Chapter 4

Sophia's POV

I clenched my fists, my heart filled only with bitterness.

Their intertwined hands stung my eyes. I looked away, my gaze falling on Ethan's face.

"Ethan, Grandma is critically ill and needs surgery. We're still short ten thousand dollars..."

Before I could finish, Lily frowned in displeasure.

"Sophia, even if you don't want to apologize, you don't need to use such an excuse, do you?"

"I'm not."

I cut her off sharply.

Lily's eyes immediately reddened. She hugged Ethan's arm, trembling.

"Mr. Pierce, did I say something wrong? I'm so scared. Will Sophia try to harm our child again?"

At this, Ethan's expression darkened.

"Sophia, it's just an apology. If you did something wrong, you should be punished. No excuse will work."

Punishment?

I tugged at my stiff lips.

He'd already punished me with nine miscarriages. What more did he want?

I suddenly remembered that before, when I fell and scraped my skin, Ethan's eyes were full of heartache.

He would cancel all his meetings and carefully stay by my side, summoning his private doctor to gently apply medicine to my wounds himself.

But now I was a complete mess, soaked in sweat, blood still flowing from my wounds, yet he could still turn a blind eye.

It was Ethan who comforted me after my miscarriages, who accompanied me through those days of lost hope.

But he was also the father of those children, and their executioner.

I was exhausted in body and spirit. My head felt dizzy.

I dug my nails into my palms. The pain was the only thing keeping me conscious.

Grandma was still waiting for the medical fees. I couldn't be willful at a time like this.

"Sophia."

Ethan's cold tone carried veiled coercion and threat.

I gave in.

I bent down.

"I'm sorry."

Ethan turned his head away, no longer paying attention.

"Fine. This matter ends here."

He carefully helped Lily down from the bed and walked out.

"Lily still needs to be examined. You should go back and treat your wound."

"Grandma needs surgery immediately!" I tried to reach out and stop Ethan. "We're still short ten thousand."

Lily displeasedly blocked my arm.

"Sophia, I heard from Mr. Pierce that your grandmother raised you since childhood. Even if you really don't want this child, you don't need to curse your grandmother who has cancer to death, do you?"

"I didn't!"

Seeing the dissatisfaction in Ethan's eyes, I desperately tried to explain.

"Grandma's condition has really deteriorated. She needs surgery now!"

"Enough!"

Ethan roughly shook off my hand.

"I've already instructed the attending physician. If there's any problem, they'll contact me directly! Sophia, the position of Mrs. Pierce will always be yours. You don't need to lie about this kind of thing."

The disappointment in his eyes was like a tangible force, transforming into countless swords that stabbed deep into my heart.

In his eyes, was I really the kind of person who would use such things to compete for favor?

I stood there, watching the two of them leave intimately, my vision blurring.

Nurses nearby were gossiping.

"Look at her. Can't even have kids. How does someone like that get to be Mrs. Pierce?"

"I heard she was jealous of that young girl's pregnancy and tried to hurt the baby herself!"

"Can you believe it?! She graduated from a top university, used to do pharmaceutical research. Who would've thought she could be so cruel? And she even lied about her grandmother being sick."

A sense of helplessness rose from the depths of my heart.

I took out my phone and begged the doctor to operate immediately. I promised I would raise the money.

"I'm sorry, Sophia."

The doctor's words cruelly revealed the truth.

"Your grandmother just passed away."

I hadn't even seen her one last time.

I turned and ran downstairs. When I gasped my way to the ward, I just saw Grandma being wheeled toward the morgue.

That tightly wound string in my head finally snapped. I forgot even how to cry and collapsed straight down.