Chapter 3

Kevin's lips pressed into a thin line as he watched Sophia leave. His brows were creased, and he felt an inexplicable sense of frustration in his heart.

For some reason, he got the feeling that Sophia was a little different in some way.

After studying his expression, Christina bit her lip and asked tentatively, "Kev, did Ms. Jensen say those things on purpose because she was upset? I really didn't mean to mislead the reporters."

Kevin narrowed his eyes. Had Sophia really said those things out of spite?

"It's not your fault. Just ignore her," he said curtly, his expression cold.

Despite being his wife and Mason's mother, Sophia had refused to attend Mason's performance and threw a tantrum, saying that Christina should attend instead. Kevin thought that since she had acted that way, she had to face the consequences of her actions.

Christina's lips curved upward, her gaze cunning.

It didn't take long before the news about Kevin and Christina spread like wildfire, going viral on the internet. Even though Kevin had the trending searches taken down almost as quickly as they appeared, the news still made a significant impact.

Naturally, Erin saw the articles as well.

"So… you've finally come to your senses? You're really going to leave and head to Rovendale?" Erin asked, looking up from the news online and raising a brow. "In that case, should I help you erase all your information here and cover your tracks as well?"

Sophia's gaze lingered on one of the viral photos online, which a reporter had taken earlier.

Kevin and Christina were seated together in the audience, smiling warmly at Mason after he'd just finished his violin performance.

It looked like a snapshot of the perfect family, the picture of harmony.

No one knew that when Mason first picked up the violin, she was the one who had painstakingly helped him learn every skill and practice every note, encouraging him to stay determined and keeping him from losing his interest.

Now, everyone was saying that her son had inherited Christina's artistic talent.

Right at that moment, Christina liked the photo. She even shared an ambiguous update on her social media.

"Someone once asked me if a broken bond could be mended if two souls who had loved deeply found each other again. I now have my answer. When the love is true, the bond will never be broken, and there will never be anything to mend."

After withdrawing her gaze, Sophia said quietly, "Yeah. Erase everything."

Janbury held 26 years' worth of her memories, but the majority of them were unhappy—the death of her parents, the collapse of the Jensen family, and her impulsive pursuit of love that ended in ruin.

Apart from Erin and the Jensen residence, there was nothing left in the city that was worth holding on to for her.

…

The gossip about Kevin and Christina seemed to have blown up a little too much.

That evening, instead of cooking, Sophia ordered takeout.

Once, she had fretted endlessly over Kevin's and Mason's health, insisting on doing everything herself. Now that she was leaving anyway—and since they'd always had issues with her cooking—she simply ordered food from their favorite restaurant.

That was just how people were. Instead of wasting all of that time and effort, she figured that it was better to just give them what they wanted.

After all, the soup—and food—she spent hours preparing could never measure up to the restaurant Christina chose.

Meanwhile, Hiram Chase, Kevin's grandpa, had specifically called Kevin when he caught wind of the news online.

When Kevin got off the call, he was startled to see the food on the table.

Sophia calmly explained, "You and Mason both like dining at this restaurant. I had a bit too much to do today, so I thought I might as well try the food from this place today."

Kevin's brows drew together as Hiram's earlier words echoed in his ears.

"Kev, sometimes, one shouldn't be hung up on how something begins. It's more important to focus on the journey and the results. You know full well how Sophia feels about you. After marrying you, she heard about your stomach issues and would spend hours preparing a nourishing soup for you every day.

"She was pampered all her life, too, but she even scalded her hands just to cook for you. The greatest fear in life isn't the regrets we end up with but the chances we let slip away from us.

"What you had with other women is all in the past now, Kev. Being on the outside means I can see things more clearly. The most painful thing is to love unknowingly, for it always leads to tragedy…"

Love?

Despite being married, Kevin had only ever considered his relationship with Sophia to be barely more than that of housemates. He was sure that her motive behind everything was simply to be his wife, so what love was there to speak of?

But when he saw the exquisitely prepared dinner laid out in front of him, he felt an unexplainable sense of irritation.

She loved him, yet now she couldn't even bother cooking for him? Or was she still sulking because of the situation with Christina?

Mason was also frowning. While he did like the food from this restaurant, Sophia had never acted this way before. She'd always cooked dinner herself.

He wondered if she didn't cook that day because she was still upset.

Why was she always doing this? Why was she always picking on Kevin and Christina over little things? Couldn't she be as thoughtful and considerate as Christina was?

Despite his pouting, however, Mason obediently sat at the table and forced himself to eat.

A moment later, Kevin said curtly, "I'm accompanying Christina to her medical check-up tomorrow."

Christina had previously injured her ankle while dancing. Although it wasn't a serious injury, she still needed regular checkups.

Other women might not know how it felt when their husband openly brought up his intention to accompany another woman, but Sophia couldn't be more familiar with the feeling, having lived with it for years now.

It wasn't a shock to her.

"Got it," she said indifferently before setting her cutlery down. "I'm done. If there's nothing else, I'm going back to my room."

Startled, Mason blurted, "Aren't you going to accompany me while I practice the violin, Mommy?"

All along, she had always sat with him and watched while he practiced. But that night, not only did she not cook by herself, but she'd even forgotten about his violin practice.

Sophia recalled the comments that had been posted online that day and smiled. "You'll be just fine by yourself. I know nothing about the violin anyway. I'll only get in your way."

She'd just barely finished speaking when Kevin grabbed her wrist and eyed her coldly as he snapped, "What's with you this time? You know full well that the news that went viral today was all just a misunderstanding.

"You're the one who schemed so hard just to marry into the family, Sophia. You should be doing your duty as Mrs. Chase. Is it so hard for you to just accompany your son while he practices the violin?"

When Sophia met Kevin's dark, frosty gaze, she was tempted to laugh.

He had given her the cold shoulder for seven years and cherished another woman instead, but here he was reminding her to do her duty as his wife.

She now understood what people meant when they said that being loved made you feel like you could do no wrong.

Smirking, Sophia slowly extracted her hand from Kevin's grip and looked him in the eye as she said, "I believe that I've always fulfilled my duty as Mrs. Chase. I'm not up to anything. I'm not angry about that piece of viral news either.

"I simply have no gift in music, and Mason doesn't need me to sit there and tell him what to do."

Since Mason adored Christina and was taken with life in the limelight, she was giving him what he wanted.

They didn't like her cooking and preferred the restaurant Christina chose, so she let them have what they wanted, too.

In the past, she protested out of her unwillingness to give in. So, what was the problem with her giving in to their preferences now?

Once she finished saying her piece, she turned and left, but Kevin remained standing where he was. He lit up a cigarette, his gaze dark and unreadable. His brows were creased once more.

It seemed to him that she truly wasn't making a fuss over Christina anymore, yet that only made him feel even more agitated.

Sophia returned to her room. She had already done all of the packing she needed to do in the last two days. The last thing she wanted to do before leaving was pay a visit to Owen.

…

That night, Kevin acted out of character by not sleeping in the guest bedroom.

Sophia stepped out of the bathroom with only a bath towel wrapped around her.

The mellow light fell across her skin, making it glisten like snow. Her eyes no longer contained the anger and resentment they once had. Instead, they were calmer and gentler than before, softening her dazzling beauty and adding a touch of demureness to her demeanor.

It was completely unlike the way she'd looked in the past.

Kevin froze, his gaze locked on her. His throat bobbed.

Hiram's words popped up in his mind again. "The most painful thing is to love unknowingly…"

Did he love Sophia?

That was impossible!