Chapter 2

Sophie's phone had vision accessibility features, so she used her voice to control it, making it dial the number she'd committed to memory.

The call was soon answered.

"Hi. Am I speaking to someone from the Walker family?" Sophie asked, feeling nervous.

She heard a hoarse, elderly male voice. The man sounded a little agitated. "Who are you?"

"My name is Sophie Walker. I'm Tricia Walker's daughter."

She heard a loud clatter on the other end of the line. It sounded like someone had dropped something on the floor. Then, the man cried, "You're Trish's daughter? Where is she now?"

"My mom passed away four years ago." Sophie couldn't help getting choked up when she said that.

Tricia used to shed tears of heartache at the slightest injury that Sophie sustained. She would be devastated if she were still around and knew about everything Sophie had suffered.

The man was silent for a long time before he spoke again. He sounded choked up as well. "My name is George Walker, child. I'm your grandfather. Where are you now? I'll take you home!"

His tone was gentle but filled with sorrow. Bitterness surged in Sophie when she heard his words, but her heart also settled back in her chest. She quickly told him about her predicament.

George was furious when he heard about what Sophie had been through. He wanted to send someone to take her away from Livera right then, but she wanted to wrap things up there before leaving.

"Grandpa, can you help arrange for me to undergo surgery?" Sophie asked.

She would no longer love a man who'd lied to her and hurt her. She wanted to cut all ties with Jason before returning to Dalea!

But without her vision, it was still inconvenient for her to do many things. Since there was a cornea match, she wanted to undergo surgery to restore her sight as soon as possible. She didn't want to drag things out and run the risk of something going wrong.

George's reply came quickly. "I'll make the arrangements right now!"

"Thanks, Grandpa," she said softly, feeling relieved.

Barely two minutes after hanging up, Sophie's phone rang again. The voice prompt announced an unknown number. When she answered it, she heard a young male voice on the other end of the line.

"Sophie Walker?" He called her name softly. His voice was pleasant on the ears, and its neutral tone betrayed no emotions. At the same time, she could sense the authority in it though he had just said her name.

"That's me. Who are you?" Sophie frowned.

"My name is Oliver Halston. I'm in Prisa for a business trip, and George asked me to help you out. I'll arrange for the surgery to be done tomorrow, so make your preparations."

Sophie was surprised by how quickly George had moved. She soon returned to her senses, though. She said, "Thank you, Mr. Halston. I might need you to arrange for someone to help me put on an act tomorrow, though."

The bodyguards Jason had left would be watching her every move. She didn't want him to know about her getting the cornea transplant just yet, so she had to fool the bodyguards.

She told Oliver her plan. He was quiet for a few seconds after she finished, but he didn't question her. All he said was, "Okay."

The call ended there.

Sophie wasn't bothered by Oliver's aloofness. All she could think about was that she'd be having the surgery the very next day. Her eyes would finally be healed!

She was excited yet apprehensive, and her sleep that night was restless. She woke up early the following day.

Despite having been in Livera for two years, Sophie rarely left the house except for hospital checkups. Even if she did leave the house, Jason would clear out the places she wanted to go to. He also ensured bodyguards constantly surrounded her.

In the past, Sophie had thought that was just Jason's way of protecting her. In hindsight, he'd likely done it because he was afraid she would break away from his control and flee back to Dalea, disrupting Geraldine's life. That was why he'd indirectly placed her under house arrest!

Fortunately, she now knew the truth. She would find a way to break free of Jason's control so he couldn't deceive her anymore!

…

As usual, the bodyguards escorted Sophie to the hospital. This time, however, after her checkup, the doctor said her eyes had suddenly deteriorated and that she needed to be hospitalized for treatment.

This was part of the script Sophie had coordinated with Oliver the day before.

The bodyguards couldn't interfere in Sophie's matters, so they had no choice but to arrange for her to be hospitalized. Then, they contacted Jason to inform him of this.

However, Jason had gone off the grid after returning to Dalea. Even the bodyguards couldn't reach him.

It wasn't until three days after Sophie's surgery that Jason, who'd been unreachable for two days, finally contacted her.

"Sweetheart, why did your eyes suddenly deteriorate? Why didn't you ask Anton to treat you?" he asked urgently, almost as if he were genuinely concerned. "How are you now? Are you feeling okay?"

In the past, Sophie would've felt happy and loved upon hearing the concern in his voice. Now, however, she only felt disgusted. She didn't even want to say another word to him.

"I'm fine now," she said coolly.

"That's good. I'm almost done with things here, so I'll be back in Livera tomorrow—"

"Jason, which of these dresses looks better on me?" A female voice suddenly rang out, cutting him off.

"My client is calling me, sweetheart. I'll call you again later." Jason hastily hung up.

Sophie knew he'd gone back to Dalea to be with Geraldine, so she wasn't surprised to hear the latter's voice on the other end of the line. Instead of questioning him, she silently saved the recording of the phone call. These things would prove helpful in the future.

…

Jason didn't return early as promised. Instead, he only returned five days after Sophie's surgery. He visited her at the hospital with a bouquet of her favorite red roses.

"I was only away for a few days. How did you end up like this?" He sat by the bed and appeared heartbroken when he saw the bandages around Sophie's eyes.

The bandages could only be removed at least a week after the cornea transplant, so Sophie still couldn't see anything.

"Sweetheart, did the doctor say anything else?" Jason asked while taking her hand in his. "Things like finding you a matching donor for a cornea transplant."

She sensed the probing tone in his voice and pulled her hand away, saying, "No. I've been waiting for two years without any luck. It's not that easy."

"It really isn't." He nodded in agreement.

Sophie already knew that he didn't want her to regain her vision, but hearing the relief in his voice still left a bitter taste in her mouth. This was the man she'd loved with all her heart for two years. He was a big, fat liar!

"Do you have my mom's ring with you now?" she asked, not wanting to continue in this vein. "Give it to me if you do."

"Why are you suddenly asking about that?" Jason stared at her in surprise. "That's the token we exchanged when we got married…"

"I thought about it. I think I should wear it since it's the only thing Mom left for me. I've prepared something new for you, and it'll arrive in a few days. Think of it as a new token." The gift Sophie had prepared was the divorce agreement that she'd already signed.

Jason vaguely got the feeling that something was wrong, but the look on Sophie's face was the same as always. She didn't seem to mean anything else. Maybe he was just overthinking.

He said, "Alright. It's at home, though. I'll get it for you once I go back there."

He hesitated briefly before continuing, "Sweetheart, I have a female client who's in Livera for a trip. She doesn't like staying at hotels, so is it okay if she stays with us for a few days? She'll be gone once she's had her fun. I promise she won't overstay her welcome!"

Sophie knew this so-called female client was Geraldine.