The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge

Chapter 504

Ailie glanced from Victoria to McNeil, lying motionless in the hospital bed. "Vicky

Victoria's expression remained calm, with not a trace of blame for Ailie.

"I'm divorced from him. But he's still the father of my three kids."

Ailie's frustration flared. "So what, you plan to stay single forever? Just hang around him for life?"

Victoria shook her head. "It's not about hanging around. After the divorce, I never planned to remarry. Honestly, I'm fine on my own. You know me-I'm not the kind of woman who needs a man as some kind of accessory."

She meant every word.

She'd married McNeil out of love, given up every passion she had and thrown herself into the fire, only to end up burned to ashes.

She'd had Gwyneth for love, too. As for Chris and Celia, she simply couldn't abandon her own children. She'd brought them into the world-there was no way she could ever destroy them.

That's just a mother's instinct.

Ailie had never experienced that head-over-heels kind of love, never loved anyone so deeply it left a mark. She didn't understand.

too well. And maybe that's why, now, she seemed so at

shy away from the pain McNeil's accident brought her. That pain was part of her—part of being a woman who'd loved. But after everything he'd done, the pain didn't even cut that

me. I'm not staying single

she almost wished McNeil hadn't made it out of

honest with me-if McNeil wakes up and asks you to take him

answer. Ailie looked like she could bash her head against

it. Don't tell me. I don't

feeling a tangle of emotions and, for once, unable to find the right words to comfort her

another chance suddenly seemed beside the point. She wasn't even sure he'd wake

sure she even knew how to love anymore. McNeil could choose to keep sleeping, never to wake. But

had two little ones who needed her-two little mouths to feed, two

"McNeil-"

the first time since the divorce, she looked at him without bitterness, without anger,

deep, aching emptiness, as if a piece of her chest

They'd become so deeply ingrained in each other' lives, so tangled in each other's habits, that it

connection-something far more complicated than love -was what left them

would always be