Chapter 454 Confession
Benjamin shot her a cold glance, his voice icy and low: "If Tobias hadn't begged me, do you think I'd care whether you live or die?"
Whether Amelia was hypnotized or whatever the reason, the harm she caused Benjamin could never be erased.
He didn't want to forgive Amelia, and he couldn't forgive her.
The only reason he allowed her to step into his house now was for Tobias's sake.
Amelia instinctively wanted to scold Benjamin, thinking he was too rude and had no manners at all.
But when she met Benjamin's eyes, filled with icy coldness, all her words got stuck in her throat.
She shrank her shoulders and moved closer to Tobias.
Sophia finished preparing everything and came out of the study, calling down: "You can come up now."
Amelia nervously glanced at Tobias. She was used to being domineering, so it was rare to see her show such a vulnerable side.
Tobias couldn't help but feel sympathy for her.
He reached out and patted her hand, saying softly: "It's okay, go ahead. I'll be right here downstairs."
Seeing his firm attitude, Amelia had no choice but to climb the stairs.
Once she entered the study, she became even more nervous.
To make herself look more confident, she threatened coldly: "Sophia, I'm warning you to treat me properly and don't try anything funny, or my dad won't let you off."
Sophia laughed mockingly, "Don't worry, I'm not interested in you."
If it weren't for wanting a better chance at curing Benjamin's condition, she couldn't care less about Amelia's life or death.
"Next, I'll ask you a few questions. Just answer them honestly."
Amelia stared at her warily, her eyes full of suspicion, "What do you want to ask?"
"Don't be nervous, just some simple questions."
"You agreed to treat me, but you must have other motives, right? What exactly do you want to do?"
"What I want to do is none of your business. You just need to answer my questions."
"Go ahead."
Sophia smiled with satisfaction and asked: "You and Magnus were childhood friends?"
"What Magnus? That's your dad!"
Amelia jumped up from her chair, looking at Sophia with disapproval.
"Answer my question." Sophia narrowed her eyes, her presence suddenly becoming sharp.
Amelia sat back down and answered honestly: "Yes."
"What about Lachlan? Are you close with him?"
"Not really."
"Why?"
"He did some things that made me very uncomfortable. I've never liked him since we were kids."
"Can you be more specific?"
"He... confessed his feelings to me, but I rejected him. Does this have anything to do with the treatment?"
Sophia raised her eyebrows: "I'm the doctor, I make the call."
That one sentence completely shut Amelia up.
Sophia casually twirled the pen in her hand, eyes lowered, seemingly thinking about something.
Amelia frowned, "Are you going to ask or not?"
"Yes. How did you meet Dashiell? Why did you trust him so much?"
Amelia's expression suddenly changed, a flash of panic in her eyes.
Under Sophia's sharp questioning, she answered haltingly: "It was... Lachlan who introduced us."
Sophia asked in confusion: "Didn't you say you don't like Lachlan? Why would you trust someone he introduced you to so much?"
Amelia's shoulders trembled, and she hesitated for a long time before speaking:
"Actually, many women used to pursue Magnus. The reason he agreed to marry me was because I got him drunk and slept with him. Lachlan helped me behind the scenes."
Perhaps in the enclosed environment, Amelia slowly immersed herself in memories and relaxed.
She loved Magnus, but precisely because she loved him so much, she felt insecure.
After she rejected Lachlan, not only did he not get angry, he even helped her come up with a plan, saying Magnus was a responsible man.
As long as she slept with Magnus while he was drunk, he would definitely marry her.
It turned out she bet right.
Magnus really married her and promised to love only her for the rest of his life.
He was raised well by Preston—a man with integrity and a strong sense of responsibility.
After marriage, Magnus was faithful to her, devoted and loyal.
They had Alaric, and later she got pregnant with Benjamin. Everything seemed so perfect.
But then...
Sophia was secretly shocked. She didn't expect the previous generation's relationships to be so complicated.
However, she maintained her professional composure and didn't show any gossipy expression.
Amelia never thought that one day she would sit down and chat calmly with Sophia.
And talk about those things from her past.
She smiled bitterly, "When I was pregnant with Benjamin, Lachlan introduced me to Dashiell."
Although Dashiell wasn't particularly good-looking, he was very capable, and she felt relaxed around him.
Actually, she had always been insecure in relationships, but Dashiell kept encouraging her.
Sophia's recording hand paused slightly, "Have you ever thought that the timing of meeting Dashiell was too much of a coincidence?"
"What do you mean?"
"When did you first suspect Magnus had another woman? Had you met Dashiell by then?"
Sophia's words struck like thunder in Amelia's mind.
"You mean? I was already hypnotized back then?"
She had known about being hypnotized for a while now—she'd known for two years.
But knowing was one thing; it was hard to break free from it.
Just like people with depression—they know they shouldn't fall into certain negative emotions, but they can't control it.
With Sophia's reminder, Amelia broke out in a cold sweat.
The first time she suspected Magnus, wasn't that right after she met Dashiell?
Could these two things really be connected?
"There are many types of hypnosis. A psychological hypnotist like Dashiell doesn't need any external tools."
Amelia asked frantically: "Can I still be saved? Sophia, I was wrong before. Please, I'm begging you to save me."
Sophia said soothingly: "Relax. I'm asking you all these questions to find the root cause so I can help treat you."
She needed to understand Amelia well enough and get her to lower her guard to ensure the treatment would work.
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say!"
When Magnus left without saying goodbye, Amelia had always blamed herself.
She thought, if only she hadn't been so willful, if she hadn't lost her temper at him, maybe he wouldn't have left?
Now, this belief was still deeply rooted in her subconscious.
So her determination to get treatment was largely because she wanted to get better quickly.
Then maybe Magnus would come back.
After this session, Sophia gained a clearer understanding of Amelia's love for Magnus.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
She felt Amelia was pitiful, but she couldn't bring herself to sympathize with her.
Downstairs, Benjamin and Tobias waited for a full four hours.
By the time Sophia and Amelia came out, it was already afternoon.
Benjamin had food prepared, but Tobias refused—he couldn't eat anything.
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Tobias immediately stepped forward, "How is it? Sophia, can you treat her?"