Chapter 52
Before she could react, I carefully avoided the wound on her back and pulled her onto the bed with me.
I was annoyed, but holding her and breathing in her scent, I miraculously felt at peace.
"Let's sleep together," I said.
Sophia resisted. "We're not in the kind of relationship where we can share a bed."
"But we shared a bed at the Smith Mansion too."
Back then, Sophia wasn't nearly this resistant.
Sophia scoffed. "Like you said, that was at the Smith Mansion, right under Grandma's nose. If we didn't act like a proper couple, wouldn't that have broken her heart?"
I knew Sophia couldn't say anything nice.
Sleeping Sophia was much cuter. I carefully held her. "It's just sharing a bed. Are you afraid I'm going to hurt you?"
Sophia gritted her teeth. "Well, are you going to hurt me?"
I chuckled softly, my eyes suggestively grazing past her collar. "If you don't go to sleep right now, I can't guarantee..."
Sophia glared at me viciously.
I closed my eyes, not looking at her. "Go to sleep."
I didn't know how long passed, but the person in my arms gradually breathed steadily. I opened my eyes and looked at Sophia's peaceful sleeping face.
She really was more lovable when asleep. I watched her and couldn't help kissing her forehead.
Then I closed my eyes and continued holding her as I slept.
From Sophia's perspective:
I opened my eyes, still angry.
I pulled James's hand away, sat up, and looked at his hateful face. The more I looked, the angrier I got, and I couldn't help slapping him across the face.
James woke up from my slap, a cold look flashing in his eyes. "What are you making a fuss about first thing in the morning?"
"I don't like looking at you, so I wanted to hit you," I shot back bitterly.
Before I woke up just now, I dreamed that James had locked me up with chains, trapped in a dark, sunless room.
When he was happy, he'd give me a little food. When he wasn't, he'd let me starve. He even brought Amelia to laugh at me, treating me like an animal.
It made me so angry that I woke up.
Waking up this morning to see his face, remembering how he forced me to sleep with him last night, I got even angrier and couldn't help slapping him.
Looking at James with a red handprint on his face, about to explode with rage, I raised my eyebrows, suddenly in a great mood. "James, honestly, your face just looked so hateful, I couldn't help myself. Sorry."
James ground his back teeth, his tone sinister. "Sophia!"
I held my hands up in front of me. "James, surely a man like you isn't going to hit a weak, delicate woman like me?"
James's mouth twitched, probably pulling at the spot where I'd hit him. It hurt a bit, and he hissed.
He didn't hit me, just glared at me a few times.
My eyes were full of schadenfreude. "Perfect, you can use those medicines we bought last night too. No waste."
James forced out a sentence from his throat. "Well, thanks so much."
"You're welcome."
James deserved that slap for provoking me. He had it coming.
I was in such a good mood that I ate more than usual for breakfast.
But the happier I was, the darker James's face got.
When Amelia came to find James after picking up Isabella from the hospital, she saw the handprint on his face and immediately felt distressed. "Oh my God, James, who slapped your face? How could they hit so hard?"
"What if they'd hit harder and damaged your face? What would we do?"
James sneered. "That would be perfect. Then she'd have to take responsibility for the rest of her life."
As he spoke, his eyes stared straight at me.
Andrew and Amelia immediately understood.
Andrew gave me a thumbs up right in front of James. "Well done."
"If you just keep taking it, some people will just push further. This is exactly what you should do—let people know you're not someone to mess with."
I completely agreed with Andrew and nodded vigorously.
Amelia gasped. "Sophia, whatever issues you two have, why would you hit him so hard?"
"Don't listen to what outsiders say and ruin your marriage. Quickly apologize to James, get his forgiveness, and let this matter be over."
I looked up, chin propped on my hand, completely at ease. "Amelia, our marriage is our business. It's not really your place as an outsider to tell us what to do."
"He's the one who did something wrong, not me. Why should I apologize to him?"
It was James who insisted I stay, who held me while we slept. I only had that dream and woke up angry enough to hit him because he made me mad.
James brought this all on himself.
"Sophia, you're a grown woman. Don't you know hitting people is wrong?" Amelia came over and grabbed my hand. "Just listen to me and apologize to James properly."
I shook off her hand. "If he and I have a falling out, wouldn't that just give you an opportunity?"
Amelia immediately burst into tears. "Sophia, how can you say such things? Are you trying to get people to curse at me?"
Look at how fake Amelia was.
Deep down, she couldn't wait for James and me to have a falling out, but on the surface, she acted like an elder, saying these self-righteous things to me.
"Amelia, honestly, you haven't gotten tired of performing, but I'm tired of watching."
"James, I swear, I really am doing this for your good. Sophia always twists my words. It hurts me so much." Amelia grabbed James's arm in distress, leaning against him like a delicate bird.
I could barely stop myself from throwing up everything I ate for breakfast.
The next second, I actually did gag.
Andrew walked to my side, asking nervously, "Sophia, what's wrong? I'll take you to the hospital."
I waved my hand. "It's nothing. I'm just disgusted, that's all."
Amelia's face turned pale.
Looks like she was self-aware.
"James." Amelia called out to James pitifully.
"Sophia, watch yourself in public," James snapped.
"Who's the one who should be watching themselves?" My eyes swept over their intertwined arms. "James, she's your brother's wife. Is this really appropriate?"
James immediately let go of Amelia.
Amelia lost her balance and fell to the ground.
James crouched down. "Amelia, are you okay?"
Amelia's eyes were red. "I think I twisted my ankle. It really hurts."
"I'll take you back to your room to put medicine on it." James picked her up and hurried away.
I let out a deep breath. The annoying people were finally gone.
"Sophia, just now..." Andrew frowned.
"You thought I was pregnant? No way. I was really just disgusted." I looked down, my hand on my stomach.
A little life once existed here, but I was useless and couldn't keep it.
Someone as useless as me didn't deserve to be a mother.
"Don't worry." I smiled coldly, my voice light and airy. "I won't go back, and I definitely won't get pregnant with his child again."