Chapter 172: Dirty is Dirty
A low-key black Maybach was parked under a tree at the village entrance, not too far and not too close from the small villa where Sophia lived.
From William's angle, he could see right into her room. He sat there silently, staring in that direction, lost in thought.
Actually, William didn't know why he came here either.
It's just that when he learned she was going back to Rain Village, he made this decision without thinking and followed her here.
The rain was getting heavier.
But compared to the storm last time, this rain was just a drizzle at most.
His view of Sophia's room was blocked by the rainwater on the windshield. William didn't plan to find a place to stay in the village, nor did he intend to knock on Sophia's door. He just sat in the car to rest.
Sophia watched from the master bedroom window for a while. Seeing that William never got out of the car, she thought he would probably leave soon.
After all, there was no reason for him to stay here.
Sophia didn't want to think too deeply about why William had made this strange move. She drew the curtains in the master bedroom, blocking the outside view, grabbed some clean clothes, and went to the bathroom.
By the time she finished her shower and changed, the black Maybach was gone from under the tree.
She breathed a sigh of relief and went downstairs to eat.
Sophia thought William had already left.
But she didn't know...
He had seen her draw the curtains and moved his car to a blind spot where she couldn't see it.
When the dark clouds passed, the rain stopped.
The car window rolled down. The air smelled of earth mixed with grass. William rested his elbow on the door, a cigarette between his long fingers.
He wasn't addicted to smoking, but right now he needed the nicotine.
The next morning.
Sophia woke up early. Thinking about the children, she planned to return to Empire City after paying respects to her grandmother in the morning.
She had prepared everything for the memorial in advance.
The mountain mornings were a bit chilly. The wind blew against her neck, so Sophia wrapped an extra scarf around it. Carrying a basket full of fruit, she left the house, walked past the front gate, and headed step by step toward the back mountain.
Sophia remembered what her grandmother Mira Johnson had told her...
Mira was born in Rain Village into a family of doctors. When she was young, she longed for big city life. With just a small cloth bag on her back, she went to Empire City for college. Thanks to her excellent medical skills, she accidentally saved the mother of her grandfather, Joseph Johnson.
At that time, Joseph was a famous playboy in Empire City. Although Mira wasn't a stunning beauty, she was very pretty, and having grown up in the countryside, she had a naturally simple quality about her.
Having grown up in the countryside, Mira had lived a simple, sheltered life. Mira had grown up around medicinal herbs and didn't understand people's hearts. Innocent as she was, she was quickly drawn in by Joseph's sweet words.
When she was in too deep to pull herself out, she discovered that Joseph had gotten together with Aria, a friend he'd known since childhood. Later, she learned that Joseph had pursued her because she looked a bit like Aria.
Though Mira was innocent, she was very decisive. She broke up with him right away, changed all her contact information, and since she was graduating from college anyway, she packed up all her things and went straight back to Rain Village.
After Mira returned to the village, she found out she was pregnant.
Mira didn't plan to keep the baby, but because of her physical condition, getting rid of it would probably mean she could never have children again.
Mira's father talked her into it, saying the child was innocent.
In the end, Mira softened.
Only after losing her did Joseph realize his regret. He traveled all the way to Rain Village and stayed in the village for three years. The village was small, and his presence made Mira the subject of village gossip.
Some elders even came specifically to advise her that once married, she should follow her husband, and since she'd already had his child, she shouldn't keep putting on airs and making the man grovel to her. Mira threw them all out.
Later, Mira's father died in an accident while gathering herbs in the mountains. Only she and her child were left. After handling her father's funeral, for the sake of her child's future, Mira went back to Empire City with Joseph.
Everyone thought they had reconciled, but in reality, although Mira and Joseph got married, they lived separately for the rest of their lives.
When Joseph thought he had successfully married Mira and was happily waiting for a beautiful future, what actually awaited him was a lifetime of distance.
Although they lived in the same house, they always slept in separate rooms.
No matter how much Joseph begged or how much he repented, Mira never softened toward him.
Later, after their child secured all the inheritance rights from the Johnson family, Mira moved out to live on her own.
Even when the Johnson family went bankrupt, and Joseph was hospitalized on his deathbed, wanting to see Mira one last time, she didn't agree.
Joseph died without ever receiving his beloved's forgiveness.
In the end, Joseph died on a snowy night.
Sophia only saw Mira again after the Johnson family went bankrupt and her father, Daniel Johnson, disappeared. Mira brought young Sophia back to Rain Village with her.
To this day, Sophia still remembers what Mira told her.
"Sophia, everyone thinks I'm heartless. They think Joseph just had a momentary lapse in our relationship, and later he even sent Aria abroad and wouldn't let her come back, so it wasn't serious at all."
"But I never forgave him my whole life. I guess I'm just too petty. Joseph blamed me, Daniel blamed me too, everyone thought I was being unreasonable, but I never regretted it."
When Mira said this, it was more about her helplessness over Sophia resenting her, with hints of some other reasons too.
"Joseph was like a delicate glass. Before I met him, I'd never seen such a beautiful glass, so I took care of it every day, afraid it would get chipped or broken."
"But one day, I suddenly discovered that someone had urinated in this glass I'd been protecting so carefully. Think about it—a drinking glass that's been defiled like that. No matter how much you scrub it, can you ever really make it clean again? Even if you wash it clean, you can't erase the fact that it was once contaminated."
Mira stroked young Sophia's hair, her face full of love.
At that time, Sophia couldn't understand the smile in Mira's eyes. It seemed even more painful than crying.
"Sophia, I actually regretted it long ago."
"Back then, my father had just died, and Daniel was still small. If I didn't go back with him, how would Daniel grow up?"
"But every single day after going back with Joseph was torture for me. These decades of compromise for Daniel's sake—I wasn't happy for even one day. If I'd known it would turn out like this, I would have rather lived a hard life in Rain Village than be a caged bird in Empire City."
"In the end, even Daniel resented me..."
At this point, Mira's eyes were full of regret. Sophia thought of Daniel's attitude toward his mother and hugged Mira with heartache.
"Sophia, when you grow up, you'll understand—love yourself before loving others. You're so beautiful, you'll definitely be luckier than me," Mira said.
"If..."
Mira's voice choked up. She hoped Sophia wouldn't be as unfortunate as she was.
"Sophia, remember, never compromise because of children and wrong yourself, because that kind of life... really... really is too bitter."
Sophia remembered everything Mira said.
So later, she would rather give up the child she was carrying at the time than stay married to William. Mira's words were a big part of the reason.
Mira said never to compromise because of children and wrong yourself. The facts later proved that her choice at the time was right!
On the tombstone was a photo of Mira from when she was young.
A bright smile, light in her eyes—this was her before she met Joseph.
"Grandma, I came to see you."