe. She took a slow step forward, still staring at Benedict as if her mind was begging for a different answer than the one her heart had already accepted. "How… how could you betray me like this?" Her voice broke again. "What have I not done for you? What has Victoria not done for you, Benedict?"
She took another shaky breath, her lips trembling now. "Why today, of all days? Why now, in front of all these people? In this situation where everything is falling apart?" Her tone shifted from broken to bitter. "I thought if there was one person who would stand beside me, it would be you. I thought you would man up… fight… defend me like you always promised. But now? Now you're even pointing fingers at me. You're accusing me? You—of all people!"
But before she could say more, Benedict spun around, his jaw tightened, his voice cold and firm. "Enough, Victoria. Keep your mouth shut."
His words hit her like a slap, and everyone in the room froze. Victoria stood there, stunned, her chest rising and falling in short, shallow breaths.
"Haven't you seen the handwriting on the wall?" Benedict snapped. "You still don't get it, do you? You think this is the time to argue with me? You think this is still about loyalty?" He took a step toward her, his expression hardening. "I'm done extending words with you. I'm done backing you."
He paused, drawing a slow breath, and his next words were deliberate, loud, and final. "Since you have refused to do the needful… since you would rather hold onto your pride than survive… then I have nothing more to say to you."
Everyone could feel the silence crackling like firewood in a pit.
"This—" Benedict raised his hand and pointed firmly at the floor between them, "—is me declaring that I have absolutely nothing to do with you anymore. I'm disassociating myself from you, Victoria."
