Chapter 301

Chapter 301
Sophia's return to Maple Grove should have been cause for celebration, but strangely, it seemed to cast a shadow over Henry. The staff often caught him staring at her back, lost in thought.

Deep in the night, with the bedroom lights extinguished, Sophia lay in the master bed, seemingly sound asleep. The space beside her remained empty.

Following the trail of light, one could find the master of the Harding household sitting in his study, flipping through old photographs—all of them featuring Sam and Sophia.

He examined them repeatedly, occasionally holding them up for comparison, seemingly confirming something over and over.

In bed, Sophia slowly opened her eyes. She put on her robe and quietly descended the stairs, carefully making her way past the main hall to the garden.

She stood by the trellis, arms crossed, slowly walking along the garden's perimeter. As she approached the far end, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared.

Startled, she gasped and turned to retreat.

Henry caught up in a few strides, grabbing her arm. "What's wrong? Does seeing me frighten you that much?"

Noticing her pallid complexion, he quickly placed his hand on her forehead.

"You look terrible. Are you feeling unwell?" He removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, taking her hand to lead her back.

Sophia's face grew even paler, taking on a whiteness that in the moonlight made her look like a ghost freshly risen from the grave.

She irritably pushed his hand away from her forehead, her brows furrowing. "Don't touch me!"

"Stay away from me!"

She tried to shake off his grip, but he only held tighter.

Henry couldn't understand why she looked so ill or why she was suddenly so cold toward him. Fearing she might disappear again, he clutched her hand firmly, refusing to let go.

"Sophia, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Sophia had always been gentle, never losing her temper without reason, never treating anyone poorly without cause.

As Henry pressed further, she suddenly shouted at him: "I told you! I don't need your help! I'm fine! Are you deaf?!"

With tremendous force, she wrenched her hand free and ran toward the darkness. After a few steps, she fell hard to the ground.

Henry rushed over, immediately helping her up.

When he saw the large scrape on her palm, his expression darkened.

Just as he prepared to take her inside to clean the wound, he noticed dark red liquid flowing from her nose.

They were in the garden without tissues. He searched his pockets frantically before finding a handkerchief. He pinched her nose and instructed, "Tilt your head back."

Feeling the blood trickling, Sophia didn't resist, obediently following his direction. As she tilted her head, white foam began seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Just as Henry moved to wipe it away, her entire body began convulsing, and she collapsed straight to the ground.

He had barely laid her down when her teeth started clenching together, making a horrible grinding sound. Fearing she might bite her tongue, he instinctively thrust his fingers between her teeth.

He watched in horror, simultaneously calling for the staff to summon a doctor.

At that moment, his phone rang. A servant rushed over with the persistently ringing phone. "Sir, your call."

Henry glanced at the number—unknown. He had no interest in answering and set it aside. However, the caller was relentless, calling again and again.

Just as Henry was about to throw the phone in frustration, the ringing stopped.

Immediately after, a text message arrived: Is Sophia looking beautiful right now?

Reading those words, Henry lost all patience and called back.

"Who are you? What do you want? Just say it clearly! Is this you, Catherine?"

Beyond Catherine, he couldn't imagine who else would hate him this much. The call connected, but the person on the other end remained silent. Henry could hear only soft, shallow breathing.

His initial rage subsided into cold disdain. "Catherine, I know it's you. What do you want? Just tell me directly."

"Remember one thing—karma comes around. Even if you won't speak, I won't let you get away with this!"

As he prepared to say more, the call disconnected.

Sophia lay unconscious on the ground. He urged the staff: "Where's the doctor?"

"The driver went to fetch him. He should arrive soon," a servant replied nervously.

Grace had already gone to bed but, hearing the commotion, had dressed and come outside. Seeing Sophia lying there foaming at the mouth, she gasped in shock. "Brother, what happened to sister-in-law?"

"She looks like she's..."

Before she could finish, Henry's piercing glare silenced her.

Grace shrank back. "Brother, I was just saying it looks like... I didn't say it definitely is! Don't be angry!"

"Besides, who knows what happened to sister-in-law during those months she was missing? Those people are capable of anything!"

Noticing her brother's hand wedged between Sophia's teeth, already bloody, she screamed, "Brother, wait! I'll get a towel!"

Just then, Henry's phone rang again.

This time, he answered immediately. "This is Henry. Whatever demands you have, name them."

Sharp, piercing laughter came through the speaker.

Then a grating voice: "Send Isabella out! Or prepare to collect Sophia's corpse!"