Chapter 261

Chapter 261

Della's face darkened.

What was the difference between Sophia's words and calling her insane to her face? What normal person would target a stranger for no reason?

Of course, she'd never admit to being abnormal. In her mind, she had plenty of perfectly valid reasons for going after Sophia.

Della was about to march over and give Sophia a piece of her mind when a sudden splash came from the creek behind her—like something had burst up from the water.

Robert.

Della immediately thought of him. Then of his murky, undefined relationship with Sophia. Suddenly, arguing with Sophia wasn't her top priority anymore.

"Ms. Windsor, I admit I was in the wrong before. I'm a petty person—I get jealous of women prettier than me, which is why I was rude to you. But please, considering I didn't actually cause you any real harm, could you forgive me this once?"

Apologizing to someone she despised was humiliating. But compared to preventing Robert from reconnecting with Sophia, Della figured she could endure the shame. So she forced herself to sound sincere.

Her lengthy apology had an unexpected effect—it stunned Sophia.

Della didn't seem like the type to back down. Much less so suddenly and without warning.

Something this out of character had to be suspicious. Instead of accepting the apology, Sophia glanced toward the creek.

She'd heard that splash too. She suspected Della's sudden change of heart had everything to do with that sound. Right now, she was more interested in figuring out what was happening at the creek.

Seeing Sophia unmoved by her apology, Della felt the urge to lash out. But what little rationality she had left stopped her.

She followed Sophia's gaze and shifted her steps, trying to use her thin frame to block Sophia's view.

Naturally, that didn't work. So in a flash of desperation, Della steeled herself. "You wanted to know who sent me that message, didn't you? I can tell you."

Sophia turned to look at Della. Her eyes were full of doubt.

Della pressed on. "I actually know who it was. And I kept proof of our contact—it's in a drawer in my bedroom. You can come with me to get it."

She tried to look straightforward and trustworthy, hoping this would be a strong enough bargaining chip to grab Sophia's attention.

But to Sophia, this obvious deflection only confirmed one thing: whatever was in that creek was important. Far more important than some evidence that might not even be useful. Sophia was determined to uncover the creek's secret.

She gave Della a fleeting glance, then turned her focus back to the water—just in time to see a head disappear beneath the surface.

"Someone's in the creek. Is it someone you know?"

Sophia's question was probing. She didn't assume it was an accident. Harbor Village was a fishing village—people here learned to swim almost from birth. Their skills in the water were top-notch. There was virtually no chance someone would drown in a shallow creek like this.

Della was losing her mind.

How could someone be this stubborn? No wonder she hated her!

Out of options, Della's rationality finally snapped. She raised her fist high, aimed at Sophia.

But Sophia hadn't come alone—she knew better than to confront an unreasonable, volatile woman by herself. The moment Della's fist went up, her bodyguard Nolan came charging around the corner. He swiftly grabbed Della's wrist and gave her a light shove backward.

Nolan was one of the young men Sophia had rescued before. Standing nearly six-foot-six and weighing well over two hundred pounds, he looked like a mountain. Even without much effort, he was more than a match for a young woman like Della.

Della stumbled backward uncontrollably for about twenty feet before landing hard on the ground.

The fall didn't hurt much. But the humiliation burned. She wanted to scream at him, but when Nolan casually took one small step forward, she swallowed her words.

Sophia ignored Della. Her attention was no longer on her.

The creek was small—so small it didn't even have a proper name. Standing at the bank, Sophia could see the entire waterway clearly.

Before long, she noticed a dark shape in the distance. More precisely, it was a person—a man, judging by the silhouette. But she couldn't see his face.

Just as Sophia was about to have someone pull the man out, her phone rang. Elijah's ringtone.

Between Della's secret and her own son, Sophia didn't hesitate. She chose the latter.

When Elijah told her he'd tracked down the renowned neurologist Dr. Caleb, a flicker of joy crossed Sophia's eyes.

Five years had passed. Her mother Flora's condition hadn't improved at all. She still lay in that hospital bed, unaware and unresponsive. All her vitals were healthy, but no matter what they tried, she wouldn't wake up.

To bring Flora back, Sophia had tried everything—even turning to theology and Eastern mysticism. Nothing had worked.

Just when she was on the verge of despair, news broke that Dr. Caleb had come out of retirement.

Sophia had heard of Dr. Caleb's legendary achievements. He'd once cured a patient in a condition similar to Flora's. But he'd also gotten into some serious trouble because of it, which led to his retirement and disappearance.

Still, hope was one thing—finding Dr. Caleb's address was another matter entirely.

Xanthe had once reassured Sophia that Dr. Caleb's seclusion made sense. After all, he was hiding from people who wanted him dead. If he lived somewhere easy to find, that would be suicide.

Her son already weighed heavily on her mind. Now, with her mother added to the equation, Sophia barely hesitated before leaving with Nolan.

Watching Sophia walk away without a backward glance, Della's emotions were complicated.

Relief, of course. She didn't have to worry about Robert being exposed. But beyond that, she felt indignant.

Why did Sophia get to be so arrogant? From start to finish, she'd acted like Della didn't even exist. Coming and going as she pleased!

Della clenched her teeth in frustration.

What did it matter if Sophia could put on airs? Once Della had Robert, no matter how successful Sophia's career was, she'd still be a failure in love!

It never even crossed Della's mind that Robert's feelings might be one-sided. In her view, a man that outstanding could have any woman he wanted.

Cautiously, she made sure Sophia and her intimidating bodyguard were really gone before returning to the creek and calling out Robert's name.

There was no wind now. The creek's current was sluggish, and that dark shape was almost motionless in the water. No response came.

Della's heart lurched.

Had Robert drowned?