Chapter 76
I leaned against the door, my fingertips ice-cold. My elbow, which got scraped during the scuffle with Freya, was throbbing with pain. But compared to my physical exhaustion, the weariness in my heart felt like a tide about to drown me.
James just stood there, the air around him heavy and frightening. His thin lips pressed into a hard, cold line, and he didn't speak for a long time.
This silence was more suffocating than any argument.
Since I married him, everything we'd been through clung to me like mud—impossible to shake off, impossible to wash clean, making me feel like I was suffocating.
"Say that again." James finally reacted, his voice hoarse.
"I said, divorce." I looked up to meet his eyes, my gaze calm, completely numb, and resolute. "James, dragging this out doesn't mean anything to you or to me."
"If I keep being tangled up with you, neither Freya nor Amelia will leave me alone. I just want to live in peace."
His Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only said: "I don't agree."
I took a deep breath and turned toward the bedroom. "If you don't want to talk about this, then please don't show up in front of me."
"Sophia, I've already backed down. What more do you want?"
"I know I wasn't good to you before, but I've realized my mistake, and I said I'll treat you better from now on."
James's voice carried a deep weariness, too.
"You think saying a few meaningless words can just erase all the hurt I've been through?"
"If you want me to make this work with you, that child would have to come back to life."
A knot of anger stuck in my chest, lodged there, making me feel terrible.
James closed his eyes. "Sophia, you know that's impossible."
I laughed coldly. "Then we have nothing to talk about."
"If there's nothing else, just leave. I need to rest."
I turned away, my back to James, and said with disgust.
"Sophia." He spoke, his voice low. "Won't you give me even one chance?"
"Then why did you marry me in the first place?"
I sighed. "If it weren't for that accident, I wouldn't have wanted to marry you either."
Even though I liked James back then, I never dared to say it out loud.
I would have quietly stayed in my corner watching him, as long as he was happy.
James said coldly, "Then why did you drug me?"
I shook my head as I spoke. "I told you, I was a victim in that incident too, but you've never been willing to believe me."
James stared at me. "Sophia, you say it wasn't you, but you can't provide any proof. How am I supposed to believe you?"
I found it funny and mocked him. "If you wanted to investigate, you could have found out long ago. Why didn't you? Wasn't it because you wanted to protect Amelia?"
James's brow furrowed deeply. "Sophia, I..."
"No need to explain." I cut him off. "She's the person you like. It's normal for you to cherish and protect her."
"Whether or not you want to find out the truth has nothing to do with me anymore."
"If there's nothing else, leave quickly. Don't stand there getting in my way."
"And whether you agree to divorce or not isn't up to you anymore." I laughed coldly, turned, and sat down on the sofa, rubbing my aching temples. "I'll have Andrew help me find a good lawyer to file for divorce."
James's footsteps came heavily toward me. His large hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, gripping so hard it felt like he would crush my bones, his eyes blazing with red fury. "Andrew, Andrew—all you think about now is that Andrew."
"What, you don't even care about Grandma anymore?"
My hand hurt from his grip. I struggled hard but couldn't break free, and the anger in my heart instantly ignited. "James, can you stop being so disgusting? You know exactly why I want a divorce, don't you?"
"Grandma isn't just my grandma. And if we're talking about closeness, you're the one connected to her by blood. You're her real grandson."
"If you want something to happen to Grandma, go ahead and tell her everything."
Seeing him loosen his grip slightly, I immediately pulled my hand away.
James looked at me and spoke very rationally. "Our divorce is a big deal. If someone with bad intentions leaks it, it will cause quite a stir, and Grandma will definitely find out."
I felt annoyed.
What was James thinking?
It's just a divorce—this won't work, that won't work. This wasn't like James's usual way of doing things.
Could he possibly...
Impossible!
How could that be?
If James liked me, how could he treat me this way?
I'd seen with my own eyes how he loved other women. When he liked someone, he couldn't wait to shower them with affection.
I shook my head hard. My head felt dizzy. I held my head and continued from where I left off. "You're smart and capable. I'm sure you can handle this very well."
Seeing that James was about to say more nonsense, I grabbed his hand, pushed him toward the door, and shut it firmly.
The moment I closed the door, it felt like all my strength had been drained. I slid down along the door and sat on the floor.
So tired.
Really so tired...
I hugged my legs and sat on the floor for quite a while.
I don't know when I fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, it was already bright outside.
With a groggy head, I went to wash up, then headed to school for class.
In the afternoon, when I finished class and came out, the sky had already turned dark. The late wind of early winter carried a bone-chilling cold that hurt when it hit my face.
Holding my books, I walked toward the school exit.
It was so dark, and my head hurt badly. Somehow, I ended up on a very quiet path.
I tried hard to keep my eyes open, but it felt like there was a layer of fog in front of me. My head hurt more and more, and my steps got faster and faster.
I wanted to get home quickly and rest properly.
Just as I reached a corner, several thuggish-looking men suddenly rushed out from behind the trees and blocked my way.
They had dyed hair in various colors, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, their eyes lewd and brazen as they looked me up and down, smirking with ill intent.
"You're Sophia?" The one the others called Beck whistled at me, his tone frivolous.
My heart tightened. I took half a step back, my hand quietly reaching for the phone in my pocket. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Someone paid us to 'take care' of you." Beck smiled with bad intentions. "That person said to let you know that not everyone can be messed with."
"Beck, this woman is pretty hot. I can't wait."
"Such a tender woman—lucky us."
I looked at them.
I couldn't possibly fight off these men, especially not when I was sick.
My heart sank, and cold sweat instantly broke out on my back. I clutched the books in my arms tightly, my fingertips turning white.
I couldn't panic. The more I panicked, the easier it would be for them to control me.
I took two steps back, looking coldly at the men in front of me, trying to keep my voice steady. "Who sent you? Do you know who I am?"