Chapter 150
Liliana kept pestering me, wanting me to agree to her request to go abroad with me.
I rejected Liliana's proposal to accompany me abroad time and time again.
She has her own life and family. I couldn't be so selfish as to tie her to my side.
On the day I left the country, Liliana came to see me off. She held me and cried for a long time, telling me over and over to take care of myself, to stay in touch often, and to tell her right away when the baby was born.
I agreed with a smile, feeling a bittersweet ache in my heart.
Actually, I wanted to stay in the place I was familiar with, too, but James was here. I was afraid that one day he might change his mind and fight me for the child.
How could I possibly win against him?
Even though Indigo was here now and could help me, she was getting old. How long could she protect me?
Indigo knew I had made up my mind to leave and didn't try to make me stay. She just gave me a bank card with no limit, her eyes red.
"Sophia, don't refuse. This isn't compensation—it's a gift for my great-grandchild, and it's also to give you confidence," she held my hand firmly. "Live well over there."
"If you get tired and want to come back, you can do so anytime."
I didn't refuse out of false modesty and accepted it.
I knew this was Indigo's way of showing she cared, and it was also a guarantee from her and the Smith family for my child and me.
If I didn't accept it, she wouldn't feel at ease.
Andrew came to see me off, too. He said he would expand projects abroad and would come visit me when he had time. When the baby was born, he wanted to be the child's godfather.
I didn't refuse. Even if I did, it wouldn't matter—he would do what he wanted anyway.
James didn't come.
I specifically told everyone to keep it from James, afraid that if he knew, I wouldn't be able to leave.
After saying goodbye to all my familiar friends and family, I went through security and boarded the plane.
As the plane soared into the sky, I watched the familiar city below get smaller and smaller until it was finally covered by clouds. I gently stroked my slightly swollen belly, feeling calm inside.
Goodbye, city that holds all my memories.
James's POV:
I learned about Sophia's departure from Liliana's tearful phone call.
"James, Sophia left. She went abroad by herself. It's all your fault!" Liliana cried and cursed on the other end of the phone.
Holding my phone, standing in the house Sophia and I were supposed to share, I felt like all the blood in my body had frozen.
She left.
She really left.
She took the child and completely disappeared from my world.
She didn't even bother to say "goodbye" to me.
Overwhelming panic swallowed me like a tidal wave. The phone slipped from my hand and fell to the floor with a dull thud.
I knew I had wronged Sophia. All this time, I'd been thinking about how to make it up to her and earn her forgiveness.
I'd even been thinking about how to win her heart and get her back by my side.
But now she had gone abroad.
Whatever I wanted to do, there was no chance anymore.
I tried to get information about Sophia through Liliana, but she just told me coldly that Sophia was doing fine and refused to say anything more.
I used my connections to track down flight records and her whereabouts, but Indigo's people blocked me at every turn. Sophia's information was completely protected.
I smiled bitterly. So this is what it feels like to be helpless and alone.
A month after Sophia left, I started drinking heavily, spending all day at bars or in front of my liquor cabinet at home, trying to numb the piercing pain and emptiness with alcohol.
I'd get completely drunk at night, then still go to work the next day, like a soulless robot just following a fixed program.
Liliana couldn't stand it anymore. She rushed to my apartment and, seeing the bottles everywhere and me completely drunk, trembled with anger.
She rushed over, grabbed the bottle from my hand, and smashed it hard on the floor.
A loud crash, glass shards flying everywhere.
"James, look at yourself! What have you become?" Liliana grabbed my collar, tears streaming down. "A self-destructive drunk. Are you still the James I used to know?"
"Sophia left, and you can't live anymore? If you love her so much, where were you before?"
"She's gone, abroad, and she'll never come back. What's the point of acting like you want to die now? Who are you doing this for?"
"Do you think I'll tell Sophia? Do you think Sophia would feel sorry for you if she knew? Let me tell you, she won't. She'll just find it ridiculous and think you deserve it!"
Her scolding stunned me. My bloodshot eyes stared blankly at nothing.
"I deserve it..." I repeated hoarsely. "I deserve it..."
"Yes, you do deserve it!" Liliana let go of me and wiped her tears. "But Grandma is old and can't handle this stress. If you have any conscience left, stop making her worry about you."
Liliana took a deep breath. "Actually, Sophia asked me to tell you something before she left."
I looked up sharply, a faint glimmer of hope in my lifeless eyes.
Liliana looked at me and said word by word: "She said she hopes you live well, don't dwell on the past, let go—let her go, and let yourself go too."
That spark of hope was extinguished by this bucket of cold water. The light in my eyes dimmed again, even more lifeless than before.
Liliana felt sorry for me. "James, if you really want to win her back, then work hard to become better."
"Stop drinking. If you ruin your health, how will you win Sophia back?"
"Think about what I said. You..." She sighed. "Take care of yourself."
After Liliana left, I sat on the floor all night.
At dawn, I shakily stood up and walked into the bathroom.
Looking at the haggard man with sunken eyes in the mirror, I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face over and over.
Liliana was right. I couldn't go on like this.
I needed to pull myself together. I needed to become better to win Sophia back.
But what I wanted most right now was to see Sophia, just to quietly look at her once, even just once.
Once this thought took root, it grew wildly out of control.
I knelt before Indigo, begging her to tell me where Sophia was.
I swore I wouldn't disturb Sophia—I just wanted to see her from afar, just once.
"James, Sophia specifically told us not to reveal her location. And actually, she didn't tell us where she is either. She just said she's living well."
"Grandma, as long as you stop having people block me, I can find out where she lives." I looked up, meeting Indigo's gaze.
Indigo stared at me intently and sighed helplessly. "I'll withdraw those people. But you must keep your promise—you can't appear in front of Sophia or let her see you. Can you do that?"
I nodded.
"Alright, it's a deal."
Without Indigo's interference, my people quickly found out where Sophia was.
I quickly handled the urgent work at hand and booked the earliest flight to Sophia's city.
On the way to the airport, a light rain began to fall.
Sophia's image filled my mind.
At an intersection, the yellow light was flashing. A truck speeding from the left, trying to catch the last few seconds of the green light, suddenly rushed toward my car.
The sharp sound of brakes and a huge crash rang out simultaneously!
The world spun around. I felt a sharp pain in my head, and darkness swallowed my vision.