Chapter 4

After being discharged from the hospital, I went home to pack my luggage, then moved out.

Since I'd blocked Sophia's number, she couldn't contact me and instead sought out my parents.

My mother, Rosaline Almasy, said in a persuasive tone, "I watched Sophia grow up. She's a kind young lady beloved by everyone in the neighborhood."

She wasn't wrong, as even outsiders praised Sophia as a wonderful woman.

That was why I agreed to go on the blind date my parents arranged between us and eventually married her.

It was only after we got married that I realized how stupid a move it was to take a good Samaritan as a wife!

I'd made up my mind, so Mom couldn't really attempt to persuade me otherwise.

Yet, I didn't expect her to get Sophia to drive me back to my hometown for Thanksgiving the next day.

It was only after I'd gotten into the car that I noticed another person sitting inside.

I'd never seen them around before.

Seeing that I was looking their way, Sophia explained nervously, "Jonathan, he's a new hire at our company who's also from Harbortown. He heard that we were heading back there and wanted to hitch a ride too.

"It's not easy to secure tickets on holidays like this, so I thought I'd let him travel with us for part of the trip. Is that okay?"

I snorted coldly and replied, "Do as you like. It's your car, so you're free to pick and choose your passengers. We'll be getting divorced soon anyway, so you don't have to consult me on things like this."

Sophia opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself.

Not long after the car turned onto the highway, my phone suddenly rang.

An elderly neighbor shouted over the phone, "Jonathan! Your grandmother was hit by a car at the entrance to the wet market! She's been taken to the town hospital!"

My heart instantly sank. I'd been raised by my grandmother, Helen Dawson, so I was closest with her out of all my family members. I didn't dare consider what I'd do if anything were to happen to Grandma.

After hanging up, I was beside myself with anxiety.

I looked at Sophia and cried, "Drive faster! Grandma got into an accident!"

Sophia's expression turned serious, and she floored the accelerator.

"Don't panic. I'll drive faster. If we don't stop at any rest areas, we can arrive within three hours," she informed me.

However, the man sitting in the front passenger seat then clutched at his stomach and said with distress, "Sorry, Sophia, but my stomach has been hurting for a while, and I was just waiting to use the restroom at a rest area.

"Why don't you two drop me off at a rest area? I'll take a taxi back from there."

After a momentary silence, Sophia replied, "It's alright. We'll stop for a bit at the next rest area. I just have to drive a little faster from there to make up for lost time."

We ended up spending 15 minutes at the rest area.

We hadn't been back on the road for very long before we arrived at the next rest area, whereupon the man clutched at his stomach and cried out again.

"I have the runs. I'd like to use the restroom again," he said.

Again, Sophia stopped the car.

Second after second slipped by. My chest burned with anxiety.

Unable to wait any longer, I opened the car door and ran toward the patrol car parked nearby with tears in my eyes.

I was prepared to beg the police for help. I just had to get back to Grandma.

Just as I was about to reach the patrol car, my phone rang again.

Grandma said over the phone, "Jonathan, I'm alright. The young lady who hit me was a kind person who insisted on sending me to the hospital for a full-body examination, where the doctor declared me completely fine. Don't worry about me!"

When I heard Grandma's hearty voice, I collapsed to the ground as if all the strength had been sapped out of me.

A few minutes later, I returned to Sophia's car.

Sophia said comfortingly, "See, Jonathan? Your grandma is a good person, so naturally, she's blessed with good fortune. She'll be fine."

I said nothing.

It was very quiet in the car, and the man never complained about a stomachache again.

After arriving in Harbortown, Sophia stayed true to her "kind-heartedness" and dropped the man off at his house first.

The man's parents even took the time to come out and thank Sophia.

Sophia soon got back into the car, smiling and in high spirits.

"Where to next, Jonathan? Is Grandma still in the hospital? Are we going to pick her up from the hospital first or going straight home?" she asked while fiddling with the GPS.

I looked forward and calmly offered a three-word reply. "To the courthouse."