Chapter 6

Sophia had anticipated what Roxanne would do, so after stuffing the cake into Roxanne's mouth, she made sure to cover it with her hand. That way, Roxanne couldn't spit it out.

This had all happened so quickly that Joshua and Helen were both dumbfounded.

"It's one thing for you to steal my husband, Roxanne. I'm more than happy for you to take the trash out of my hands. But how dare you harass my son and try to flaunt yourself in front of me, huh? You asked for it!"

Unable to spit out the cake, Roxanne had no choice but to swallow it. But it was so dry that it got stuck halfway down her esophagus, making her face turn red as she stretched her neck, trying to get the cake down.

However, Sophia didn't let her off the hook just yet. She grabbed a glass of water from the table and poured it down her throat.

Roxanne gulped so hard that it felt as though her chest almost burst from the pressure, the pain making her eyes bulge.

Phillip appeared out of nowhere and came rushing over, roaring, "Sophia! What the hell are you doing!"

Without waiting for him to reach them, Sophia took two steps backward and eyed them both coldly.

"Roxy! How are you feeling, Roxy?" Phillip sounded worried sick as he held Roxanne with one arm and patted her chest with his free hand.

He didn't seem to care that his hand was brushing against her breasts.

Sophia shrugged and scoffed. Judging from how anxious he was, he must surely care a great deal about her.

Meanwhile, Joshua's eyes had brightened when he saw Phillip. But when he noticed that Phillip only cared about the lady he didn't recognize, his expression stiffened, and his gaze dimmed.

He suddenly realized why Phillip hadn't defended Sophia when Arnold slapped her yesterday.

Once Roxanne could breathe easy again, Phillip whipped around and lashed out at Sophia, "How could you do that to Roxy? What if she choked and couldn't breathe?"

Sophia didn't seem bothered at all. "We're in a hospital right now. If her throat gets blocked, just let the doctor cut it open. She won't die."

"When did you become so cruel and heartless, Sophia?" Phillip stared at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.

Before Sophia could say anything, Roxanne immediately began to weep. "Phillip… I was just trying to be nice and visit Josh. I even made a cake for him! But Soph barged right in and attacked me. It felt like I was going to die…"

"You weren't nice at all! I said I didn't want to eat the cake, but you kept trying to force it into my mouth anyway. Mommy just wanted to let you see what it's like to be forced to eat something, too. If she didn't come in, I would've been the one who nearly choked to death!" Joshua declared.

Although his voice shook a little, his words were clear and his tone firm as he spoke up to defend Sophia.

Sophia turned to him, feeling both touched and proud. Phillip looked at him as well, but his expression was fraught with mixed emotions.

He wanted a divorce and wanted to take Joshua with him, but Joshua ended up getting sick…

As the atmosphere grew tenser, Sophia no longer wanted to waste her energy on these despicable people. In an icy tone, she commanded, "Leave, and don't come here ever again. Otherwise, I'll beat you up every time I see you."

Holding Roxanne steady, Phillip looked at Sophia. After a pause, he asked quietly, "Have Josh's test results come back yet?"

Realizing the situation, Sophia sneered. "What's this? You're waiting to hear if Joshua's sick or not before you decide whether you intend to challenge me for custody of him?"

"Sophia!" Phillip growled in fury. "Isn't it right for a father like me to express concern for his son?"

"You're concerned about your son, you say? Good. Give me a million dollars then, so that I can cover his medical expenses." Sophia held her hand out, gesturing for him to hand over the money.

"A million dollars?" Roxanne exclaimed. "Even if he does have leukemia, the treatment wouldn't cost a million dollars!"

"What's the matter? He hasn't married you yet, but it already pains you to see his money flying out of his pocket? He's my husband. The money he earns is considered marital property. Even if I asked for ten million dollars, he still needs to give it to me, much less a million dollars," Sophia retorted.

Roxanne looked at Phillip. It was obvious from her expression that she didn't want him to fork out a single cent.

Phillip didn't bother addressing the money issue. Instead, he just asked once more, "So Josh really does have leukemia?"

Sophia pursed her lips and said nothing. The results from the biopsy weren't out yet, but the doctors here had also confirmed that it was most likely going to be leukemia. Every time she thought of that, she felt as though a knife had been stabbed into her heart.

Roxanne paid close attention to Phillip's reaction. Afraid that he would give in out of pity for Joshua, she secretly pinched his arm.

Snapping back to his senses, Phillip glanced at Roxanne before saying to Sophia, "I've already invested all of my savings into the company's development projects. I don't have any cash on me."

Sophia simply stared at him. She didn't believe a word he said.

"You two have been fooling around behind my back for six months now. Don't tell me you've secretly transferred your assets already," she guessed.

"You'd better have proof before you make such claims. Otherwise, it's considered slander!" Roxanne quickly fired back, which only made it seem more suspicious.

As Sophia eyed Roxanne, she thought of something and couldn't resist laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" Roxanne asked in confusion.

"You're back because you're after his money, aren't you, Roxanne? It can't be because you like the fact that he's impotent and infertile, right?"

"Sophia!" Phillip roared in fury at the fact that Sophia had brought up his sore spot.

Roxanne stiffened, her eyes wide with disbelief. Frowning, she turned to Phillip. "What does she mean by that? You're…"

Her eyes flitted down to his crotch.

"It means not only is he incapable of producing a child, but it's even an almost impossible chore for him to get it up. To think that a young woman like you has decided to devote her life to a man who can't even do it…"

Now that Sophia had the upper hand, she was completely at ease. She trailed off on purpose, just to see Roxanne's reaction.

Sure enough, Roxanne was panicking. She grabbed Phillip and sought confirmation from him. "Is she telling the truth, Phillip?"

"Haven't you seen for yourself whether it's true?" Sophia chimed in to fan the flames even more. "You two have been sneaking around for quite some time now. Have you two gone to bed together yet?"

Roxanne froze. They'd maintained their illicit relationship for six months now. There were a few times when they could've gone a step further. But whenever she set the mood, he would simply take her top off and kiss her passionately before stopping.

She'd assumed that…

"Don't tell me you thought he was being a gentleman—that he respected you and wanted to treat you right, so that was why he didn't touch you?" Sophia piped up, figuring out what Roxanne was thinking.

Roxanne's expression hardened. "Say something, Phillip!"

"Roxy, I…"

Phillip's hesitant stammers made it all clear. Roxanne turned around and ran off.

"Roxy! Roxy!" Phillip cried out in alarm. He couldn't resist whipping his head around to shout at Sophia, "Sophia! How can you say such things in front of Josh? Have you no shame?"

Before Sophia could react, Joshua retorted indignantly, "You betrayed Mommy! Are you even a man?"

Phillip looked at Joshua in shock, but he didn't have time to say anything about it. He swiftly ran after Roxanne.

Sophia was just as astonished. Stroking Joshua's head, she asked, "Joshie, did you understand what we were saying?"

Joshua blinked at her and said, "Not really, but I can tell that Daddy likes that mean lady, and he doesn't want us anymore."

Sophia's eyelashes quivered, her heart clenching. She hadn't thought about how she was going to break the news to Joshua, but he'd already figured it out on his own.

"I don't want Daddy either, Mommy. I just want you."

Nose prickling, she hugged him close. "Okay. You'll always be my precious baby, Josh."

Though it felt satisfying to put that cheating couple in their place, Sophia still had to deal with the harsh reality that came afterward.

The next day, the doctor, Vincent Ewing, called Sophia to his office. The results from Joshua's bone marrow biopsy were back.

"It pains me to inform you that your son does indeed have leukemia, Ms. Layton. You and your family will need to decide how you wish to proceed with his treatment, and it's best to do so promptly," Vincent said.

Despite being prepared for this outcome, Sophia still crumbled and teared up when she got the verdict.

"You need to stay strong, Ms. Layton. Considering the medical technology available these days, as long as your son receives the necessary treatment, there's a very good chance for him to live for another five or even ten years," Vincent assured her while handing her some tissue.

Clutching the tissue to her mouth, Sophia continued to sob. She didn't just want another five or ten years. She wanted Joshua to be healthy and remain by her side for decades to come.

After a while, she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"Please explain the treatment options to me, and tell me how much money I'll need to prepare," Sophia said.

Startled to see how quickly she'd regained her composure, Vincent nodded and launched into a detailed explanation about each treatment plan, including the pros and cons.

Christa arrived just as Sophia walked out of Vincent's office.

"How did it go, Soph? What did the doctor say?" Christa asked as she hugged Sophia, having noticed how red her eyes were.

Looking back at Christa, Sophia replied, "It wasn't too bad. The doctor said there's hope for recovery if Josh receives the necessary treatments. I need to raise the funds for his medical expenses first."

"How much do you need? I have some savings," Christa offered without any hesitation.

"I'm not going to take your money just yet. I know you're under a lot of financial pressure, too. Maybe I'll consider it if I really can't find any other way to get the money I need," Sophia said.

Christa had just bought a house a few months ago, which drained her savings, and she still had to make the monthly mortgage payments. The hospital-wide salary cut didn't make things any easier either. Sophia was fully aware that money was pretty tight for Christa as well.

The main source of money for Joshua's medical expenses had to come from Phillip. After all, he couldn't shirk the responsibilities of being Joshua's father.

Nodding, Christa said, "Alright then, but you must tell me if you need money."

The two were headed back to Joshua's hospital room when Christa thought of something.

"Oh, right. Uncle Bertram said that he'd spoken to that lawyer, Mr. Carter, again. Mr. Carter has agreed to meet with you in person. You can pick a day next week to drop by his law firm."

"Really?" Sophia was a little taken aback.

She had to start work next week, so she said, "Let me check my schedule first. I'll let you know in advance once I've settled on a time."

"Sure. You don't need to feel rushed anyway. It's that pair of cheating scumbags who should be in a hurry right now."

At the mention of Phillip and Roxanne, Sophia was reminded of how they'd shown up at the hospital to disgust her yesterday.

She thought about how Phillip might already have transferred their marital assets. Even if she couldn't get any money for herself, she had to at least get the money for Joshua's medical expenses.

Therefore, she couldn't drag out the divorce process. It had to be settled as quickly as possible.

With her mind made up, she turned to Christa and said, "Set the appointment for noon on Monday, Chrissy. I'll meet with Mr. Carter then."

"So soon? Alright. I'll tell Uncle Bertram."

"I don't know what I would've done without you," Sophia said.

Upon returning to Joshua's hospital room, she found that he was still asleep. After instructing Helen to keep a close eye on him, she decided to make a trip back to the house.

Vincent had informed her to prepare 500 thousand dollars to cover the initial treatment expenses. If Joshua responded well to treatment, that amount could be enough to cover everything. But if not, there was no telling how much more money she might need to pour into his medical bills.

Sophia hadn't managed to save up much throughout the years. For one thing, a large chunk of the money she got from Phillip went toward the household expenses. And secondly, her parents would constantly ask her for money.

Just three months ago, Arnold said he wanted to partner with someone else to run a restaurant and asked her for 200 thousand dollars.

All of her savings had been emptied.

Her only option now was to go back to the house, gather her luxury handbags and accessories, and sell them off to get some money to cover Joshua's initial treatment.

While she waited for the elevator, someone came to a stop beside her. Since she was looking down at her phone, she didn't pay any attention to that person.

Out of nowhere, the person's phone rang, and she heard a cool, authoritative voice ring out.