Chapter 22 Mom, Save Dad
William's heart skipped a beat.
His ears rang, and everything went silent.
He couldn't hear Sophia or the kids; it felt like he'd plunged from a volcano into a glacier, his limbs weak.
After a moment, he turned away, his breathing slowly steadied, and he regained his usual composure, though his voice was colder and more detached than before.
"You don't want me, fine, but I'm not giving you custody of the kids."
Sophia thought about how he had just brought Alice home to meet his family, while she had been married to him for five years. When their child was born, she had begged him to accompany her to Rain Village to pay respects to her grandmother, but he had made every excuse not to go.
The difference was stark... Love and indifference were so obvious.
Sophia suppressed her discomfort. For the sake of the kids, she couldn't afford to let things escalate with William.
She asked him, "What will it take for you to give me custody?"
William's gaze was intense. "Nothing will make me give them up."
Sophia was furious. "You!"
He shot her a look. "I won't let them call someone else 'Dad.'"
She took a deep breath, meeting his gaze head-on. "You don't want them calling someone else 'Dad,' but do you think I want them calling someone else 'Mom'?"
William frowned. "When did I ever let them call someone else 'Mom'? You're the one who wants a divorce and to remarry. Don't turn this around on me."
Sophia laughed bitterly. "Who knows?"
William turned to her with a chilling look. "Sophia, make yourself clear. When did I ever let them call someone else 'Mom'?"
Sophia walked toward the door. "Whatever you say."
She left William standing alone, his fists clenching and unclenching, tension tightening in his mind.
His vision blurred for a moment. He rubbed his temples and then walked toward the door.
Sophia had just opened the study door when she felt a weight at her feet. The three kids tumbled in.
Both her and William's eyes fell on the children.
William: "James, Michael."
Sophia: "Emily."
The children, sensing their parents' stern tone, exchanged glances and scrambled to their feet, avoiding eye contact with their parents.
Emily tried to be cute, tugging on Sophia's pant leg and whining, "Mommy, can I have some candy?"
James and Michael stood up straight, looking at William with sheepish smiles. "Dad, we cleaned up."
William and Sophia fell silent.
These three kids really knew how to play their parents.
Sophia hugged Emily and led them out.
After the car drove away, she carried Emily back inside, only to hear James and Michael crying.
She rushed out and saw James running from the car.
Emily, tears streaming down her face, cried, "Mommy, Daddy fainted!"
Sophia hugged him, soothingly patting his back, and asked Tony, who had gotten out of the car, "What happened?"
Tony, in a panic, explained, "Mr. Smith has been overworking. He hasn't slept for two days and suddenly passed out. Mrs. Smith, please help him!"
James also cried, "Mommy, save Daddy."
Sophia comforted him and instructed Tony, "Help him inside."
Ten minutes later.
William slowly regained consciousness. His vision was blurry, and when he opened his eyes, he saw her delicate profile. She was applying needles to his body with focused attention.
He looked down and realized he wasn't wearing a shirt.
Sophia was removing the needles, her expression serious.
The room was brightly lit.
At the door, James and Michael's eyes were red from crying.
Sophia finished removing the needles, and Tony quickly helped William put on a shirt. Once everything was settled, the children were allowed in.
To avoid scaring the children with his pale face, Sophia turned off the main light, leaving only a warm bedside lamp.
James and Michael rushed in, crying, "Daddy!"
William, seeing their frightened faces, gently touched their cheeks. "I'm sorry I scared you."
James looked up at Sophia. "Mommy, is Daddy okay now?"
Sophia nodded, wiping their tears with a soft voice. "He needs to rest. James, take Michael to bed, okay?"
Around the children, William was always gentler.
He patted their heads. "Daddy's fine. Go with Mommy and sleep." James and Michael reluctantly left the room.
Sophia led them out, leaving Tony to care for William.
As she closed the door, she glanced at William, who was resting against the headboard, half his face in shadow, his profile sharp.
Sensing her gaze, he opened his eyes and met hers.
They both looked away without a word.
The Smith family's doctor arrived in a hurry, conducting a thorough examination of William and finding his condition stable.
"Mr. Smith, your condition is much better than before. Which medical expert treated you? I'd like to learn from them."
William had fainted before.
James and Michael's health wasn't great, and they often got sick. During Sophia's two-year absence, he had taken care of them himself, spending most of his time with them when he wasn't working.
William didn't mention Sophia. He was puzzled by her acupuncture skills, while Tony hesitated to speak.
Tony vaguely said, "The doctor used acupuncture."
The family doctor's eyes lit up, eager to know who it was.
William's condition had been persistent, usually taking an hour to stabilize. This time, he woke up in ten minutes. The doctor was curious about who had such a skill.
William didn't speak, and Tony couldn't say much either.
After confirming William was fine, the doctor left.
Sophia put the kids to bed and brought some sleep-inducing incense downstairs. She knocked on the door, and Tony answered.
She handed him the incense. "Light this; it will help with headaches."
Tony took it. "Mrs. Smith, would you like to check on Mr. Smith?"
Sophia's voice was cold and emotionless. "There's no need."
William closed his eyes, a bitter smile on his lips.
Tony, seeing his boss's state and Sophia's cold gaze, had an idea and pretended to be troubled.
"Mrs. Smith, my girlfriend is in the hospital. I need to go. Could you watch Mr. Smith?"
Sophia was about to refuse when Tony thrust the incense back into her hands.
"Mr. Smith is James and Michael's father. Mrs. Smith, for the children's sake..."
William's angry voice came from inside. "Tony!"
Tony took a risk, bowing to Sophia. "Please, Mrs. Smith!"
Then he ran off.
Inside, William's emotions were turbulent, his eyes dark like onyx, glaring at Tony's retreating figure.
Sophia entered with the incense.
She placed it on the table by the bed, not getting too close. The scent was pleasant, not as heavy as sandalwood or as pungent as perfume, calming and relaxing.
After setting it down, she turned to leave.
William's voice stopped her. "Thank you."
Without turning around, Sophia replied, "Thank the children. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have saved you."
William felt a bitter taste in his mouth. "True, if I died, you'd get custody."
Unconsciously, she had saved him three times.
Sophia didn't want to argue with a sick man and quickly left the room.
William leaned against the headboard, his expression cold and lonely.
"Sophia, why did you betray me?"