Chapter 3

Sophia was in such a panic looking for Joshua that she didn't notice the people standing by the elevator. As she shot past them, the wind from her movement hit Marcus in the face, making his brows crease a little as he instinctively glanced at her.

He saw a tall, slender, and graceful figure, but there were plenty of women like her around him.

Royce was also eyeing her as she ran off. "I guess the little boy's mother has come looking for him. She's quite pretty."

Marcus entered the elevator without saying anything. As they descended through the floors, he curtly instructed Royce, "Clear my schedule for tomorrow morning. I'm going to the fire station to collect Lucas' things."

Royce nodded. "Got it."

Ever since Lucas' death, the entire Carter family had fallen into such immense grief that no one had the time to collect his personal things from his workplace yet.

Just the thought of what he'd be seeing tomorrow made the cold and unyielding Marcus' eyes turn red as well.

"Josh! You gave me such a fright! Don't go running around like that ever again, okay? I'd be so worried about you," Sophia exclaimed while crouching down to hug Joshua the moment she found him.

Joshua's lips were stuck out remorsefully as he replied, "I'm sorry, Mommy. I tried to look for you, but the hospital's too big, so I got lost…"

"Yeah, I understand."

After nodding and kissing Joshua, Sophia scooped him up and turned to Peter to thank him.

Peter was discreetly studying Sophia, struck by how exceedingly beautiful she was.

"Hello, ma'am. Pardon me if this sounds intrusive, but may I know if you two are here to visit a patient, or are you being admitted?" Peter couldn't resist asking.

"My son has been admitted into this hospital," Sophia replied out of politeness.

"Oh… Under which department?"

"The hematology department," Sophia said before noticing the badge on Peter's coat.

When she found that he was a chief physician, she felt a measure of respect for him. Curious herself, she inquired, "Why are you asking?"

Peter smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just felt quite charmed by this little guy here, so I couldn't stop myself from asking about him."

He stroked Joshua's head before adding, "I hope you feel better soon, little guy."

"Thank you, Mr. Doctor. Have a good day at work!" Joshua replied thoughtfully without needing a reminder from Sophia.

Sophia excused herself from Peter and walked off with Joshua in her arms.

"Mommy, did you get a call from Daddy just now? Is he coming over to see me?" Joshua asked in a bright voice, his arms wrapped around her neck.

With a bitter smile on her face, Sophia assured him, "Daddy will come over once he's done with work."

Behind them, Peter shook his head after hearing the exchange. "The boy has a father… I guess the physical resemblance was just a coincidence."

…

Sophia had only intended to comfort Joshua with those words. She never expected Phillip to actually show up soon after they'd returned to the hospital room—and with her parents in tow.

As soon as Phillip entered the room, he rushed right over to Joshua. "Sorry, Josh. I was busy last night, so I could only come to see you now."

Sophia was infuriated, but she couldn't lose her temper in front of Joshua. Glancing behind Phillip, she saw her parents coming in as well.

"Mom, didn't I specifically instruct you not to tell him? Why did you two bring him here?" she questioned.

"Now, now. Don't be mad," Francine urged as she took Sophia by the hand. "It's only right for a father to spend some time with his son when his son is sick. How can you stop Josh from seeing his father just because you two are fighting?"

Sophia was speechless.

Her father, Arnold Layton, also rebuked her. "Phillip has been more than good to you, so stop arguing with him for no reason. A man works hard to make a living for his family. You should be more gentle and understanding."

"That's right. Look at you! You don't even need to work, and you have a nanny to help you with your son. Phillip also gives you tens of thousands of dollars each month to spend. You're living the dream!" Francine chimed in.

Sophia had always known that her parents clung to pretty old-time beliefs. In the past, she could still manage to brush them off with a few perfunctory responses. But now, following Phillip's betrayal, she couldn't help but feel angered.

"Mom, Dad, I'm your daughter! Why do you keep taking Phillip's side?"

"We—"

But Sophia didn't let them get a word in edgewise as she charged on. "Am I the one who doesn't want to work? It was Phillip who begged me to give up my career and stay at home. I would've been just as accomplished in my career as he is now if I'd continued to work."

Sophia had been a top student since childhood. She completed her master's degree in computer science at just 23. With a recommendation from her university advisor, she was immediately hired by a major company.

After just one year, she was made a project manager and had a bright future ahead of her.

If it hadn't been for Phillip's relentless coaxing and pleading, she wouldn't have given in to his request to quit her job and become a full-time housewife.

When she left her job, both her work superiors and her university advisor felt rather saddened by her decision.

But even though she'd been forced to "bury her talent" while being a housewife all these years, whenever Phillip's tech company ran into any kind of technical issue, she was always the one who stepped in and resolved the situation.

Sophia was never the kind of woman who needed to rely on a man. She'd simply chosen to step back from the limelight for the sake of her marriage.

Seeing that Sophia was angry, Francine shot Arnold a look. The two stopped trying to persuade her and instead tried to appease her. "I know you've sacrificed your career for your family, so it's normal to feel upset about it from time to time. We'll tell Phillip to apologize to you later."

"That won't make a difference," Sophia said coolly.

"Then what the hell do you want?" Arnold snapped, scowling when he realized that Sophia wasn't budging. "Don't tell me you want a divorce!"

"I want a divorce?" Sophia sneered at him. "Didn't Phillip tell you why I refused to let him see Josh?"

"Why?"

Sophia jerked her head toward Phillip, who was still by the hospital bed. Eyes frosty, she replied, "Because he wants a divorce. His first love came back to the country with her daughter and wants him to take them in."

"What did you say?" Francine cried out as she turned toward the bed as well.

She saw Phillip sitting on the bed, holding Joshua. The two were happily chatting away.

Francine turned her gaze back onto Sophia. Falling back into old habits, she instinctively sided with Phillip, saying, "That doesn't seem likely to me. Did you do something wrong and upset Phillip somehow? Maybe he made it up just to get back at you?"

Sophia stared at her parents, finding herself at a complete loss for words.

What hurt her more than being betrayed by her husband was the way her parents repeatedly doubted her and put her down.

Since she was little, no matter how brilliant or accomplished she was, she would never hear a single word of praise from her parents.

When she got into one of the top universities in Cangeria and got into the master's program as well, all of the family's friends and neighbors kept lavishing her with compliments.

However, her parents would simply say, "The more books she reads, the dumber she gets. It's a waste of money for a woman like her to study so much. In the end, she's just going to get married anyway."

Meanwhile, they had nothing but praise for Andrew Layton, her brother, who was six years her junior.

They didn't care that he was constantly at the bottom of his class throughout his schooling years. Even when he did nothing but gorge himself on food all day, they would say it was a sign he was born to live a comfortable life.

The thought of this made Sophia's eyes go red. The bitterness in her chest made her suffocate.

While sitting with Joshua, Phillip kept glancing back at Sophia from time to time, paying attention to her reaction. Once he noticed that things had gotten a little tense between her and her parents, he settled Joshua down on the bed and came over.

"Mom, Dad, you two sit with Josh for a while. I'd like to talk to Sophia in private," he said quietly.

Arnold turned to him. "Phillip, Soph says you want a divorce."

Knowing that he couldn't avoid the subject, he nodded. "That's right. I can make it up to Sophia, but I want custody of Josh."

Eyes blazing with hatred and anger, Sophia looked Phillip straight in the eye and questioned, "Would you still want Josh if he had leukemia?"

"What did you say?" Phillip looked thunderstruck.