Chapter 3

Upon seeing me, Sophia showed not a hint of panic; instead, she acted like the mistress of the house, greeting me warmly:

"Sister Elena, come in quickly, make yourself at home."

I was momentarily speechless and looked quizzically at William on the sofa.

"Why is she here?"

Sensing my expression, William explained somewhat awkwardly: "The water heater in Sophia's apartment broke, so I brought her home to wash up. Don't overthink it."

I understood instantly. No wonder William was home tonight; it was entirely for Sophia.

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, adding: "It's a good thing you sent Leo away, otherwise the house would be too chaotic and inconvenient."

I felt only irony. He hadn't even noticed that his son was gone; his mind was filled only with how to please Sophia.

Sophia feigned guilt and said: "It's all my fault for disturbing your private time, Sister Elena. I'm just staying for one night, you won't be angry, will you?"

Yet her eyes were full of triumph and provocation.

William, eager to avoid conflict, quickly interjected: "Elena, rest assured, Sophia and I have agreed she will sleep in the guest room. She won't disturb us."

But I clearly saw a look of disdain on Sophia's face.

"William, the mattress in the guest room is too hard, and my back isn't good..." Sophia whined coquettishly.

William immediately showed a look of distress and turned to me:

"Elena, since Sophia has a bad back, let's not make her sleep in the guest room. Let her have the master bedroom. We can sleep in the guest room."

Hearing this, a look of wild joy appeared on Sophia's face.

"Really? William, you are too good to me."

William let out a long sigh of relief and looked at me.

"Elena, it's rare for you to be so understanding. I was worried you'd be jealous of Sophia and start screaming and shouting again."

He thought I was still that resentful woman who would become hysterical just to gain his attention.

I was leaving anyway; what did it matter to me who lived in this house?

Watching William gleefully help Sophia move her luggage into the master bedroom, I silently packed the last of my things, preparing to go to a hotel.

But as I reached the door, William came out of the bedroom and called out to me.

"Elena, it's so late, where are you going with that suitcase?"

I smiled faintly.

"To make room for you two, of course."

Hearing this, William's face turned dark, and he gritted his teeth:

"Elena, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I already explained, it's because of Sophia's back injury that she's staying temporarily. Giving up the master bedroom is just to care for a patient. What is this act now?"

"Do you have absolutely no compassion?"

He prattled on, but I found it merely amusing.

Before, when I argued about Sophia's boundary-crossing behavior, he called me immature and unreasonable. Now that I was mature and stopped arguing, he was unhappy again.

Sophia pretended to sob at the doorway.

"I knew Sister Elena was still mad at me. It's all my fault, I should just go to a hotel."

Her clumsy acting fooled William, who immediately shielded Sophia.

"Sophia, you are staying right here tonight. Let's see who dares to chase you out!"

He crossed his arms and said coldly to me:

"You've gotten bold. Fine. If you have the guts to leave, don't come back!"

He thought I loved him to the bone, that I couldn't survive without his money and protection.

But from the moment my son died, my love for him had vanished into smoke. I would never forgive him.

I let out a cold laugh, picked up my suitcase, and left without looking back.

William stared at my retreating figure in disbelief, seemingly unable to understand why I, who had always been so submissive, was now so resolute.

It wasn't until I stepped into the elevator that I heard his roar:

"Get out! Don't come back begging me!"

But he didn't realize that I was truly never coming back. He had lost me forever.

In the Hilton Hotel, I slept soundly.

The next morning, I was woken by dozens of missed calls—all from William.

The last call was just half an hour ago.

I was surprised; he must not have slept all night.

In the past, he always told me to be magnanimous and not to fuss over Sophia. How had he become so unsettled now?

Opening the door, I found William standing in the hallway, looking exhausted.

Seeing me, his eyes instantly reddened, filled with both anger and grievance.

"Just because I let Sophia stay the night, you run away from home and even quit your job?"