Chapter 14

Sophia returned home to find Farha curled up on the bed, tears streaming down her face. Farha was clutching her stomach in agony, her pain so severe.

"What happened, Farha?" Sophia asked, rushing toward her with worry etched across her face. 

"I... I need to go to the hospital," Farha managed to whisper, her voice weak and strained.   Panic surged through Sophia as she noticed the pain on Farha's face.

"Hold on, let me help you," she said, wrapping an arm around Farha to support her. Farha clutched her stomach, her breaths shallow and labored.

"It... it hurts so much," she whimpered, tears streaming down her face. Without wasting another second, Sophia grabbed her bag and phone.

"Let’s get you to the hospital. Just hang in there," she said, helping Farha guide her to the car.

The doctor diagnosed Farha with food poisoning, which had caused relentless stomach pain, vomiting, and motion sickness. She was quickly put on a drip, and an injection was administered to ease her pain. By the time the clock struck one in the morning, Farha’s condition had improved, and she had drifted into a restless sleep. 

However, the excessive vomiting and motions had left her severely dehydrated. The doctor decided to keep her under observation and started another drip to stabilize her. Sophia, exhausted yet unable to rest, found herself with nothing to do as the drip still had time to finish. 

Feeling restless, Sophia stepped out for some fresh air. She wandered to the hospital's second-floor terrace, where the night seemed almost magical. The moon hung brightly in the sky, its silvery light spilling across the surroundings. A gentle breeze brushed against her face, refreshing her. She reached up to loosen her ponytail, letting her hair fall freely around her shoulders.  She was missing her daughter badly at that moment.

Suddenly, a sharp clicking sound broke her peaceful moment. Startled, she spun around, her heart racing. 

Standing a few steps away was the same stranger who had given her a lift the previous night. Her surprise quickly turned into fury when she noticed his phone in his hand, pointing in her direction. 

"How dare you take my picture without permission?" she snapped, storming toward him. Any gratitude she had felt for his kindness the night before vanished. "I thought you were decent, but clearly, I was wrong!" 

Without waiting for an explanation, Sophia snatched the phone from his hand. Her voice was sharp, and her words came like a thunderstorm. She didn’t hold back as she berated him, her anger spilling over. 

The man, Carl, stood frozen in shock, his gaze fixed on her. He had never encountered such a bold and fearless woman before, someone who could so effortlessly stand her ground. Despite the storm in her voice, there was something magnetic about her—her untamed hair, her piercing gray eyes, and the fiery determination in her demeanor. 

But as Sophia glanced at the phone’s screen, her tirade came to an abrupt halt. There was no picture of her. Instead, the image on the screen was of the full moon, glowing against the dark sky. 

Embarrassment washed over her in an instant. She quickly scrolled through his gallery and saw more photos—every one of them was of the moon and the starry night sky. Not a single one was of her. She had completely misunderstood. 

She bit her lip, lowering her gaze in shame as she returned the phone to him. "I... I’m sorry," she stammered, nervously pressing her hand against the back of her neck. "I thought... I thought you were taking my picture without permission." 

Carl chuckled softly, taking the phone from her hands.

"It’s okay," he said with a warm smile. "But if you’re still unsure, you can check it again. I’ll sit here and wait." 

His calm and kind demeanor only made Sophia feel more awkward. "No, that’s not necessary," she replied quickly, struggling to meet his gaze. Gathering her hair back into a ponytail, she mumbled another hurried apology before turning on her heel and rushing toward the stairs. 

As she disappeared down the staircase, Carl let out a sigh and smacked his forehead. In the middle of all that chaos, he had completely forgotten to ask her name.

When they finally arrived home, Sophia and Farha were surprised to see two police officers standing outside their apartment door.

"Yes?" Sophia asked cautiously, while Farha, still weak from hours of vomiting and stomach pain, clung tightly to her hand for support.

The officer looked at Sophia and asked firmly, "Are you Sophia?"

"Yes, that's me," Sophia replied, her voice filled with unease. The constable beside the officer pointed to Sophia’s hand.

"Sir, that's the ring," he said, indicating the gleaming piece of jewelry on her finger. The officer’s expression hardened.

"We’re here to arrest you for stealing Miss Ella’s ring, which is worth millions." The words struck Sophia like a thunderbolt. Her knees went weak, and she felt like the ground had slipped under her feet. She glanced down at the ring on her finger, her heart pounding.

The realization hit her like a wave. She hadn't even thought about the ring in all the chaos of the last day—the meeting with Dominic, the whirlwind of emotions, and then rushing Farha to the hospital. She had been wearing it absentmindedly, unaware of its value.

Sophia wasn’t a thief. She was just an ordinary girl, now standing frozen and terrified as the police accused her of a crime she didn’t commit. Her chest tightened as panic set in.

"Can I... Can I make a phone call?" she managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper. The officer’s face was stern.

"No. You can make your call at the station," he said curtly.

Sophia’s mind reeled. “Dominic Damien, she thought bitterly. I never imagined you’d stoop so low as to send your own wife to jail over something like this.”

Yes, technically, they were still married—the divorce hadn’t been finalized—but he had treated her as if she didn’t exist.

There had been millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry sitting untouched in her locker. If she had wanted, she could have taken it all when she left. But she hadn’t. And Dominic knew that. He knew exactly the kind of woman she was. Yet, here she was—accused of stealing a single ring.

Her hands trembled as the officers stepped closer to escort her away. The betrayal burned deep in her chest. Her heart was breaking all over again, but this time, it wasn’t just Dominic’s cruelty—it was the humiliation of being dragged to the police station like a criminal.