Victoria was drinking her tea when Conrad stumbled into the Manor. She had opened her mouth to insult him and send him packing but stopped when she saw him. He was in autopilot, his gaze not focusing on anything. His nose was pink and his mouth was slightly ajar. She called his name, but he didn't seem to hear her. She jumped up, hurrying to his side.

"Conrad? What is it? Are you alright?" Her questions were greeted by silence, only worrying her more. She placed her hand on his chest.

"My father is dead." Conrad finally said. She could hear the tremors in his voice. His eyes started to fill with tears as he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before walking up the stairs.

She waited until she heard his bedroom door close before she gasped. She was struggling to catch her breath in the room the suddenly seemed to spin. The tears fell freely, making her hair stick to the side of the face. She didn't bother trying to fix anything.

Growing up without a father, Victoria had immediately taken to Edward. Conrad had spent his whole life trying to make his father proud and while Victoria earned approval from Edward, Conrad had always been jealous. He hated that in his fathers eyes, the best thing Conrad had ever done was convince Victoria to marry him. And once the marriage crumbled, Conrad grew bitter over the situation.

Victoria braced herself as she made her way towards Conrad's room. Despite their history together, she had never seen Conrad the way he looked earlier. If that was his attempt at maintaining control she shuddered to think of how he would react now.

She found him sitting on the foot of the bed with his head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Conrad." She whispered. She knelt down in front of him, running a hand through his hair. He grunted but didn't say anything. He didn't even look her direction.

Conrad was seething mad but didn't fully understand why. He had longed for his wife's attention but was now infuriated by it. He was supposed to take care of Victoria and the opposite was happening. He couldn't control his temper enough to stop himself. Instead, he jumped up and grabbed Victoria by her hair, pushing her until her back crashed into the wall. She gasped, but made no attempt to break free.

"The only thing my father ever admired about me was you. And I couldn't even do that properly," he chuckled.

Although it hurt how tightly he pulled her hair, Victoria was accepting of his condition. She was guilty of slapping him in the heat of the moment and was prepared to face his fury, but she doubted that it would go that far. She knew that he just needed to let off some steam. More than anything she just wanted to be there for him; to fix him.

"Conrad-"

"I don't want to hear it!" He yelled, lifting his hand towards her throat. He caught a glimpse of the fear in her eyes and all the anger faded.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed over and over as he collapsed onto the floor. Instinctively, she sat down next to him, cradling him in her arms.

"I should have tried harder for us. He didn't want us to split up."

" I'm right here. I'm still here." She rocked him gently as she repeated it over and over, hoping her declaration would sink in.