His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 184

Virginia froze, lifting her gaze to meet his.

Bathed in the pale moonlight, her delicate features held a breathtaking, ethereal beauty. The rose-colored silk slip dress she wore made her flawless skin look almost translucent.

Holding Cindy with one arm, he reached out with his free hand, wanting to pull her close. But the moment he saw the look in her eyes—so clear, so fiercely guarded, lined with a sheer wall of emotional distance—he stopped himself.

Archer's Adam's apple bobbed. "Chloe and I..."

Virginia's eyelashes fluttered. Her heart betrayed her, accelerating wildly against her ribs.

Just then, the phone in his pocket began to ring, violently shattering the tension.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings.

His brow furrowed sharply. He made no move to answer it.

By the fourth ring, Virginia took a deliberate half-step backward, her voice cool and composed. "Your phone."

His eyes darkened. Shifting Cindy's weight to his other arm, he finally pulled the device from his pocket.

The screen illuminated the dark space. The caller ID read: Madeline Caldwell.

The second Archer answered, Madeline's frantic, trembling voice blared through the speaker.

"Archer! It's Chloe, she had another breakdown. She slit her wrists! There's so much blood. We're at the hospital now... You need to get here right away!"

His expression froze instantly. A flash of agonizing conflict—one he couldn't even recognize himself—tore through his eyes.

He clenched his fist, his voice turning impossibly hoarse. "I'll be right there."

He hung up the phone. Before he could even formulate an excuse, Virginia reached out and took Cindy from his arms.

Archer stared deeply into her eyes for a long, heavy second. Then, he turned on his heel and strode away.

Virginia lowered her gaze, refusing to decipher the complicated emotions in his eyes, refusing to think about that half-second of hesitation before he got into his car.

She only knew one thing. At this hour, the only person in the world who could make him react with such raw panic was Chloe.

She tightened her hold on the sleeping child and turned toward the building entrance.

"Aunt Chloe is his wife." Her voice was feather-light, completely stripped of any emotion. "Aunt Chloe is his most important person."

Cindy was too young to fully grasp the weight of those words.

But she could feel her mother holding her a little too tightly. She could hear the subtle, fractured change in her mother's voice.

She buried her face deeper into Virginia's chest, obediently choosing not to ask any more questions.

Carrying her daughter, Virginia stepped into the elevator in total silence.

The polished steel doors perfectly reflected her face. Her lips were pressed into a bloodless line, the rims of her eyes burning bright red.

She squeezed her eyes shut, drawing in a long, shuddering breath. When she opened them again, she was back to being the invincible Virginia Caldwell—the woman who could survive anything.

Downtown, at a private hospital's VIP suite.

By the time Archer arrived, Chloe was propped up in the hospital bed, a thick layer of white gauze wrapped securely around her left wrist. Her face was ashen, her eyes swollen and red. She looked incredibly fragile and broken.

Madeline sat rigidly by the bed, her eyes bloodshot. The moment she saw Archer step into the room, she instantly stood up and surrendered her seat. "Archer, thank God you're here."