In that way, how could John not hate Sophia after finding out that she, whom he loved so deeply, had slept with William?
"Are you finished?" Sophia brushed her hand away. "If you're done, get lost."
Sophia didn't expect it.
Emily fell heavily to the ground.
Footsteps approached from behind her, and then John picked Emily up in his arms.
He stood up with Emily in his arms and glanced back at Sophia.
That glance sent a chilling shiver down Sophia's spine.
Emily had been injured for John, and her bones were fragile. This fall caused her cervical vertebrae to become dislocated.
John kicked open the bedroom door, grabbed a quilt, and pulled Sophia up.
"How could you be so vicious?"
Years ago, when Sophia wanted to break up with him, he went to find her with injuries all over his body and in the rain, almost getting hit by a car. It was Emily who pushed him out of the way.
But as a result, Emily could never dance again.
"How am I vicious?" Sophia stared fixedly at the man in front of her, tears in her eyes. "John, if you have the guts, choke me to death!"
Her tear-filled eyes looked at him stubbornly. "I never betrayed you. I never slept with William!"
A sharp pain hit her abdomen, causing Sophia's body to tremble finely.
John stared at her with dark eyes for a long time before smiling.
"Do you think I'm still as gullible as I was before?" His eyes were bloodthirsty. "Would he give you money if you didn't sleep with him?"
None of the Browns were good people, and they certainly wouldn't do charity.
Sophia was too painful to speak for a moment. She took a deep breath. She knew John wouldn't believe her.
She smiled. "If you want to think that way, go ahead."
Sophia pushed John's hand away and tried to stand up.
John pinned her down directly. Sophia struggled. "Let me go."
John leaned over her ear. "Do you think I want to touch you? You're dirty."
Her already cold heart was shattered by John's words.
He unbuttoned his shirt one by one. "Didn't you say you never slept with him?"
John's smile seemed to come from hell. "Let me check."
Sophia shuddered all over. She bit her lip and hit John's shoulders frantically.
But she couldn't match his strength.
A fine tremor swept through her, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
Her abdomen felt like it was being torn by a knife. Because of the intense pain, she suddenly curled up.
"Stop pretending!" John glanced at her coldly. "I haven't touched you yet."
"I'm in pain." Sophia trembled violently. "My stomach hurts."
Painkillers, painkillers.
Sophia's mind was filled with painkillers. She struggled to push John away.
John was caught off guard, and his tall body was pushed backward. His leg hit the bedside table.
Sophia's bag fell from it, and a bottle of pills rolled out. John looked down and saw two pieces of paper.
He squinted and reached down to pick them up.
Sophia's face was tense. She tried to grab them, but John picked them up first.
John couldn't understand the medical terminology, but he understood the four words "terminal colon cancer" at the end.
He looked at Sophia with a complicated expression. Sophia looked like a fish out of water, collapsed on the spot.
John bent down and picked up one of the pill bottles. As he turned it, his gaze fell on it.
After a while, he threw the test results and pill bottle onto the bed.
"You really come up with all sorts of tricks." He smiled coldly. "Do you think I'll care about you if you forge this stuff?"
John bent down and supported himself on the bed with his arms.
He even thoughtfully wiped the sweat off Sophia's forehead. "You're not Emily. Even if you die, I won't feel a thing."
She was just imitating Emily because she saw her sick.
She was so young. Cancer? How could that be possible!
She, Sophia, had always been good at lying.
John left. Sophia lay on the bed and reached for the pill bottle John had thrown on the bed. Without water, she swallowed a pill dry.
An hour later, the pain gradually subsided.
Sophia looked at the faded ceiling and suddenly smiled, tears streaming down her face as she laughed.
The phone rang. Sophia wiped the sweat from her forehead and put the phone to her ear.
"Sophia, did you ask John for money?" Jennifer's voice came from the other end. Sophia sat up, clutching her stomach, her voice soft but firm.
Her lips were pale, and her eyes lacked luster. "I won't ask him for money."
"Then go ask William. Doesn't he like you?" Jennifer panicked, her voice suddenly sharpening. "Can you bear to watch your father die of illness?"
Sophia bit her lip, her fingers gripping her clothes tightly. Her eyes were cold. "You wouldn't know how devoted you are to my father, would you?"
Jennifer's breath caught, and her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Thinking of what William had in his possession back then, Sophia rubbed her red-rimmed eyes and said, "Geoffrey."
She was referring to Jennifer's lover's name. Sophia couldn't hear anything from the other end. A few seconds later, Jennifer hung up the phone.
...
Mia advised Sophia to stay in the hospital, but Sophia refused. She had prescribed herself enough medication from Mia to last her a while.
As soon as she got home, she saw John rushing out of the Jones' house. Sophia rarely saw him in such a hurry.
She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but John didn't give her a chance and got straight into the car.
When she got home, the servant told Sophia that Emily was in trouble. Emily had always been in poor health, and it was said that she had been diagnosed with severe heart failure.
Sophia went to the hospital where her father was staying. She remembered meeting Emily there last time.
In the hallway, she saw John pacing back and forth. He wore a black shirt and black trousers, his hair slightly disheveled, his almond-shaped eyes red at the corners, and his thin lips tightly pressed together.
He must be very sad, Sophia thought.
After all, he loved Emily so much.
During the years Sophia was with John, she knew that John truly loved her and what he was capable of doing for someone he loved. In fact, she had been very happy and content.
Sophia thought that since she was dying, she might as well do something for John.
Hopefully, after her death, he wouldn't hate her so much. And hopefully, if there was a next life, she would never meet John again.
John was urgently searching for a heart donor because Emily couldn't wait any longer.
And Sophia signed an agreement to donate her organs after death and underwent matching tests with Emily.
As she left the hospital, Sophia took the medication she had prescribed from Mia and threw it in the trash. She didn't need it anymore.
"Sophia."
Upon hearing that voice, Sophia stiffened, and then her shoulder was pressed down by a large, well-defined hand.
He had a scar on his index finger, bitten by Sophia.
Years ago, Sophia had refused to give in to him, all for John.
The man walked up to her. He had a buzz cut, thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and facial features superior to those of ordinary people. He loved to laugh, but his laughter was always creepy.
She noticed a grotesque scar on William's neck.
"William," Sophia closed her eyes.
William leaned over, smiled at her, and pointed to the scar on his neck. "John did this. What should I do to get back at him?"
Sophia suddenly remembered a similar conversation William had three years ago.
"If you don't come with me, how should I kill John?"
If the Johns' family hadn't been in trouble, Sophia wouldn't have been afraid. But at that time, the Browns were powerful, and the once-leading Jones family had collapsed in an instant.
Sophia had watched John, with red bloodshot eyes, go to borrow money from people who had been friendly with the Jones family before. The once proud and cold man had put aside all his pride.
However, one word from the Browns could make John's efforts fruitless and keep him down for life.
Sophia smiled lightly. "William, you deserve it."
William stared at her thoughtfully. "Are you relying on John for support? But I've heard he's been spending a lot of time with your good friend Emily lately."
Sophia didn't want to engage with him further and pushed his hand away. As she turned to leave, a sudden wave of dizziness overcame her, and her legs gave out, leaving her unconscious.
...
At the Jones' residence.
John leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed tightly, his arm resting on his forehead.
The hospital had informed him that finding a suitable heart donor was difficult.
If they couldn't find one, Emily would die. John irritably loosened his tie.
His phone rang, and it was a call from Emily's hospital.
"Mr. John, Miss Sophia has regained consciousness."
John's suspended heart eased a bit. He stood up, grabbed his suit jacket, and headed out the door, but a black Bentley blocked his exit.
John forcefully pushed open his car door and approached the other vehicle.
"Mr. William, quite bold of you," he sneered when he recognized the occupant.
William licked his lips, propped his left arm on the car door, and lifted his chin to indicate inside the car: "I brought Sophia back. She's asleep."
John glanced inside and saw Sophia sleeping in the passenger seat before quickly looking away. He smiled faintly at William, "If she's asleep, you can take her home. Why bring her here?"
Sophia's slightly open eyes snapped shut, and tears streamed down her eyelids.
William tilted his head, "Mr. John, no regrets?"
John replied, "What do you think she is to me?"
With that, John turned and got into his car, calmly observing William still standing outside.
Finding the situation amusing, William ducked to get into his car and made way for John. Soon, the car was out of sight.
Sophia slowly opened her eyes, unbuckled her seatbelt, and prepared to exit. William pressed down on her hand, "You're sick."
His voice was soft, and Sophia didn't respond.
He turned his head and asked, "Do you want me to take you away?"
Sophia pushed his hand away and stepped out of the car. William lowered his window and said, "Sophia, he doesn't care about you at all. I've heard Emily's awake. He's definitely heading to the hospital to see her now. If you don't believe me, get in, and I'll take you there."
"It's none of my business," Sophia replied, her back straight, as she walked step by step into the Jones' house.
For some reason, William felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen.