Chapter 40
James seemed to sense something. He looked up in my direction.
His face, blessed by God, was eye-catching wherever he went, not to mention paired with a luxury car.
It was getting-off-work time, and employees at the Shadow Circuit Studio entrance kept glancing over.
I quickly pulled open the car door and got in, urging the driver to leave quickly. I just wanted to get away from this troublesome place fast.
James chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you afraid of being seen by?"
How ridiculous.
I knew who he was talking about.
"Let's go home quickly, don't keep Grandma waiting," I said, ignoring him and just urging him on.
"Sophia, I'm talking to you!"
As the driver started the car, James raised his voice to show his displeasure.
I sighed silently.
The driver wisely raised the partition, leaving the space to us.
I looked down, rubbing my fingertips. Even without looking at James, I could imagine his expression right now.
The air in the car felt heavy. I rolled down the window a crack.
The wind rushed in, and my mood calmed considerably.
"James, how long have we been married?" I asked.
"Three years."
"Right, married for three years, and you've ignored me for three years." I turned to look at James, my gaze calm. "In these three years, you've never taken the initiative to care about me. I'm your wife in name, but my matters always come after others' with you. You're a negligent husband."
James frowned, looking me over. After a long pause, he said, "Don't forget how we got this marriage."
I laughed softly.
Of course, I knew how I got this marriage.
Everyone thought I was the biggest beneficiary of this marriage, but actually I was the biggest victim. I carried the blame and swallowed all the bitterness.
Simply because I liked James.
"Of course I know." I heard my voice trembling. "You don't like me, you even hate me, so you have no right to question me."
"Our marriage isn't over yet."
After a long while, I heard James squeeze out this sentence through clenched teeth.
His tone, besides irritation, held other emotions hidden deep within that I couldn't quite grasp.
"If it weren't for Grandma, we would have ended long ago."
I leaned back against the seat and added, "If it weren't for Grandma, you wouldn't have come to pick me up today either."
"So, James, don't ask anything. You have no reason, no right, no standing."
James didn't argue with me.
My heart felt lighter.
It felt so good to say everything I'd been holding inside!
Until we got out of the car, James still had a cold expression. He initially wanted to go straight in, but ultimately chose to wait for me.
I watched his movements and understood. I gently placed my hand on his arm.
The moment the door opened, the smiles on both our faces were identical.
Indigo was in good spirits, glowing. Seeing James and me arm in arm, she smiled warmly. "You heartless person, you never think to come back and see me. If I didn't call you, would you only come see me after I'm dead?"
"You're going to live to be a hundred!" I held Indigo's arm. "I've really been busy lately. Look, I've even lost weight."
"You really have lost weight." Indigo let go of Amelia's hand and looked me up and down. "You need to take good care of yourself. I still want to help you and James with the children."
At the mention of children, my heart tightened slightly.
"Smells so good. What delicious food has Juliet made?" James broke the awkward silence just in time.
"I made chicken soup. I've been cooking it all afternoon!" Amelia said eagerly.
Indigo snorted coldly. "This is the one time you've been diligent. Sophia cooked for three years without showing off like this."
Amelia was left speechless by Indigo's blunt words, rubbing her hands nervously and helplessly looking at James.
"Don't just stand here, let's go sit down." Indigo pulled me inside before James could speak.
James had to swallow his words and follow Indigo in.
"James, help me bring out the soup!" Amelia said with a smile.
James got up and walked into the kitchen as she asked.
"Sophia, it seems we're missing a set of utensils. Go get one." Indigo winked at me, making it quite obvious.
I understood what Indigo meant and got up to walk toward the kitchen.
The semi-open kitchen had almost no barriers. As I moved a bit closer, I could see everything inside clearly.
Amelia was helping James roll up his sleeves. James looked down at her, comforting her. "Grandma knows you're just as devoted to her as Sophia. She only said that so Sophia wouldn't overthink. Don't take it to heart."
"I know."
After Amelia spoke, she sniffled, her eyes reddening.
"I'm here to get the utensils." My sudden appearance startled Amelia and James. They quickly pulled apart.
Amelia lowered her head, not daring to meet my eyes. She left the kitchen with an excuse about calling Isabella for dinner.
If this were before, I definitely would have fought with James over Amelia and his crossing the line.
"She was just helping me roll up my sleeves," James said.
Clearly, he thought so too.
Impatience was already showing in his eyes, as if he would accuse me of being oversensitive the moment I questioned him.
I took out a set of silverware without looking at him. "Grandma is still outside. Don't let her see anything wrong."
James followed me out, and seeing my calm expression, he kept observing me instead.
After dinner, I chatted with Indigo for a while. As night fell, James and I stayed at the Smith Mansion.
To keep Indigo from noticing anything unusual, we had to share a room.
After coaxing Indigo to sleep, I prepared to return to the room.
Amelia stood at the stairs in her pajamas.
I didn't approach, watching her from a few steps away.
"Sophia, do you think that with Grandma backing you up, you can do whatever you want?" With no one else around, Amelia dropped her fragile act, her eyes glaring at me viciously.
"Hasn't the person doing whatever they want in this house always been you?" I passed by her, stopped, and looked at her palm-sized face searchingly. "I've always been curious why you dislike me so much."
I thought I'd been good to everyone in the Smith family. I initially respected Amelia as an elder, but she'd always been hostile toward me. I really couldn't understand it.
"Who could like someone who's taking things that don't belong to them?"
'Things that don't belong to me? James? Or the title of James's wife?' I thought.
My gaze was piercing. "If it doesn't belong to me, who should it belong to? You?"
Amelia looked at me with eyes practically shooting fire. She raised her hand but then lowered it, stepping back two steps.
She was already standing at the edge of the stairs. Two steps back and she would fall down.
I reacted quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling her back hard. "There's no one else here. Stop acting."
Amelia didn't speak. She smiled triumphantly, her gaze looking behind me.