Chapter 215: Won't Stand in the Way of the Divorce

Chapter 215: Won't Stand in the Way of the Divorce

Dylan refused to see Zachary again, and ultimately, Zachary had no choice but to leave.

After he was gone, Dylan let out a heavy sigh and said to Sophia, "Sophia, come here. I need to talk to you."

Sophia pressed her lips together, her heart sinking slightly.

She quietly approached him. "What is it, Grandpa?"

Dylan sighed, taking Sophia's hand in his. His authoritative expression seemed to age before her eyes, and his voice carried a note of shame. "When you wanted to divorce before, I kept standing in your way, trying to get you to give Zachary another chance."

Sophia shook her head. "This is between us. You don't need to—"

"Let me finish."

He waved his hand and continued, "I always thought that since you two grew up together, there must be some feelings between you. I wanted you to be together because I thought he would take care of you, and I believed that since you knew him better than anyone, you two were the perfect match."

"Who would have thought I was only hurting you."

He spoke with self-reproach. "From now on, whatever you want to do, I'll support you completely. I won't stand in the way of your decisions anymore."

Sophia's eyes moistened slightly, her vision blurring. Her voice carried guilt as she said, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

He patted the back of Sophia's hand, and both fell silent for a moment. Though no words were spoken, the hospital room was filled with unspoken comfort and blessing.

From now on, he only hoped Sophia could live in peace and happiness.

Before long, Dylan's energy was spent, and he began to drift off to sleep again.

Sophia dimmed one of the lights, leaving only the warm glow of the bedside lamp, and said to him, "Please rest easy. I'll stay here with you tonight. If you feel any discomfort, you must tell me immediately."

He shook his head and soon fell into peaceful sleep.

Sophia couldn't find sleep herself. After quietly organizing her thoughts in the darkness, she wrapped herself in a coat and tiptoed out of the room.

Thinking back to several years ago, when she had just started living abroad with the children—

Back then, she had shouldered the financial burden for all three of them alone, yet Sophia had never felt sorry for herself.

But today, having someone care for and protect her somehow made waves of grievance wash over her.

She smiled bitterly at her own weakness, exhaled a weary breath, and made up her mind while gazing at the moonlight streaming through the hallway windows.

A sudden movement caught her eye—a dark figure lurking not far behind her made Sophia jump.

She let out a quiet gasp.

Zachary emerged from the shadows, his eyes harboring emotions too complex to decipher, fixed intently on Sophia.

Neither spoke as they stared at each other, the mere step between them feeling like an unbridgeable chasm.

Sophia silently turned away, ignoring him as she started to leave.

Zachary suddenly reached out to grasp Sophia's arm, but the moment she caught sight of his approach in her peripheral vision, she became alert and quickly stepped back, avoiding his touch.

Her wariness toward him resembled that of a stranger.

The cold hostility in her eyes seemed to pierce through him.

Zachary's palm tightened as he withdrew his hand, glancing down at Sophia's thin clothing before deliberately stepping back. "Come talk with me."

She hesitated for a moment, distrust evident in her expression.

Eventually, she followed Zachary to the corner of the hallway, where he subtly positioned himself at the windward side, blocking the cold breeze from reaching Sophia.

"What is it?" Sophia had no patience.

He paused, maintaining a steady tone as he tried to explain. "About today—it really was a misunderstanding. I have the right to let you know what actually happened."

Her expression turned cold, and the calm she had barely managed to achieve instantly dissolved into irritation.

She said impatiently to Zachary, "If you're worried that I'll use this against you in the divorce to create an unfavorable situation for you, then you can rest easy. I only want a divorce—I'm not after your money."

A vein in Zachary's forehead throbbed visibly as he said through gritted teeth, "I never thought you would scheme against me. This is a misunderstanding that we need to resolve together. It has nothing to do with the company."

Sophia refused to cooperate. "Then there's nothing to discuss. After our divorce, you won't need to explain anything to me anyway."

"You—"

He felt utterly drained, saying bitterly, "I don't know why these rumors suddenly started, and I don't understand how you can be so certain that something happened. When I left last night, you knew exactly where I was going."

Sophia let out a cold laugh. "I wasn't the only one who knew. The children did too. When you committed this shameful act, you didn't consider their feelings for even a moment. Do you still think there's some misunderstanding between us?"

"The children?" Zachary frowned. "What do you mean? What about the children?"

She looked at Zachary with icy, mocking eyes. "The children watched you leave with their own eyes, then saw news of your affair first thing the next morning. Do you think their hearts wouldn't be hurt?"

It was precisely because this incident had caused the children so much pain.

That's why, in Sophia's eyes, there was no longer any room for redemption. Continuing to drag this out would only hurt the children's already fragile hearts.

She said coldly, "If you truly care about the children at all, then sign the divorce papers quickly and never appear in front of them again."

Sophia no longer wanted to hear Zachary's so-called explanations about misunderstandings.

She had seen it with her own eyes, plus Paula's provocations and the photos of them leaving the hotel together the next day.

There was nothing more to discuss.

After speaking, she turned to leave.

Zachary reached out again to grab Sophia's wrist, his tone gentle but particularly firm as he said in a low voice, "I don't want to be misunderstood, so whether you believe it or not, I can tell you that everything about last night was a misunderstanding."

"Last night, I received a call from Paula claiming she was hurt, so I rushed over. Nothing else happened."

Nothing else happened? Then what had she seen last night? What were those marks on Paula's body?

Sophia's lips curved into a cold smile, the arc holding no trace of amusement—only pure mockery.

Zachary suppressed his inner frustration and said, "As for the rest, I'm still investigating. This morning's trending topic was obviously orchestrated by someone behind the scenes to stir up public opinion against me. I will find out who used this to attack me."

"Are you finished?"

She pulled her hand back and said, "What does any of this have to do with me? I only want a divorce now. Everything else is none of my business."

"And," seeing that Zachary still wouldn't give up, Sophia stepped forward and said, "What I regret most is letting you get close to my children. I hate even more that you hurt them while knowing it would happen, yet still let them harbor hope about you."

Sophia felt that the children's emotional investment had been completely worthless.

She gave Zachary a final warning: "You've hurt the children enough. Even if it's for their sake, stay away from us from now on."