Chapter 7

He wasn't done speaking, but the abrupt ringing of a phone cut him off, shattering the peaceful atmosphere.

Sophia glanced at the phone screen and saw that it was a call from Christina. She didn't say anything.

Kevin kept a small circle of acquaintances. Few people at the company would dare to interrupt him after work, and his friends also rarely called late at night.

Christina was the only exception.

Kevin frowned, but he took the call anyway. Moments later, his frown deepened as he quickly said, "I got it. I'll be right there."

It seemed that something had happened with Christina, but Kevin didn't say much. He quickly grabbed his coat and hurried for the door.

Before heading out, he gave Sophia a contemplative look, his brows furrowing.

"I have to take care of something. You…"

His gaze fell on her wound as he hesitated.

Sophia simply smiled. "I'll be fine on my own."

How rare it was for him, her husband, to remember that she was injured when he was busy worrying about another woman.

Kevin's gaze softened slightly as he instructed her, "Since you're hurt, you should rest early. I want to talk to you about something on your birthday."

Sophia calmly nodded, neither causing a scene nor feeling the slightest bit upset that her husband was leaving in the middle of the night to go to another woman.

A few minutes later, she fiddled with her wedding ring before quietly taking it off. She'd worn it all these years, never taking it off—not even during the worst of her fights with Kevin.

She had stubbornly believed that the ring kept her and Kevin connected for life and symbolized her fearless, passionate sacrifices for him.

But now, she realized that perhaps her marriage, which was only in name, should've ended a long time ago.

Sophia placed the wedding ring inside a jewelry box. When she left, all of these things would be returned to Kevin, along with the divorce agreement.

…

Kevin didn't come home that night, but Sophia slept quite well.

When she woke up the next morning, she saw the viral news plastered all over the internet—Christina had received a death threat from a hater.

Her agency had posted a photo of a package she'd received. Inside it was a dead rat, some bloodied clothes, and a note written in bright red letters.

"Keep your filthy hands off other people's men, bitch!"

Christina's agency issued a formal statement declaring that she'd always acted with integrity ever since her debut. They made it clear that she had never engaged in any sort of illicit relationships.

They also stated that they'd reported the death threat to the police and hoped that the culprit would show some decency and self-respect by not involving innocent people.

Those few sentences sparked a massive stir. Most fans condemned the culprit for slandering and threatening Christina. Some also speculated, based on the phrasing of the agency's statement, that it was the work of a woman who was jealous of Christina.

Only a handful linked it to the recent rumors between Christina and Kevin, guessing that Kevin's wife might be the one behind this.

Meanwhile, Erin was quite gleeful after hearing the news.

"It's a rather crude method, but the warning is much deserved," Erin said. She had always scorned Christina for her two-faced tendencies, so she was naturally pleased to see that someone was teaching her a lesson.

However, Sophia quickly stopped looking at the news, her expression neutral.

It was true that she and Christina didn't get along. After all, no woman could tolerate her husband's so-called "true love" repeatedly provoking her.

Nevertheless, she had no interaction with Christina aside from the situation with Kevin, so it wasn't like they had any other conflicts. Since she'd decided to give up on Kevin already, she had no reason to feel one way or the other about the situation either.

She was more preoccupied with something else.

Sophia looked out the window. Soon, she would be taking in new sights in a different city.

"How are you coming along with the information about me that I need you to get rid of?"

"Don't worry. It's all taken care of. Once you leave, no one will be able to find you—not even Kevin. But Sophia, have you really made up your mind about this?" Erin queried with a sigh.

Despite feeling reluctant, however, she knew that Sophia wouldn't have chosen to leave if there'd been even the slightest reason for her to keep holding on.

"Yeah. It's better this way," Sophia said, smiling as she stared at the blossoming sights of spring outside her window. "This way, no one will notice—"

She hadn't finished her sentence when Kevin walked in while holding Mason's hand. His expression was stormy, and his voice was visibly hostile as he questioned, "No one will notice what?"

Sophia quickly ended the call and said curtly, "Nothing."

She wanted to depart Janbury without anyone knowing, so she couldn't let Kevin catch on to anything.

However, Kevin's expression darkened even further when he saw that she was hiding something. Releasing Mason's hand, he marched up to her and grabbed her wrist, his gaze icy.

"Sophia, you're the one behind Christina's incident, aren't you?"

Sophia was startled. It took her a while to realize that he was referring to the death threat Christina received.

His hand tightened around her wrist, his expression frosty. His eyes flashed with loathing as he continued, "Why must you insist on picking on Christina like that? She has nothing to do with our relationship!

"Don't you know that Christina has a heart condition? She nearly had to be hospitalized because of how scared she was!"

Mason was frowning as well, his clear eyes brimming with disdain and disapproval.

"Why are you always treating Ms. Sloan like this, Mommy? What is it about her that makes you want to bully her? Do you know how disgusted I get when I think about how I've inherited your blood and your genes?"

Sophia stared at the father-son duo before her.

Mason had inherited most of Kevin's dark eyes and chiseled features. Even though he was only six years old, his features were already quite defined, making him look rather adorable.

The two of them even looked the same when they expressed their anger and contempt. One was her husband, and the other was the child she had carried for ten months before giving birth.

But now, they were interrogating her in fury and disdain, all because of another woman.

Sophia felt as though someone had ripped a scab off her freshly healed wound. The mix of pain and numbness made her eye them calmly.

She didn't remind Kevin to look into the sender of the package and verify the truth, nor did she tell Mason that, compared to her genes, he had inherited even more of Kevin's love for Christina.

She said only a few simple words.

"It wasn't me."

Meeting Kevin's cold, suspicious gaze, she said curtly, "Regardless of whether you two believe me, I didn't do it."

She tried to pull her hand away and leave, but Kevin refused to let her go as he mockingly snapped, "I thought that there had been some kind of misunderstanding between us, Sophia. I was even willing to consider letting us start over again. But not only have you done something like this, you're also still refusing to show any remorse!

"Christina has already reported this to the police. Come with me and apologize to her at once, or else—"

"I have complete faith in the fairness of the law, Mr. Chase, and I'm perfectly willing to accept the court's ruling. If I did do it, let me pay the consequences of my actions. There's nothing wrong with that," Sophia said.

Looking him in the eye, she added calmly, "Or do you think that even though I've committed a crime, I'm somehow able to escape the judgment of the law all by myself, Mr. Chase?"

Kevin's brow knitted tightly. He hadn't expected Sophia to say that.

He wondered if she truly hadn't done anything, or if she would rather be found guilty by the authorities than humble herself and apologize to Christina.

Must she be this stubborn?

On the side, Mason puffed out his cheeks and declared with blatant repulsion, "I don't want to have such a vicious mommy. If you won't apologize to Ms. Sloan, then I won't acknowledge you as my mommy."