Chapter 43 Fainting in Her Arms
Sophia's words made William's anger flare up.
He stepped forward with full presence, his eyes showing disapproval of her persistent targeting of Alice.
There was hatred and resentment toward him in Sophia's words: "Every piece of evidence I found proves Alice's crimes."
If William hadn't intervened to bail her out and clear her name, Alice would already be inside reuniting with her family.
"If it's proven that she really did it herself, I absolutely won't cover for her, but that's not the case. Sophia, we can't wrongly accuse someone because of the children."
Wrongly accuse?
Sophia really felt William's emotional intelligence was too low.
All this clear evidence was right in front of him.
How could he still think she was innocent?
Or was it because he admired her so much that he'd become blind to it?
"Do you think as a father, I'd want to see two children poisoned?"
Every time William dealt with Sophia, he felt his words weren't enough. Those ideas of hers—he had no idea where she got them from!
Her tone was flat: "Who knows?"
"After all, the children didn't come out of your belly. You didn't spend four hours in pain in the delivery room, never experienced that kind of pain."
William felt the headache he'd barely suppressed coming back to attack him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his refined features filled with irritation and suppression. The world before his eyes seemed to be swaying bit by bit.
His body felt cold, then hot.
Sophia's voice in his ears went from near to far. He wanted to hear more clearly, but it was blurred as if through a thick layer of glass.
"Anyway, the children are living with me now."
"When you've dealt with Alice, we can talk again."
Sophia lowered her eyes and, after speaking, lifted her feet to leave.
As she passed by William, he grabbed her wrist.
Before she could finish, William fell toward her, his chin resting on her shoulder, his entire weight pressing on her.
Sophia staggered back two steps, her back hitting the tree trunk.
"William!"
At this moment, even through his shirt, she could feel his feverish temperature. He'd been sick this whole time!
When William woke up again, he was once more in Sophia's guest room.
His upper body clothes were gone again.
Thin, soft silver needles were inserted at acupuncture points on his body. They didn't hurt, but the sheer number looked quite intimidating.
Outside the window, the sky had darkened.
These past few years, taking care of the children and handling company affairs, and recently being distracted by various matters, his body really wasn't strong enough. He'd need to pay more attention going forward.
He struggled to get up, only to find needles in his arms and head. He looked like a hedgehog.
The guest room door was pushed open a crack.
The first person to peek in was Emily, holding her bottle.
The second was Michael, carefully poking his head in.
The last was James, his eyes full of worry about his condition, and nervousness about them sneaking over to see him.
The three of them poked their heads in, one stacked on top of another, looking inside.
Similar features, the same surprise and delight. From William's angle, the three children looked so alike.
An unrealistic guess popped into William's mind.
Then he thought it impossible.
"Mommy, Daddy's awake!"
James, being the older brother, immediately went to find Sophia.
Michael also ran to beg Sophia to come over and make sure to cure William.
That left Emily.
She was wearing pajama onesies in a pink color that looked especially adorable. Her hair was washed and dried, her tender skin making people want to kiss her.
She shuffled in her slippers to the bedside to look at him, her eyes full of curiosity.
Emily tilted her head at him: "Mr. Smith is sick."
The needles on William's body, though frightening in number, had actually stopped his headache.
Emily had the bottle in her mouth, both hands braced on the bed edge, slowly climbing onto William's bed.
She sat cross-legged beside William, holding her bottle, drinking while looking at the silver needles on his body, quietly waiting for Sophia to come.
When she got tired of sitting, she lay down on the other pillow, one hand holding the bottle, the other hand playing with her socks.
When Sophia came in, she saw this harmonious scene.
Emily was lying beside him, drinking milk, William with needles Sophia had inserted in his head, hands, and chest, occasionally glancing to the side.
In a few sips.
Emily finished her bedtime formula.
She sat obediently on the bed, watching Sophia remove the needles. James and Michael also climbed onto the bed, sitting beside her to watch together.
Both their eyes were full of worry, especially James's.
"Mommy, is Daddy okay?"
Sophia collected all the silver needles, making sure there were no strays the three children might accidentally touch, before slowly answering James's question.
"He'll be fine, just needs to sleep it off."
This wasn't the first time James had seen William collapse. Last time he fell in the car, this time he fell on Sophia.
He was still worried: "Mommy, can Daddy stay and sleep here tonight? I want to sleep with Daddy."
Michael was James's little follower.
Hearing him say this, he also raised his hand, wanting to stay and sleep together.
Emily's big watery eyes looked at James, then at Michael. Just as she was about to speak, she thought of something and reached toward Sophia.
"Sleep with Mommy."
Emily's heart and eyes were full of Sophia.
Sophia picked her up and tried to persuade James and Michael, "Daddy's not feeling well. If you stay, he'll have to take care of you and won't rest well at night."
She told the children to go back to sleep with her.
When Daddy felt better, she'd let them sleep with him.
James's mind worked especially fast, immediately following up: "Mommy, can Daddy sleep in this room from now on?"
Michael's eyes lit up, excitedly saying, "Then Daddy can live with us?"
He looked eagerly at Sophia for confirmation.
Faced with the two children's expectations, Sophia's words of denial reached her lips but were ultimately swallowed back down.
She coaxed the children: "If your daddy is willing, he can stay."
Sophia didn't want to be the bad guy in front of the children. Meeting William's silent gaze, she raised her eyebrows, signaling him to hurry up and refuse.
But...
William actually nodded and agreed!
He actually agreed!
With Alice at the Smith Mansion and him living here, what kind of situation was this?
Michael danced with joy on the bed.
"Great!"
"I can live with Daddy and Mommy together!"
James's face also showed unconcealed delight.
He held Michael's hand, standing at the bedside, and said to William, "Daddy, rest well, make sure you sleep really well."
"Michael and I are going to sleep now. We'll come see you when it's light out."
William nodded and gave them a few instructions.
Emily also went back to the room to sleep with her two brothers.
Sophia hadn't left yet.
She looked at William with confusion in her eyes, frowning: "Why did you agree to stay? You clearly know..."
William asked her: "Clearly know what?"
"Clearly know that you don't like me staying, that you hate me, detest me, and want the two children to stay away from me too?"
Sophia was speechless: "I didn't mean that."
William turned his face away, his eyes fixed tightly on the bedside lamp, completely unaware that his upper body was currently still bare.