Chapter 267 Why did you Kill My Dad?

Chapter 267 Why did you Kill My Dad?
Amelia's POV:
I watched Sophia from the kitchen as she absently stirred her cereal, her gaze constantly drifting to her phone on the table. The sight triggered a flutter of concern in my chest. This wasn't like her at all.
"Sophia, remember we're volunteering at the animal rescue center today? It's Friday," I said, pouring myself a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
She lifted her head, forcing a weak smile. "Yeah... of course, Mom."
Her lackluster response was so unlike her usual excitement about visiting the animals. Something was definitely off.
"What's wrong, sweetie? Did something happen at school?" I moved to her side, gently stroking her golden ponytail.
"Nothing." Sophia quickly flipped her phone face-down on the table. "I'm just... tired."
Before I could press further, Luke emerged from his study, impeccably dressed in his tailored suit, ready for his morning meetings.
"Good morning to my two favorite ladies," he said, planting a kiss on my cheek before ruffling Sophia's hair. "Why so quiet in here?"
"Nothing special," I answered, exchanging a meaningful glance with Luke, silently signaling my concern.
Luke immediately picked up on Sophia's unusual behavior. He crouched down beside her chair, bringing himself to her eye level. "Hey kiddo, want to tell Dad what's bothering you?"
Sophia shook her head, her eyes avoiding his. "Really, it's nothing. I was just wondering... wondering how Snowball is doing."
Luke glanced at me before turning back to her. "Doesn't Mrs. Jenkins send you photos regularly? Snowball seems to be doing great."
"Yeah..." Sophia's voice was barely audible as she stared at her bowl.
"Where's Lucas?" Luke asked, looking around.
"Already at school. Daniel took him. He has morning practice today," I explained.
"Well, I need to get going." Luke stood up, straightening his tie. "I'll try to come home early tonight. We could do something together."
As he headed for the door, he leaned close to my ear. "Something's definitely up with her. Keep an eye out."
At the animal rescue center that afternoon, Sophia remained distracted. She accidentally spilled cat food while feeding the rescues and missed several spots while cleaning the cages. What worried me most was how she kept checking her phone, as if waiting for an important message.
"Sophia," I finally asked while we were refilling water bowls, "what's really going on? Is there something you're not telling Dad and me?"
She bit her lip, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. "I... I just..."
Her phone vibrated. Sophia snatched it up instantly, her face draining of color as she read the message.
"What is it?" I asked, alarmed by her reaction.
"Nothing!" She quickly turned off the screen, but not before I caught a glimpse of a message from Mrs. Jenkins.
"Was that Mrs. Jenkins?" I asked carefully.
"Yes!" Her response came too quickly, too eagerly. "She said Snowball learned a new trick today."
I noticed the unnatural pitch in her voice, the way her eyes darted away from mine. Something wasn't adding up, but I decided not to push her in public.
"That's nice," I said softly. "You can tell Lucas all about it when we get home."
During dinner, Sophia barely touched her food. Luke and Lucas tried to lighten the mood with stories about work and school, but Sophia only offered occasional forced smiles.
After dinner, I sent Lucas off to take his bath, then exchanged a knowing look with Luke.
"Sophia, can we talk?" Luke asked gently. "Mom and I noticed you've been upset about something."
Sophia sat on the couch, eyes fixed on her hands clasped in her lap.
"Is someone bullying you at school?" I suggested, sitting beside her.
She shook her head silently.
Just then, her phone lit up with a new message. The preview showed Mrs. Jenkins' name and the beginning of a text: "So now you understand how cruelly your dad Luke..."
Luke's eyes caught the message preview, and I watched his expression harden instantly.
"Sophia, may I see what Mrs. Jenkins has been sending you?" Luke kept his voice steady, but I could feel the tension radiating from him.
Sophia's head snapped up, her fingers tightening around her phone. "It's just... just about Snowball..."
Luke extended his hand. "Can I see? I'd like to know how Snowball's doing too."
Sophia hesitated, then suddenly burst into tears. "Why did you kill my dad!" she cried out.
The words crashed into the room like a thunderclap, leaving absolute silence in their wake.
Luke's POV:
I sat in my study, staring at the chat logs on Sophia's phone, a sharp pain throbbing behind my eyes. This woman calling herself Mrs. Jenkins was Diana's spy, getting close to Sophia through caring for Snowball, gradually feeding her information Diana had carefully crafted.
The information revealed the truth I never wanted anyone to know – I had orchestrated William Bradford's death in prison. Amelia knew nothing about this. She believed it was just an unfortunate prison riot. I never intended for her to discover this truth. It was my burden to carry alone, to protect her and the children.
Now Diana was using this secret to try to make Sophia hate us, hoping to reclaim her daughter. Despite how she had tortured and abused Sophia, she still "loved" her daughter in some twisted, possessive way.
Amelia knocked and entered, concern written across her face.
"Is Sophia okay?" she asked softly.
"She's asleep," I said, closing the phone screen. "Lucas is with her."
"This is horrible," Amelia sat beside me, her voice filled with pain. "How could Diana use Bradford's death to manipulate a child? Using that prison riot..."
I nodded silently, not correcting her understanding. Amelia had always believed Bradford died in an accidental riot, and I had no intention of changing that. Some secrets are best left buried.
"I need to talk to Sophia," I said. "Alone. Some aspects of this... I may need to explain in a way that's appropriate for her age."
Amelia nodded understandingly. "Of course, you need space. I can take Lucas to Alexis's place tomorrow."
"Thank you," I squeezed her hand, feeling a twinge of guilt for what I would reveal to Sophia while keeping silent with Amelia. "I'll handle this."
The next morning, Amelia took Lucas to Alexis's house, leaving Sophia and me alone. She sat across from me, eyes red and swollen, clearly having not slept all night.
"Sophia," I began, keeping my voice as gentle as possible, "about those messages you saw yesterday..."
"Is it true?" Sophia looked directly at me, her gaze holding a coldness I'd never seen before. "Did you really kill my birth father?"
I took a deep breath and nodded. This was something I'd never admitted to anyone, not even Amelia.
"The prison riot wasn't random," I said calmly. "I was involved."