Chapter 224

Sophia turned her head and finally noticed Blondie standing nearby, listening for quite a while.

She walked up to Blondie and asked, "Are you Blondie?"

Blondie, still shaken by Lyra's words, took a moment to regain her composure. "Yeah, that's me."

Sophia nodded. "Okay, then it's on you to tell Philip."

Blondie didn't dare to report directly to Philip, so she called Alex first.

The life monitor beeped steadily, and the strong smell of disinfectant filled the air.

Catherine's eyes moved beneath her eyelids, struggling to open them.

The light was blurry, and a tall figure seemed to be standing close by.

Catherine wanted to open her eyes, but she had no strength.

What happened to her? Wasn't it just a minor surgery? Why did she feel so awful? She felt so cold.

Just as Catherine thought she might freeze, a familiar warmth spread through her palm.

Who was warming her?

Someone was smashing things, making a lot of noise, and seemed to be yelling.

Catherine's fingers twitched. She wanted to open her eyes but couldn't.

Who was it? Who was yelling and not letting her rest?

Days passed, with the sun rising and setting, and the soft hum of insects filling the air.

Catherine's body felt less fatigued, and her eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.

Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly illuminating the room.

A tall, proud figure stood by the window, his back to her, looking both proud and lonely.

"Philip..."

Philip straightened up, a barely noticeable tremor passing through him.

He slowly turned to face Catherine lying in the bed.

Standing in the shadow, Catherine couldn't see Philip's expression clearly.

Was he angry? Was he going to abandon her?

Philip stepped out of the hospital room.

His face was still handsome and deep, his eyes calm, as if her well-being was of no consequence to him, no matter what she did.

At that moment, a doctor entered to check on her, not Lyra, but an older gynecologist.

After a series of physical examinations, the doctor went out to report to Philip.

Half an hour later, Philip returned to the room.

He pulled up a chair and sat elegantly by her bedside, crossing his long legs.

The atmosphere in the room felt dead, neither Catherine nor Philip willing to speak first.

Time passed in silence.

Finally, Philip let out a cold, meaningful laugh, stood up from the chair, and walked out, like a passerby, coming and going freely.

In the following days, Catherine didn't see Philip again.

The caregiver told her that she had bled heavily during the surgery and had been unconscious for three days and nights.

During those three days and nights, a man had stayed by her side without leaving.

Catherine was surprised. Was it Philip who stayed with her? Did he know she had deceived him and still stayed with her?

She wanted to know more, but the caregiver had limited information to share.

A blue Lamborghini drove into the Silver Lake Hospital parking lot.

Chris couldn't refuse Sophia and ended up bringing her to the hospital.

Sophia unbuckled her seatbelt, ready to get out, but Chris grabbed her slender arm.

"I'm serious, Sophia. Philip's not in a good mood right now. We shouldn't provoke him."

Sophia had always been independent, doing whatever she wanted. During the Miller family's bankruptcy, she had toned it down a bit, but deep down, she was still rebellious. Now, with Chris backing her up, she was even more fearless.

"You want me to just watch my friend get bullied?"

Chris felt wronged. "But it was Catherine who wronged Philip first."

Sophia snorted. "Then you should ask Philip what kind of jerk things he's done!"

"Sophia, calm down," Chris couldn't help but defend Philip. "Philip stayed by Catherine's side for three days and nights in the hospital!"

Sophia retorted disdainfully, "If it weren't for your friend, would Catherine have been unconscious for three days and nights?"

Chris was at a loss for words.

Both parties were responsible for the ectopic pregnancy; he couldn't completely absolve Philip.

Sophia didn't argue further with Chris; the priority was to see Catherine.

Before entering the room, Chris grabbed her again.

"What now?" Sophia's temper flared, not wanting him to touch her.

Chris held her arm tightly, his expression serious. "If you want to keep seeing your friend, you'd better persuade her."

Sophia stubbornly refused to compromise. "Dream on if you think I'll help you persuade Catherine!"

Chris, afraid of hurting her, loosened his grip and held her shoulders instead. Looking at the angry Sophia in front of him, he couldn't help but feel amused.

"Sophia, I'm on your side. I'm suggesting this for Catherine's sake. Philip is more receptive to gentleness. He cares about Catherine but wants her to be the first to give in. Think about it. Continuing like this, what good will it do her? Do you want her to be like a caged bird, always trapped by Philip?"

Sophia glared at Chris, her eyes reddening with emotion. "How can Philip treat Catherine like this? Does having power and influence give him the right to bully people? Is there no justice in this world?"

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Chris raised his hand to wipe her tears. "I know you're upset..."

Chris played on Sophia's sympathy again, mentioning, "In all this, Lyra is innocent. Think about her."

A week later, Catherine finally had a visit from a familiar friend. The moment she saw Sophia, her eyes welled up.

"Sophia."

Sophia walked up to Catherine and hugged her. "Sweetie, you've been through so much."

Catherine hugged Sophia's waist, her eyes reddening, and tears began to fall. Sophia wiped her tears, comforting her, "It's over now. You're going to be okay. You must be blessed."

Catherine sniffled and glanced at the bodyguards at the door. "Would you like this kind of 'blessing'?"

Her body was recovering, but she had lost her freedom.

Sophia sighed and poked her forehead. "You were really reckless this time."

Catherine lowered her eyes, feeling miserable. She never expected that a simple abortion could almost cost her life.

"What should I do now?"

Catherine wanted to break the stalemate, but since she woke up, Philip hadn't visited her.

Sophia sat by the bed and suggested, "Talk to Philip."

Catherine laughed bitterly. "Talk to him? Do I even have the right? If he wanted to talk, would he really go this long without visiting me?"

By the end, Catherine couldn't help but complain. Philip's absence was making her miserable. Even though she suspected him of being involved in her father's death, she still longed for him to visit her. Even just a glance would be enough, but he was so heartless, not showing up for days, not even a call.

Sophia poked her thin cheek. "Is your phone just a decoration?"

She sighed, wishing Catherine would come to her senses. "Philip left you here with bodyguards and a phone. Why do you think that is?"

It was clearly a way to give her a chance to apologize and admit her mistake.

Catherine pressed her pale lips together. "I don't think I did anything wrong."

Compared to what he did to her, she felt she had been merciful. It was just an ectopic pregnancy, not an intentional abortion.

Sophia sighed again. "Catherine, I know you have your principles, but I don't want to see you push yourself to a dead end. Philip wants you to show some weakness," she paused, then reminded, "Right now, the only one who can save you is yourself."

Catherine remained silent, seemingly stubbornly holding on to something.

Sophia didn't want to pressure Catherine too much, but she felt that in the tug-of-war between Philip and Catherine, Lyra had become a victim, and it was truly unfair. "Catherine, even if you don't think about yourself, think about Lyra. She helped you with the surgery and got her medical license revoked. She might even face jail time. Do you think that's fair to her?"

Catherine was stunned. She hadn't realized that Lyra, who had helped her, was now facing such severe consequences.

Catherine grabbed Sophia's hand. "What happened?"