Chapter 27
Indigo begged me desperately. I pressed my lips together, my long lashes lowered, struggling painfully inside.
James, on the other hand, remained silent the whole time, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
Just as I couldn't take it anymore and was about to speak, suddenly he stepped forward. "Grandma, you just woke up. You need rest. Don't talk too much."
Then he turned to me and grabbed my wrist without giving me a choice. His grip wasn't exactly gentle, but it left no room for resistance. "Let's go buy some food Grandma likes to eat."
I glanced at Indigo, her face covered in tears, her eyes holding one last hope. My mind was in chaos as I could only let him pull me away from the ward.
In the hallway, he still didn't let go of my hand, walking quickly.
I struggled a bit, but he just gripped tighter.
The storm between James and me seemed to have temporarily calmed, but I knew a deeper undercurrent was surging between us.
Indigo's awakening was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, making the once-clear path to divorce foggy again.
"Let go!" I kept my voice low, anger churning in my chest.
He finally stopped and turned around, his deep eyes looking especially dark under the cold white lights of the hallway.
Looking at my cold-as-ice eyes, he released my hand, but his tall frame suddenly trapped me between him and the wall, his strong masculine presence immediately surrounding me.
"Sophia." He spoke, his voice low and calm. "Let's make a deal."
I looked at him warily, alarm bells ringing in my mind.
"You saw Grandma's condition." He added. "She can't handle any stress. Until she's fully recovered, we need to play the part of a loving couple in front of her."
Hearing that, I almost laughed coldly.
How could he so casually make such a request?
After I'd made up my mind to leave completely, after everything between us—Amelia, the child I lost, countless wounds?
"Impossible!" I refused without hesitation, not hiding my determination. "James, it's been over between us for a long time! I don't want to get involved with you and Amelia anymore, and I don't want to play any more games with you!"
Just thinking about staying by his side, wearing a fake mask, watching him possibly still tangled up with Amelia made me feel sick. It would be more painful than just getting divorced.
However, the moment I firmly refused, Indigo's tear-filled eyes, full of humble pleading, uncontrollably appeared before me.
She was the one who brought me, a helpless orphan, from the streets back to the Smith family, giving me warmth and protection I'd never felt before.
She was the one who stood firmly by my side when everyone else looked down on me.
She had just woken up from surgery, her body so weak.
My heart felt like it was being roasted over fire. On one side was my desire for freedom and fear of past hurts, on the other was the heavy burden of not being able to let down Indigo's kindness.
I fell into intense struggle, my lips pressed tightly together, my nails digging deep into my palms.
James didn't rush me, just quietly watched me, watched the struggle and pain on my face.
Suddenly, his pleasant voice rang out, his tone carrying something I'd never heard before—almost nostalgic. "I still remember the first time I saw you."
His gaze seemed to pierce through time, landing on my face, yet also looking through me at the distant past. "You were so thin and weak, wearing old clothes washed until they were faded, hiding behind Grandma, your eyes timid, like a startled little deer."
My whole body stiffened as I looked at him in disbelief.
How could he remember?
When Indigo first brought me home, I was insecure, sensitive, completely out of place with everything grand and glorious about the Smith Mansion.
He paused, his gaze focusing on my face. In those usually cold eyes, something like appreciation flashed by so quickly I thought it might be an illusion.
"But you turned out quite pretty." He added in a flat tone, yet this was the first time—perhaps the only time—in the two years since I married him that I'd heard anything close to a compliment from him.
Though that smile vanished instantly, quickly disappearing into his usual hard features.
But that moment of softening was like a stone thrown into the lake of my heart, stirring up ripples layer upon layer.
I'd never seen James like this—unfamiliar, yet carrying a fatal, heart-fluttering attraction.
The solid defense in my heart shamefully cracked a little because of his sudden reminiscence and rare gentleness.
I knew this was likely another one of his tactics, but emotionally, the guilt toward Indigo and this brief moment of unusual intimacy wrapped around me like vines, making it impossible for me to refuse again so simply.
I bit down hard on my lower lip, my heart torn.
Finally, my worry for Indigo overwhelmed everything else.
I couldn't let Indigo worry about our issues while she was sick and make her condition worse.
"Fine, I agree." I said through gritted teeth, feeling like I'd used up all my strength.
"But..." I looked up, my eyes staring straight into his unfathomable ones, drawing a clear boundary. "The deadline is when Grandma fully recovers! Once Grandma is better, we go file for divorce immediately. You can't delay for any reason!"
James looked at me, his expression deep and hard to read.
He nodded in agreement. "Okay."
"Also," I added firmly, "it's just acting, only in front of Grandma!"
"Of course," he answered readily, then added, "Since we're acting, we need to make it convincing. Move back home tonight. We need to build some chemistry so Grandma won't see through us."
That "home" that held countless painful memories for me.
My heart ached, but since I'd agreed, there was no turning back.
"Got it." I responded coldly.
When we returned to the ward, James took the initiative to reach out and hold my hand.
His palm was large and warm, wrapping around my cool fingers, the movement so natural as if we really were a loving couple.
My body stiffened for half a second. I forced myself to relax and even squeezed his hand back slightly.
When Indigo saw our clasped hands, she froze for a moment, then her cloudy eyes immediately burst with delighted light. The wrinkles on her face smoothed out, and even her complexion looked rosier.
She took both our hands and placed them together, her voice weak but full of relief. "Good, good. That's right. Between husband and wife, what problem can't be solved? James, you need to treat Sophia better from now on, you hear?"
James nodded obediently for once, saying softly. "I know, Grandma."
Just then, the ward door was gently pushed open.
Amelia walked in, leading Isabella, carrying an elegant bouquet of flowers.