Chapter 5
1278 Words
Although the meal had gone cold, Sophia forced herself to finish every last bite, desperate for news about her mother. As she placed the empty container down, she clutched her aching stomach and looked up at Tobias.
"Can you tell me now?"
Tobias studied her for a moment, then turned and headed for the door. "Let’s go."
Sophia hurried after him as he drove her to the hospital. The moment they arrived, she bolted towards Violet’s room, but her mother’s bed was empty.
Confused, she spun around. "Where’s my mom?"
"In the isolation unit," Tobias replied. "The surgery was this morning—successful."
"Where’s the isolation room?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Without a word, Tobias led her down the hallway to the isolation ward. Through the window, she saw Violet lying peacefully, an oxygen mask over her face.
Sophia raised her hand, wanting to touch her, but all she felt was the cold glass.
"Mom..." Her voice cracked as she broke down in tears, unable to hold back her emotions.
"What are you crying for?" Tobias said coolly. "If you’ve seen enough, let’s go."
Sophia turned, tears still streaming down her face. "I want to stay with her."
His eyes narrowed. "Don’t forget—you belong to me now."
"Last night... wasn’t it enough?" she asked quietly.
Tobias let out a cold laugh. "You think one night is enough? You’re not worth that much."
Humiliation and sorrow washed over Sophia as she lowered her head. After a long pause, she whispered, "But my mother needs someone to take care of her."
"I’ve hired the best nurse for her," he replied dismissively.
"But..." she started.
"There is no 'but,'" Tobias cut her off sharply. "One more word and I’ll have them cut off her oxygen and dump her in the trash. Let’s see how long she lasts then."
Sophia glared at him, hatred burning in her eyes.
He smirked. "Hate me all you want, but don’t forget—I’m the one who saved her."
With no choice, Sophia bit back her anger, casting a last, lingering glance at her mother before reluctantly following Tobias out of the hospital.
After driving in silence for a while, Tobias pulled up in front of a high-end restaurant.
"Get out and wait for me by the entrance," he said. "I’ll park the car."
Sophia hesitated for a second before nodding. "Okay."
He reached out, lifting her chin with a firm hand. "Don’t even think about running, understood?"
"Yes," she whispered. How did he always know what she was thinking?
He scoffed and let go of her. "Get out."
Sophia slowly stepped out of the car, standing by the restaurant's wall as she watched Tobias drive off to park. Her eyes drifted to the wide road ahead, and the thought of running away surged through her once more. How could she be here, about to dine at a fancy restaurant, when her mother was lying in a hospital bed? The guilt gnawed at her.
Just then, a familiar car pulled up, catching her attention. She instinctively walked closer.
The car stopped in front of her, and two women stepped out before it drove off to find parking.
"Looks like Dad finally pulled through that financial crisis," Catherine said, turning toward her companion.
"Let’s go buy those Cartier earrings later."
As she turned, she collided with Sophia. "Watch where you’re going! Oh—Sophia?" she snapped, recognizing her.
"What are you doing here?" Vivienne, the other woman, added with disgust.
Sophia stared at them, feeling a bitter taste rise in her throat. These were her father’s new wife and daughter, the ones living the life that should have belonged to her and her mother.
"Is your mom dead yet?" Catherine asked, her voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. "What are you doing here?" Her gaze swept over Sophia, and she suddenly paused, eyes narrowing as she reached out to lift Sophia’s chin.
Sophia slapped her hand away, fury flashing in her eyes.
Catherine let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, what’s this? A love bite? Aren’t you still in high school? Already getting involved with someone, huh? And it looks like things are getting pretty heated."
Sophia’s face turned pale, and she instinctively raised her hand to cover the mark on her neck.
"What’s the point of hiding it now?" Vivienne sneered. "If you’re bold enough to do it, you should be bold enough to admit it."
Seeing the guilt written all over Sophia’s face, Catherine smirked, suddenly struck by an idea. "Wait… You’re not selling yourself, are you?"
"Shut up!" Sophia shouted, her voice trembling with anger.
Catherine flinched but quickly regained her composure. "Oh, what’s this? You’re getting mad now? Did I hit a nerve?"
Vivienne shook her head in disbelief. "Selling yourself? You’re such a disgrace to our father."
Shame and fury surged through Sophia. Without thinking, she lunged at them. "Shut up, both of you! You’re nothing but homewreckers!"
"Who are you calling a homewrecker?" Catherine and Vivienne shouted back, furious. Together, they shoved her to the ground.
Sophia fell with a thud, pain shooting through her as she landed. Looking up, she heard a familiar voice.
"What’s going on here? Get inside, now."
Dorian, her father, was walking over. When his eyes landed on Sophia, his expression faltered. "What are you doing here?"
Sophia looked up at him and let out a bitter laugh. "Why shouldn’t I be here?" She stared at the man who had once been her father, the same man who had thrown her into this nightmare just the night before.
Dorian’s face went pale, then red, as guilt washed over him. He couldn’t meet her gaze, his eyes darting elsewhere.
"Can we stop wasting time? I’m starving," Catherine grumbled, pulling Dorian toward the restaurant.
Sophia lay on the ground, watching their feet pass by her, and for a brief moment, she imagined grabbing a sharp knife and ending this once and for all.
Suddenly, she screamed, "Dorian!"
Her father froze, turning back to look at her. She had called him by his name, not "Dad," not "Father." Just "Dorian."
Her voice trembled as she asked, "Am I still your daughter?"
Dorian’s face went ghostly white.
"Why are you just standing there?" Catherine snapped, dragging him inside.
Sophia watched as he walked away, tears blurring her vision. Her chest ached, and her heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Suddenly, a pair of gold high heels appeared in front of her. Sophia looked up, only to meet Vivienne’s cold, arrogant expression.
"Why don’t you just die already? You and your mother." Vivienne sneered, then lifted her foot and stomped down on Sophia’s hand with her heel.
"Ahh!" Sophia screamed in agony, rolling on the ground as Vivienne sauntered off, not even bothering to look back.
The pain shot through her entire body, leaving her shaking uncontrollably. Passersby began to gather, murmuring amongst themselves as they watched her suffer.
"What are you all looking at?" Tobias’s sharp voice cut through the crowd as he returned. His eyes swept over the onlookers, cold and threatening. "If you’re not going to help, then get out of the way."
Startled by his commanding presence, the crowd quickly dispersed.
He walked over to Sophia, kneeling down beside her. His eyes fell on her swollen, scraped hand. "Who did this?"
Sophia collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. The pain and humiliation were too much, and she could barely hear what he was saying.
"Who. Did. This?" Tobias asked again, his voice darkening.
"It was... Vivienne," she choked out between sobs.
"Vivienne?" Tobias's eyes hardened. "Good. She’ll regret ever laying a finger on you."
- Writer
