The Man I Loved Married My Worst Enemy

Chapter 4 A Cruel Gesture

Sophie woke to Adrian's furious voice echoing through the villa as he berated the servants of Aurora Island.

"How could you let my wife go to the hospital alone? Something happened to her and none of you were there to protect her!"

The servants stood in a rigid line, hardly daring to breathe.

"Mrs. Kingsley said she was only going for a checkup and told us not to follow..."

When Sophie opened her eyes, Adrian immediately strode to the bedside and helped her sit up gently, concern written all over his face. "Sophie, are you alright? I had no idea those people would behave so wildly."

Sophie quietly avoided his touch.

The irony of it all made her chest ache. It was his silence that had led to her being hurt. It was also him who had shaken off her hand when she begged for help.

And now he stood here pretending to care.

"You should go take care of Veronica instead," she said calmly.

Before Adrian could reply, the bedroom door suddenly burst open.

Veronica walked in holding a bowl of hot soup, her expression full of guilt. "This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, Sophie, you wouldn't have been surrounded by my fans." Her voice trembled slightly. "Adrian brought me here to Aurora Island so the two of us could reconcile. I made this soup myself. You should drink it while it's hot."

Adrian quickly took the bowl from her hands. "You're not well yourself. Leave things like this to the servants," he said with gentle concern.

Veronica bit her lip. "This is something I should do. There has always been tension between Sophie and me. I just want to explain things and make peace."

Sophie struggled to suppress the urge to wipe that hypocritical look off her face.

"What is there to explain?" she said coldly. "That you didn't humiliate me enough? Or how you forced me to humiliate myself in front of everyone?"

"That's enough!" Adrian snapped impatiently. His expression darkened as he looked at Sophie. "Can you be a little kinder? Veronica, the victim, has already come here to apologize. What more do you want?"

He let out a short, irritated laugh. "I never realized you could be this petty. Whether you agree or not, I brought Veronica here so the two of you can repair your relationship. If you refuse to drink this soup, she'll feel terrible."

With a subtle glance from Adrian, the two servants behind him stepped forward.

Before Sophie could react, they forced the hot soup into her mouth.

The liquid was scalding. Pain shot through her throat as it burned, leaving blisters behind.

Sophie's fingers trembled slightly. Adrian... how could he do this?

Bringing the person she hated most onto Aurora Island was humiliation enough.

Yet simply because he didn't want Veronica to feel upset, he forced Sophie to drink something she clearly refused.

But it didn't take long for Sophie to understand why Adrian had insisted she drink that soup.

That night, not long after she fell asleep, the sharp c***k of a whip jolted her awake.

Through the dim moonlight spilling into the room, she saw Adrian standing with a black leather whip in his hand.

Veronica knelt on the floor, barely clothed, crawling toward him as the whip struck her again and again. Each blow drew a soft cry from her lips—half in pain, half in pleasure.

Adrian seemed unable to resist her any longer. He grabbed her and pushed her onto the bed.

By chance, Veronica's gaze met Sophie's across the dim room.

There was no surprise in her eyes.

Instead, she wrapped her arms around Adrian's neck and asked between breathless gasps, "Sophie... she won't wake up, right?"

Adrian's voice was low and rough with desire. "You slipped sleeping pills into her soup right in front of me. Wasn't the whole point for her to stay asleep so things would be more exciting? Why pretend now?"

Sophie felt as if something inside her chest had been stabbed.

She bit down on her lip until it bled. The blisters in her mouth burst, filling her mouth with the taste of blood.

So that was the truth.

From beginning to end, she had only been part of their twisted game.

She didn't know how long the bed creaked before their movements finally stopped. Eventually the faint rustle of their footsteps faded into the distance.

Only then did the tears Sophie had forced herself to hold back slowly slide down her face. Adrian... from this moment on, I won't love you anymore.