Chapter 6

Sophia lowered her gaze. She had been married to Kevin for seven years, and this was the first time he remembered her birthday.

"It's fine," she said, lifting her gaze toward him.

The flutter of emotion she felt dissipated quickly as he continued, "Don't you have a project to negotiate that day? Work is more important."

When she first married Kevin, she had once tried to cajole him into celebrating her birthday with her and making a fuss when he didn't. As time went on, however, his obvious coldness and indifference had worn her down.

Her eager anticipation eventually gave way to a sense of numbness. Therefore, even with Kevin mentioning her birthday now, she felt nothing but a flicker of surprise that he had remembered it.

Kevin looked at Sophia, feeling that something was off. She was being unusually considerate.

In the past, she might've feigned nonchalance on the surface, but her eyes would still gleam with joy.

He thought about his years of neglect toward her and recalled what Marcus and Hiram had said, which softened his gaze.

"It's fine," he said, his gaze deep. "It'll still be quite early once I wrap up with work that day. Haven't you always wanted to see a fireworks show? Mason and I will take you out to the suburbs so that you can enjoy one."

Mason recalled his earlier words at the hospital and glanced at Sophia's injuries. A pang of guilt and discomfort hit him.

Sophia was inferior to Christina in every way, but she was still his mother. He believed that if she were no longer angry, she would continue to make him breakfast and sit beside him while he practiced the violin.

"Daddy's right. Daddy and I will celebrate your birthday with you," Mason hurriedly chimed in as he tugged on the hem of Sophia's clothes.

Sophia turned toward Mason. He was usually indifferent toward her, but here he was, haughtily but obediently agreeing to celebrate her birthday. Nonetheless, it didn't spark any sense of joy in her.

In the past, she probably would've felt a flicker of hope. However, she could see things clearly now. The little bit of warmth and care her husband and son showed her now could never compare to the regard they had for Christina.

She'd long since passed the point of needing their love, but she didn't decline their suggestion. Meeting Kevin's gaze, she said calmly, "Alright."

Since Kevin was insisting on it, she would consider this birthday celebration her final goodbye to them.

…

Sophia's injury wasn't severe, but the scrape on her leg made it hard for her to move about.

The three of them returned home in the evening.

Despite his young age, Mason had always been surprisingly independent. After finishing his meal, he obediently went to his room.

In a rather uncharacteristic move, Kevin didn't return to the guest bedroom.

Taken aback, Sophia looked at him and asked, "Are you staying here tonight?"

Her tone carried no emotion. She knew full well the disinterest and disdain he had for her. Moreover, after she'd rejected his bid for intimacy a couple of days ago, she didn't think he'd stick around that day.

"Your leg is injured. It'll be difficult for you to move around alone."

Kevin noticed the doubtful look on her face, but as he glanced at her wounds, he smirked ever so slightly and said, "Relax. I wouldn't take advantage of an injured person."

Sophia couldn't understand why his attitude had suddenly shifted, but she had no reason to refuse. Swallowing her words back down, she slowly nodded.

It was rare for the two of them to interact this calmly with each other, so she broke the awkwardness in the room by saying, "I'll shower first, then."

As she hobbled toward the bathroom, there was something about the way she moved that made it seem like she was running away.

Kevin watched her, his usually impassive expression softening ever so slightly. His lips had curved into a smile as well.

If she had indeed had nothing to do with drugging him back then, then perhaps they could start anew.

Sophia had no inkling of his thoughts. The absence of his usual indifference should've pleased her, but she couldn't put into words what she was feeling.

Even to this day, she believed that love was meant to be something exclusive between two people, keeping all others at bay.

Despite all of her efforts throughout these years, Christina was still the one Kevin loved, so she decided to make way for them.

So why was he giving her this shred of hope now?

Distracted, Sophia had just wrapped herself up in a towel when she ended up slipping on the damp floor, crashing onto the cold tiles. The pain made her draw in a sharp breath.

The commotion seemed to have drawn Kevin's attention, for just a moment later, his voice rang out on the other side of the bathroom door.

"What's the matter?"

The pain drained some of the color from Sophia's face, but she did her best to put up with it as she muttered, "It's fine. I just slipped."

As soon as she said that, the bathroom door flew open.

Kevin bent down and checked on her injuries. Seeing how pale she was, he frowned and asked, "Are you in a lot of pain?"

Sophia shook her head. She was about to speak when he scooped her up into his arms.

Instinctively, she attempted to break free of him, but he warned her, "Stop moving."

The pain made it hard for her to exert much strength anyway, leaving her no choice but to let him carry her back to the bed.

Kevin examined her once more, his frown only easing when he confirmed that it was just a scrape. "It's nothing serious, but to prevent an infection, I'll get some ointment to apply to your skin."

It was yet another injury, even when her old wounds hadn't healed yet. All she could do was nod in agreement.

Kevin soon returned with the ointment. Just as he was about to apply it to Sophia's wound, his gaze fell on her legs.

She was only wrapped in a towel, leaving most of her fair skin exposed. Her long, slender legs seemed to shine beneath the light. Coupled with her striking face, she looked positively bewitching.

Kevin paused, his eyes darkening.

When Sophia noticed that he wasn't moving, she sensed something and instinctively reached out for the ointment, saying, "I'll do it myself."

She knew that he wasn't willing to touch her.

She knew he was certain she had gotten into bed with him for ulterior motives and felt nothing but contempt and repulsion toward her. Naturally, he didn't want to have any physical contact with her.

"Don't move," Kevin abruptly said.

He grabbed her calf with one hand, his tone curt but firm.

Sophia froze, taken aback, but Kevin was already applying the ointment to her latest wound. It had a cooling sensation, and she bit her lip as she endured the pain.

Kevin continued to apply the ointment. After some time, he stopped and set the ointment down.

"Even though it's just a scrape, it's a pretty serious one. You should avoid letting it come into contact with water for the next few days," he instructed.

But when he looked up, his gaze locked on Sophia's delicate face.

In the dim light of the room, her lashes trembled along her half-lidded eyes. Her lips were slightly parted, looking plump and moist. Her features were perfection itself, especially her eyes, which had a naturally alluring air to them.

Kevin stiffened.

He'd known all along that Sophia was beautiful, but for the first time, it occurred to him just how stunning she was.

She was his wife.

And yet, over these seven years, he'd treated her coldly and disdainfully, never giving her the slightest chance to get near him. Perhaps they'd already missed out on too much.

Kevin gulped. His gaze was unusually tender as he said, "Sophia… That night, at the hotel, you—"