Chapter 72
James's Perspective
The moment I learned Sophia was missing, my heart felt like it had been carved out with a knife. It hurt so much, and I couldn't stop shaking.
Never in my entire life had I been so terrified of losing someone.
I forced myself to stay calm and arranged for bodyguards and school security to conduct a thorough search of the campus, not missing a single corner.
When I reached classroom 6207, I pushed hard on the door. It wouldn't budge.
The school administrators said this was an abandoned classroom and shouldn't be locked. I sensed something was wrong. My eyes turned cold. I stepped back and kicked the door hard.
After a loud crash, the door was kicked open.
A bone-chilling cold wind hit my face. Andrew and I walked into the classroom and saw Sophia curled up in the corner. Her face was pale as paper, her lips were cracked, and she had already lost consciousness.
"Sophia!" Andrew cried out and rushed over to pick her up.
I quickly walked over and reached out my hand. It was shaking uncontrollably. I touched Sophia's forehead—it was burning hot.
"What are you standing there for? We need to get Sophia to the hospital now!" Andrew's voice was choked with emotion.
He was about to carry Sophia downstairs when I forcibly took her from his arms and rushed down.
Looking at Sophia's lifeless face, the oxygen in my chest felt like it was being sucked out bit by bit by a vacuum pump. The suffocating pain was intense.
At the hospital, the doctor immediately examined Sophia and diagnosed her with physical distress caused by prolonged exposure to low temperatures.
If we had been any later...
Just thinking about how close I came to losing Sophia, I walked to the hospital's fire escape stairwell and pulled out a cigarette. My hand was shaking so much I couldn't light it after several tries.
I crushed the cigarette in my fist, pressed my back hard against the wall, and closed my eyes slightly. Gone was my usual detached demeanor.
Only one thought filled my mind: make those who hurt Sophia pay.
I stayed there for a while before returning to the hospital room.
Andrew looked at me and said directly, "Mr. Smith, if you can't take care of Sophia properly, let go and let me do it."
I opened my eyes, my gaze cold: "Impossible. Sophia can only be mine. No one else can even think about having her."
"I'm afraid if you keep taking care of her, you'll end up killing her."
I sneered coldly: "Mr. Anderson, keep your little schemes to yourself. As long as Sophia and I haven't divorced, she's my wife."
"Someone as upstanding as Mr. Anderson surely wouldn't want people to know you're coveting another man's wife, playing the role of a homewrecker, would you?"
Andrew stood his ground: "She just hasn't divorced you yet. You two will divorce eventually anyway."
His words made me very uncomfortable.
I knew it was true.
But after what happened today, my worry for Sophia and the fear of losing her—that was real.
I probably do care about Sophia, at least a little.
I absolutely will not allow another man to covet Sophia.
"Mr. Anderson, I advise you to stop here, so it won't get too ugly."
"Mr. Smith, if you really care about her, divorce her. That would be better for both of you."
I couldn't get along with him, so I simply stopped talking to him.
Sophia's Perspective:
I don't know how long I slept. When I woke up, James and Andrew were sitting on either side of my bed.
It was already dark outside. I carefully propped myself up against the headboard, touching my empty stomach.
After sleeping so long, I felt a bit hungry. My stomach kept growling, and the embarrassing sound was especially clear in the quiet hospital room.
James must have heard the noise. His expression brightened: "You're awake? Are you uncomfortable anywhere? I'll go get the doctor for you."
He stood up to leave: "And I'll get you some food while I'm at it."
Andrew also woke up from the noise and looked at me gently: "Sophia, what would you like to eat? I'll go buy it for you."
"Just get whatever."
In the hospital, with the smell of disinfectant, my mouth tasted bitter. I felt like I couldn't eat anything.
James said in a deep voice: "I'll go buy it."
"I'll go." Andrew immediately stood up, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You stay here and watch over her. I know Sophia's tastes."
James glanced at him coldly, his eyes carrying a warning: "It's not your place to speak here."
"James, what do you mean by that?" Andrew wasn't backing down either. "I'm not your slave. Why should I listen to your orders?"
Watching them at each other's throats, I just felt exhausted.
"Enough, stop arguing," I spoke weakly, interrupting their dispute. "I want fish congee. Andrew, could you please go and buy it for me??"
Andrew gave me a gentle smile: "Sure, I'll go right now."
The atmosphere in the room immediately became tense.
James sat by the bed, staring at me intently, as if trying to see through me.
"Why didn't you let me go?" he suddenly asked.
"The great CEO of the Smith Group is so busy with important matters. I wouldn't dare trouble Mr. Smith with such a small thing." I replied flatly, trying to adjust my position.
Seeing this, James quickly reached out to help me, but I instinctively dodged to the side.
His hand froze in mid-air. His eyes darkened, then he forcefully put his arm around my shoulder and placed a pillow behind my back.
"Sophia, are you avoiding me?" His voice sounded dangerous.
"We're getting divorced anyway. That shows our relationship isn't that good, so why pretend and make ourselves uncomfortable?" I lowered my eyes.
James was silent for a moment. After a long while, he stood up: "I have some business to handle. I need to go back to the office."
He left in a hurry.
I didn't know if he really had business or was avoiding the topic of divorce.
Was that even possible?
He probably couldn't wait to divorce me and be with Amelia.
I closed my eyes to rest.
Before long, Andrew came back with the congee.
He carefully set up the small table for me, filled a bowl, and thoughtfully blew on it to cool it down before bringing it to my lips.
"Thank you." I took a sip of the congee. The warm feeling spread from my esophagus to my stomach, and I felt much better.
"No need to be so formal with me."
After eating, I felt my strength returning somewhat.
"Andrew, did you check the surveillance footage?"
The girl who locked me in the abandoned classroom had no grudge against me. What reason would she have to hurt me?
After thinking it over, there was only one possibility—someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Andrew was stunned for a few seconds. "I was so focused on getting you out that I haven't checked the surveillance yet. I'll get someone on it right away."
Andrew quickly contacted the school's security department.
However, the result was disappointing.
"The surveillance hard drive was deliberately damaged." Andrew's face looked terrible. "The technicians said someone intentionally destroyed the storage device. The data will be very difficult to recover."
"So they came prepared." I laughed coldly. "But do they think just because they damaged the storage data, I won't be able to find out?"
"Do you remember Harold?"
"Right, how could I forget Harold? He's the best at recovering this kind of thing. I'll contact him right away."
Soon, the call connected. Andrew briefly explained the situation. "The hard drive is severely damaged. Are you confident you can recover it?"