Chapter 2
536 Words
By the time the ambulance arrived, Marcus was in so much pain that he could no longer form complete words.
He lay facedown on the stretcher, drenched in cold sweat. He kept mumbling through clenched teeth, "Sophie... Is Sophie all right?"
At those words, Sophie finally burst into tears. She rushed to the stretcher, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"I'm fine. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have stood there."
She had cried the same way in my previous life.
Back then, she had lain in a hospital bed, sobbing that she didn't want to live. Everyone in the family had rushed to comfort her.
Not one of them had asked whether it hurt when Marcus kicked me hard enough to break my ribs.
My mom hurried toward Sophie, ready to pull her into her arms. Then she saw Marcus's ashen face on the stretcher, and her hands froze in midair.
In the end, she left Sophie standing there and turned back to Marcus.
She pleaded with the doctor through her tears. "How is my son? Can you save his legs? Please, he's my only son!"
The doctor frowned. "We can't tell yet. We need to get him to the hospital immediately."
My dad's face darkened.
Marcus was the Bennett family's only son. He had always been smart, good-looking, and naturally gifted at business. Within 2 years of joining the company, he had already closed several major deals.
My parents had decided to name him heir to Bennett Group.
As for me, they said I had come home too late, had barely had any schooling, and would only cause trouble if I joined the Group.
Sophie wasn't their biological daughter, but she knew exactly how to win them over. She was sweet, affectionate, and had won several dance competitions. She was the Bennett family's pampered princess.
I was the only one who never truly belonged.
As the ambulance doors were about to close, Sophie tried to climb inside.
My mom suddenly reached out and blocked her. The gesture was slight, but Sophie froze.
She stared at my mom in disbelief. "Mom?"
My mom acted as if she hadn't heard. She climbed into the ambulance beside Marcus's stretcher, and my dad followed.
I stepped back to make room and put a tremor in my voice. "Sophie, get that cut on your forehead treated first. Mom, Dad, and I will go with Marcus."
Sophie's face drained of color. Her lips moved as if she wanted to insist on coming, but the ambulance doors had already shut.
As the ambulance pulled away, Sophie chased it for a few steps, stumbled, and fell onto the paving stones outside the construction site.
The business partners nearby began whispering among themselves.
"Marcus was incredibly brave. He nearly got himself killed saving Sophie."
"That girl was partly to blame too. Everyone else knew to move. Why did she just stand there?"
"She isn't even their biological daughter. Of course it's different."
Sophie heard every word. She looked up at me, her face tight with panic and hurt.
I took her hand and sighed softly.
"Don't worry, Sophie. Marcus adores you. He'd never blame you."
The rest of the family might be another story.
- Writer
