Chapter 2

When Benjamin returned home, it was already dark. As always, he strode through the house in silence, only to find that the dining table was empty.

Sophia hadn't prepared dinner.

Frowning, he walked up to Sophia and asked coldly, "Why didn't you make dinner?"

Sophia lifted her head, and he immediately spotted her red, puffy eyes. He couldn't help but ask, "What happened? Why have you been crying so much?"

"It's nothing. I watched a show this afternoon, and the female lead's husband has been cheating on her with another woman, but she has no idea. She foolishly believes that her husband still loves her. I feel bad for her."

While speaking, Sophia stared intently at Benjamin, hoping to see if he felt even the slightest flicker of guilt at her words.

But there was nothing in his eyes, not even a flash of sheepishness. He remained perfectly calm as he replied, "That's just fiction. It's not worth crying over."

"You're right." Sophia forced a smile. "It's not worth crying over at all. A divorce would fix everything."

Benjamin didn't carry on that line of conversation. Instead, he asked, "What's for dinner?"

"I don't feel like cooking today. You can find your own dinner."

That finally caught Benjamin's attention. He took a closer look at Sophia, his eyes flickering with startlement.

"What's wrong, Benjamin?" Sophia flashed him an insincere smile.

Benjamin withdrew his gaze and said, "Drop by Hartman Manor tomorrow."

"Why?" Sophia blurted out, her mind immediately jumping to Tamara.

"Mom and Dad have some misunderstandings about Tammy, especially Mom. Tammy is raising her son all alone while living under someone else's roof. With Mom blaming her and resenting her all the time, things must be hard on her.

"Since you're my wife, it's your duty to help this family. A happy family builds a strong foundation for everything else. Bryan has already left us. I don't want anything else to happen to Tammy and Danny. You understand where I'm coming from, right, Sophia?"

Sophia kept a smile on her face, but her fingers clenched tightly.

Tammy this, Tammy that. Benjamin sure sounded very affectionate when he talked about his sister-in-law.

"But there's no denying that Tamara has played a role in Bryan's death. If she hadn't gotten into a fight with him over a petty matter, he wouldn't have ended up in a car accident while trying to go after her. Mom and Dad lost a son because of this. Isn't it understandable that they're holding it against her?"

Sophia's tone and word choice sounded fairly critical, which made Benjamin's expression darken a little. "Sophia! How can you even say that? I never knew you were such a heartless and unreasonable woman! Tammy is my sister-in-law, and we're a family. Danny has already lost his father. Do you want him to lose his mother, too?"

A sarcastic chuckle escaped Sophia. She lowered her head to hide her mocking gaze. "I got it."

Now that she'd finally agreed to go over, Benjamin's expression brightened again, and his tone softened as well. "I knew you'd understand me, Sophia."

Sophia smirked and said nothing.

…

The next day, as soon as Sophia entered Hartman Manor, she heard Wilma Stone, her mother-in-law, coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Mom."

Wilma didn't seem all that pleased to hear Sophia's voice. "Oh. You're here."

"Yeah."

After sitting down beside Wilma, Sophia heard Daniel's voice coming from upstairs. He seemed to be crying for his father, and Tamara could also be heard trying to comfort him.

Sophia remained silent.

Wilma started rubbing her forehead. "The same thing every single day! I seriously have no idea what she's even good at. She can't take care of a child properly, either. All she knows how to do is start fights. To think that a 26-year-old woman like her is still acting like a spoiled princess!"

Sophia quietly listened to Wilma's ranting. She knew the latter was referring to Tamara.

"Honestly, Sophia, why can't she be as mature and considerate as you?" Wilma's brows were full of impatience. "You're even two years younger than her, and she's already a mother. Why can't she grow up?"

"Mom," Sophia said gently, "Tamara has been spoiled by her family. It's not surprising."

"Spoiled? Hah! It's all because of Bryan. He's the one who indulged her every whim, letting her become so self-centered that she picks a fight with him every other day. If she hadn't run off in a fit, he wouldn't have gone after her in the middle of the night and gotten into the car crash…"

At this point, Wilma's eyes turned red. "At the end of the day, isn't it Tamara's fault? If not for her, how could I have lost a son for no reason? Bryan wouldn't have died at just 27 years old, leaving behind a 3-year-old child. Poor Danny…"

As she spoke, tears began to fall.

"Mom." Sophia held Wilma's hand and gently tried to console her. "I know you're grieving Bryan's passing, but what's done is done. We still have to move forward. Bryan wouldn't want you to fall apart like this because of him."

Wilma snatched her hand away and snapped harshly, "You're just like Benjamin! You think Chester and I are just making a big deal out of nothing, don't you?

"Shouldn't we blame Tamara for what happened? Well, it's no surprise. You can't have a child, so you don't understand a mother's heart. You have no idea how it feels when a mother loses her son!"

In the past, Sophia would've felt sad and guilty when Wilma talked about how she couldn't have any children. Only she and Benjamin had known about his impotency. Throughout their two-year marriage, she alone had borne the blame and pressure from Wilma for not having a child.

It was Benjamin who pleaded with her, saying that it was a matter of his dignity. He didn't want to let a third person know about it. And she had foolishly done as she'd been told, covering for him.

She even thought about getting an IVF procedure—she was willing to go to any length to give him a child.

But now, she found the entire situation ironic. The fact that they had no children had nothing to do with her. She wasn't all that inclined to have a child now, either.

Just the thought disgusted her.

Meanwhile, Wilma felt a flicker of regret the moment the words came out of her. But seeing that Sophia's only reaction was to sit in silence without refuting anyway, she sighed and softened her tone.

"I know I spoke too harshly just now. It's just that I'm worried. You've been married for two years now, so why haven't you gotten pregnant yet?"

Sophia smiled. "I know you've been worried about us, Mom, so I did a checkup."

"And what did the results show?" Wilma hastily asked, eager to know what the situation was.

"The doctor said there was nothing wrong with me."

If there was nothing wrong with Sophia, that meant…

Wilma's eyes widened. She was just about to speak when Tamara's voice rang out. "You're here, Sophia."

After bringing Daniel down, Tamara forced a smile and said, "Mom."

"What happened to Danny?" Sophia glanced at the puffy-eyed Daniel and the exhausted-looking Tamara.

"It's nothing." Tamara mustered a smile again. "He just misses his dad."

"The nerve of you to even say that!" Wilma shrieked as she grabbed the nearest cup and threw it at Tamara.