Chapter 12
1362 Words
Olivia furrowed her brows, “Are you afraid he’ll kick you out once he regains his memory?”
“Kick me out?” Sophie laughed sarcastically, “I think he’ll want to kill me.”
Because she gave birth to a child he despised.
“No way, you gave him such a cute baby. Even if you didn’t deserve credit, you at least deserve sympathy.”
Sophie smiled but said nothing.
She felt a bit twisted, watching Alex cuddle Teddy, kiss him, and lift him high, yet feeling an odd sense of satisfaction.
Olivia extinguished her cigarette. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved with Alex in the first place. The upper class isn’t that easy to climb into.”
“You’re so beautiful, and with your prestigious university degree, if you try hard, you might achieve something...”
Effort?
Sophie asked herself.
Wasn’t she already trying hard enough?
But did effort really matter?
Dark memories flooded back like a tidal wave.
Her mother disappeared shortly after giving birth to her, and her father, in search of her mother, left her with her uncle and aunt when she was just a few months old.
In the years that followed, her father worked outside the village while searching for her mother, sending money back regularly but never returning.
From childhood onward, she was mocked by the villagers as an orphan with no parents.
Until, at the age of seven, she received the devastating news that her father had died in a workplace accident.
She had completely become an orphan, with no one left to rely on.
Her uncle and aunt not only embezzled her father’s death benefits of over 50,000 $ but also abused her.
In that dark, damp shack.
She never had a proper meal but was constantly overworked.
Her aunt’s pinching and cursing, her uncle’s violence when drunk, and her cousin’s cold, disgusting gaze.
Gradually, her psyche began to twist.
She became cunning, learned to lie, and knew how to speak differently to different people. Even when her aunt cursed at her, she could still smile and greet her.
Sometimes she despised herself, but there was no other way to survive.
At that time, she believed that knowledge could change her fate and that studying hard could help her escape her suffering.
However, after she was admitted to a prestigious high school, her uncle and aunt refused to give her a single penny, forcing her to drop out.
She refused to give in, continuing her studies while using her free time to collect and sell scrap materials.
With some capital, she started reselling items from outside the school to the boarding students.
Her life improved, and her grades remained at the top of the class.
Until she was seventeen.
During a school break, she overheard her uncle and aunt discussing how to drug her and sell her to an old bachelor in the mountains.
At that moment, her blood ran cold, and she felt a chill throughout her body.
She considered reporting it to the police, but quickly dismissed the idea.
Without concrete evidence, even if she reported it, the police would only give a verbal warning, and she would still be sent back.
In that case, her situation would be dire—she would be beaten and scolded, and might even be locked up, making it impossible to escape.
After a internal struggle, she chose to run away from home early.
The next morning, she stole the packet of medicine that was meant for her, secretly put it in the food, and successfully drugged the entire family unconscious.
Then she took all the cash from “home” and fled to an unfamiliar city.
She began to struggle to make a living in the big city.
Unfortunately, fate seemed to enjoy tormenting her.
Every time she finally saw a glimmer of hope, fate dealt her a heavy blow.
Here, she experienced deception, betrayal, and faced various forms of scorn and defamation.
She gradually realized that having beauty but no ability to protect oneself was also a kind of sin.
This wasn’t something that could be solved by mere effort.
Later, through Olivia, she bought an identity from the black market, changed her name to Sophie, and even altered her age to be three years older.
This identity, even if someone were to investigate deeply, would only reveal flawlessly forged personal records.
From then on, she comfortably assumed the role of a wealthy second-generation expat with a degree from a prestigious university.
She began her ventures.
Although Alex wasn’t her first target, he was her first man.
Sophie admitted her values were skewed and she was vain, but so what?
She had indeed used cunning and lies to make her life better and better.
A few years ago, she never would have imagined she could be connected to a wealthy family like the Whitmores.
“Xuanxuan?” Olivia waved her hand in front of her. “Why are you spacing out? Are you drunk?”
“I’m not drunk.” Sophie downed the drink in her hand and continued the conversation.
“There are no ‘what ifs.’ Even if time could be reversed, I would still choose this path.”
Because Teddy was the ray of sunshine in her life, the choice she least regretted.
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Sophie returned home.
As she passed the children’s room, the door was ajar, and laughter drifted out from inside.
She paused, peering through the c***k in the door.
Alex held Teddy in his arms, whispering something in his ear.
Teddy, wearing his pajamas, excitedly waved a brand-new toy airplane.
Lily sat on Teddy’s other side, holding a piece of cake to his mouth.
“Teddy~, take another bite.”
Teddy obediently took a bite, then wriggled out of his father’s arms and ran off holding the airplane model.
“The plane is going to fly!”
In the cozy children’s room, the three of them were together, looking like a family of three.
Sophie stared at the cake in Lily’s hand, her delicate eyebrows rising in anger.
It was almost bedtime, and these two were feeding the child cake.
She pushed open the door and walked in.
Teddy heard the sound, looked over, and saw his mother, his eyes lighting up.
“Mom!”
Sophie quickly changed her expression, crouched down to catch her son as he ran toward her, and said softly, “Baby, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“Dad and Aunt Lily played with me and bought me toys. Mom, look.”
He excitedly showed off the airplane in his hand.
This children’s room is filled with toys, and they are all quite expensive.
Sophie didn’t expect that a simple airplane model would win over the little guy.
“Oh, son, how easy you are to please!”
She gently stroked her son’s head. “Did you say thank you to Aunt Lily?”
“I said thank you.”
“Hmm, you’re such a good boy.”
“Hehe.” Teddy looked proud.
Sophie picked up her son and looked at Alex, “Honey, I’m so happy to see you getting along so well with Teddy.”
“But Teddy is still young, so he should eat fewer snacks like cake, especially before bedtime.”
Her voice was soft, her eyes filled with laughter, and she didn’t mean to scold him at all.
Alex was taken aback, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about it that much.”
Sophie walked over to him with her son in her arms and smiled.
“No need to apologize. You’re just getting used to being a dad, so it’s natural to make mistakes, but you’re doing great.”
She looked down at her son in her arms, “Teddy, do you want Mom and Dad to tell you a bedtime story together?”
Teddy’s eyes lit up, “Yes!”
Sophie raised her eyes and looked at Alex with a gentle gaze, “Honey, it’s getting late. Let’s go back to our room and rest early.”
Alex nodded, “Okay.”
Lily was completely ignored, her nails digging deeply into her palm.
- Writer
