Chapter 62 He Missed a Lot

Chapter 62 He Missed a Lot

Nolan froze, embarrassment written all over his face.

"Sophia, listen to me. I really didn't know about the things Vivian did! I've cut all ties with her. I didn't expect her to go this crazy, I—"

"Bullshit!" Sophia suddenly exploded.

"Nolan! Your 'I didn't know' and your 'I cut ties'—is that why your lover kidnapped me and almost burned me alive with gasoline in that old house?! Do you know how scared I was when I woke up with my hands and feet tied and smelled gasoline everywhere?! Do you know how it felt when that psycho waved a lighter in front of me and I thought I was going to die?!"

She stepped closer to Nolan, eyes red but refusing to back down.

"Even if you didn't expect it this time, what about before? Vivian didn't just try to hurt me once. You knew everything about the hotel incident! So tell me, whose fault is all this? If you hadn't messed with her, if your Chase family drama hadn't made her blame me, would I have gone through any of this?! I just wanted a quiet divorce and to get away from your mess. Why is that so hard?! Why do you have to try to kill me?!"

At the end, the sobs she'd been holding back broke through, and hot tears rolled down her face.

This man used to be her whole world.

But now he looked so hateful.

"Nolan… I used to think marrying you was the luckiest thing in my life." Sophia's voice dropped.

"But how did we… how did we end up here? What do you want so you'll finally let me go? I just want a divorce. I just want to live… Please, just let me go… I'm really… so tired and so scared…"

Nolan's lips trembled hard, and tears fell.

Yeah. How did it come to this?

When he married her, he swore he'd treat her well for life.

But why is a lifetime so long?

Long enough that he made plans for their future but forgot how fast people's hearts can change.

In the heavy silence, Arthur, who had been standing quietly nearby, stepped forward and blocked Nolan's desperate stare.

"Mr. Chase, the situation is clear. The shock and harm Ms. Taylor went through today started because you didn't handle your personal relationships properly. Right now she needs rest and safety, not more explanations or drama."

Arthur looked at Nolan seriously.

"If you feel any guilt at all, the best thing you can do is respect her wishes, stay away, let her handle the divorce, and make sure no more threats like Vivian come near her because of you. That's all you can do now, and that's what you need to do."

Arthur didn't raise his voice, but every word landed clearly and drew a hard line.

Nolan looked past Arthur's shoulder at Sophia, but she turned her head away and wouldn't look at him.

He lowered his eyes and had nothing left to say.

Arthur stopped watching him, turned around, and gently took Sophia's arm. "Let's go. Get out of here."

Sophia had no strength left to argue. She let Penelope hold her other arm, kept her head down, and followed Arthur out of the police station.

When they reached Arthur's car, Penelope opened the door to help Sophia in, but a police officer rushed out after them.

"Mr. Mitchell, wait! We still need to check some scene details and your team's actions. It might take a while. Ms. Taylor is hurt—she can go get treated first."

Arthur frowned, glanced at Sophia's pale, exhausted face, then told Penelope, "Take her to the hospital for a full checkup. Put it on my tab. I'll come over once I'm done here."

"Got it, Mr. Mitchell!" Penelope nodded and carefully helped Sophia.

"Sophia, let's go to the hospital."

Arthur watched them leave in Penelope's car, then went back inside with the officer.

Nolan stayed quiet for a moment, then got in his car and slowly followed.

After the exam, the doctor said Sophia was mostly fine but wanted her to stay overnight just in case the drugs she inhaled affected her nerves.

Penelope still had to deal with the case, so she couldn't stay. Arthur hadn't arrived yet, so Penelope booked a private care service and hired a caregiver for Sophia. After giving instructions, she left in a hurry.

The room went quiet. Sophia was completely drained and fell into a light sleep after the caregiver helped her drink some water.

After a while, the door opened quietly.

The sound was soft, but Sophia woke up right away.

She opened her eyes, saw who was standing there, and her drowsiness disappeared.

It was Nolan.

He looked worn out, standing silently in the doorway and staring at her with a complicated expression.

"Get out," Sophia said, turning her face away.

Nolan didn't leave. He closed the door gently and walked in.

He came to the bed, put his coat on a chair, and looked at the bruises on her wrists. His throat tightened.

"I… just wanted to check on you. You can sleep. I won't talk."

"I don't want to see you," Sophia said again. "Mr. Chase, please leave. Don't make me start cursing."

Nolan acted like he didn't hear. He sat down by the bed, grabbed a towel the caregiver had left, wet it with hot water in the bathroom, and wrung it out.

He came back and tried to wipe her face.

"Don't touch me!" Sophia knocked the towel away. It fell to the floor.

Nolan's hand froze. He bent down, picked it up, and sat back down without trying again.

Sophia was too tired to fight. She gave up arguing, closed her eyes, turned her back to him, and went to sleep.

Not long after, she drifted off.

Nolan sat quietly in the dim light, watching her sleep.

She didn't rest well. Her eyelashes kept twitching, and her lips were pressed tight like she was having a bad dream.

He remembered when they were newly married and she got a bad fever. He sat by her bed just like this, changing towels and feeding her porridge. She held his hand in her sleep and mumbled that she felt awful. He stayed up all night, desperate for her to get better.

Back then she relied on him completely, and his world felt warm because of her.

After she recovered, she leaned on his chest and said with bright eyes, "Nolan, having you here makes being sick not so bad. I feel so lucky."

Lucky…

Nolan's chest tightened.

When did that luck turn into her nightmare?

Was it the first time he came home late from a party and ignored the dinner she made?

Was it when work stress made him lose patience with her?

Or was it the first time he chased a quick thrill with another woman and thought he could hide it?

He thought home would always be waiting.

Then the divorce papers showed up, and he finally saw what he'd lost.

But it was already too late.

Morning light slowly crept into the room.

The first ray touched Sophia's face. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

The moment she woke up, she looked straight at the chair by the bed.

It was empty.

Nolan was gone.