Chapter 3

Andrew abruptly looked back and called after me. "What you said about calling off our engagement—were you serious about it?"

I stopped and turned to meet his gaze.

"Yes."

His face immediately darkened with displeasure.

Mom came out of her room and glared at me irritably. "Sophia Ward! Wasn't your phony attempt to run away from home enough? Now you're using your engagement to throw another tantrum? You're doing all this just because you're jealous of a sick person?

"How on earth did we spoil you so much that you've lost even the most basic sense of empathy!"

I clenched the hem of my blouse, a dull ache spreading through my heart. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. I'm serious about calling off the engagement."

Suddenly, Eliza collapsed to the floor and writhed in pain while clutching her stomach.

"Ellie!"

Mom and Owen immediately rushed over to cradle her. Andrew didn't spare me another glance either. He hurried to the storage cabinet and pulled out some medicine.

"It's happening again! Get some warm water so she can take her medicine!"

Owen expertly patted Eliza's back.

The three of them crowded around her in a panic, as if they would gladly take her pain upon themselves if they could.

It felt as though my heart had been cut into pieces. My breathing suddenly grew rapid. Then my vision went black, my legs gave way, and I collapsed to the floor. The back of my head struck the corner of the table with a dull thud.

Owen glanced back, his expression frustrated. "Sophia! When are you going to stop putting on these little performances? Every time Ellie feels unwell, you suddenly feel unwell, too. What are the odds? Do you really have to get jealous at a time like this?"

I clutched my stomach, which was throbbing with unbearable pain, as cold sweat broke out all over my body.

Andrew didn't even lift his head. "Sophia, it's time you started acting your age. Stop pretending. We're not going to come running to comfort you. Has anyone gotten Ellie her warm water yet?"

I struggled to push my upper body off the floor. I reached into my pocket, but my hand came up empty. I'd packed my painkillers into my suitcase. I wanted to get up and retrieve them, but I couldn't summon even the slightest bit of strength.

"Owen." My voice was hoarse as I pleaded with him. "I'm in pain. Could you get my medicine for me? It's in that suitcase."

He was busy wiping the sweat from Eliza's face. Hearing me, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Sophia, I honestly don't know what happened to you. I watched you grow up. Don't you think I can tell when you're in pain and when you're lying?"

He picked up an empty bottle from the table and tossed it in front of me. "Does this look familiar?"

I lowered my head and struggled to make out the object through my blurred vision. It was my medicine bottle. However, someone had changed the label. It now looked more like a candy container.

"You couldn't even make your act seem more convincing. You dumped some tablets into a bottle meant for candy, and you expect us to fall for it? Can you stop resorting to these pathetic tricks, Sophia?"

Apart from Eliza, no one else would go to such lengths to pull something like this.

"That isn't candy." My vision blurred as I fought to keep my voice from breaking.

"You expect me to believe that just because you say so?" Owen shot back. "I took everything out of the bottle and had it tested. It's just candy.

"Now drop the act, Sophia. I'm not in the mood to have you playing me for a fool every single day."

Without sparing me another glance, he turned back to Eliza and carefully patted her soothingly while wiping her sweat once more.

I stopped begging for help. Bracing myself on my elbows, I gritted my teeth and slowly dragged myself back to my room.

The moment I closed the door, I could no longer hold it in. A mouthful of blood spilled from my mouth. My entire body ached, and I was freezing.

I found the painkillers tucked away in a corner of my bedside table. I poured out the last two tablets and crushed them between my teeth, the bitterness filling my mouth. My throat was parched, and the medicine took its time to work.

I curled up in a corner of the bed, scratching at my arms over and over as the pain overwhelmed me. My mind drifted back to the days before Eliza came along, when I was still the apple of my family's eye.

Back then, if I so much as scraped my skin, Mom would cry until her eyes were swollen and red.

"Sophia, you're Mommy's angel. Mommy can't bear to see you get hurt."

Their love had been real. But now, they had someone they loved more.

Footsteps sounded outside, followed by Andrew's soft, low voice. "Don't make so much noise, or you're going to wake Ellie."

I instinctively wiped away my tears and struggled to pull the blanket over myself. The next second, the bedroom door opened, and Andrew walked in. Seeing me huddled in the corner with the blanket pulled over me, he assumed I was throwing another tantrum.

"Stop pretending. I heard you pulling the blanket over yourself."

He came closer, and when he stepped on my phone, he picked it up without a second thought.

I poked my head out from under the blanket. "What are you doing here?"

My voice was unbearably hoarse.

"Ellie has finally managed to fall asleep. You've been acting up far too much lately. I'm worried you'll suddenly start another scene and disturb her. I'm taking your phone to prevent you from pulling another stunt just to get our attention."

He slipped my phone into his pocket. When I reached up to snatch it back, he caught my thin wrist in one hand. He didn't even squeeze hard, yet I couldn't move.

"Sophia, can you stop being such a schemer for once? Once Ellie's condition improves, I'll take you to pick out a new wedding gown. You went too far tonight, so just stay in your room and clear your head."

He released my wrist and turned to leave. The key turned with a faint click, and the door locked from the outside.