"Victoria's examination will take some time. Stay with her for now—I'll return later," Alexander murmured, checking his watch with a distracted air.

Nathan, never one to hold back, let out a derisive chuckle. "Alex, we both know exactly why Victoria is in this state. You swore to me you'd protect her, and look where that's gotten us. Now, with her fighting for her life, you're running off to have lunch with Amy?"

Alexander's gaze snapped to Nathan, his eyes darkening with warning.

Nathan exhaled, softening his tone. "Alex, if it weren't for Victoria pulling me out of that fire years ago, I wouldn’t be standing here. She loves you, and I stepped aside because of that."

He hesitated, memories flashing through his mind. "When Margaret disapproved of your relationship and you ended things, I didn’t blame you. All I want now is for Victoria to spend whatever time she has left without regrets."

Nathan and Alexander had been inseparable since childhood, bound by more than friendship—Nathan had once thrown himself into danger to save Alexander, nearly paying with his life. Victoria had been the one to drag him from the flames.

Despite his own feelings for her, Nathan had chosen to support her happiness with Alexander. He understood why Alexander had married Amy, given the circumstances with their son. But now, with Victoria’s condition worsening, the thought of Alexander abandoning her was unbearable.

By two in the afternoon, Alexander still hadn’t appeared.

Amy, never one to wait indefinitely, dialed his number. To her surprise, the call was answered—not by Alexander, but by Nathan.

"Amy," Nathan drawled, smugness dripping from his voice, "you can stop waiting. Alex is with Victoria, and he won’t be meeting you today."

Amy sighed, her suspicions confirmed. "You two planned this, didn’t you?"

Nathan laughed, unbothered. "Obviously! You thought you could steal him away today, didn’t you? Well, I made sure that won’t happen. Does it piss you off, Amy? Good. I love watching you squirm."

Even through the phone, Amy could picture his self-satisfied smirk. She shook her head, exasperated by his childishness.

"Do you even know why I wanted to meet Alexander?" she asked, amused by his ignorance.

Nathan scoffed. "Why should I care? All that matters is that Alex isn’t leaving Victoria today, so give it up!"

Amy had never met anyone as clueless as Nathan. If Victoria knew the truth, she’d probably throttle him herself.

Suppressing her irritation, Amy steadied herself. Arguing with someone like Nathan was pointless. "Nathan, I wanted to meet Alexander to discuss—"

Before she could finish, the line went dead.

She stared at her phone in disbelief before trying to call back—only to find the number unreachable. Taking a deep breath, she realized she’d have to confront Alexander in person at the hospital.

Amy had already made her decision. If Alexander agreed to a divorce, she’d walk away without a fight—no conditions, no bitterness. A clean break was better than a miserable marriage.

But if he refused… she was ready to fight for what was rightfully hers.