"I know that you are short of money, and I also know that Peter used those holess children to threaten you. There are three million dollars in this card. You only need to agree to one request of mine. I will pay you a sum of money every three months from now on," Lisa said, her eyes burning with intensity.
I furrowed my brow and cast a wary gaze at her. Clearly, she knew too much...
The Angel Fund was established by the Coleman family. Lisa was undoubtedly linked to Peter, my parents, and even the Black family in so way. No, now the Miller family was involved, with Charles and Nadia.
It turned out that they were unable to conceive a biological child of their own. Sofia was also conceived through in vitro fertilization, aning that her genetic makeup did not belong to them.
As a result, they simply desired to have a child. They did not care whether the child was being replaced by the nanny or was elsewhere. The reason for Charles and Nadia’s indifference, coldness, and mistreatnt towards Sofia was now clear.
One was a daughter who was born, but not related by blood. The other was Ann, whom they had raised for eighteen years. Naturally, they preferred Ann.
The reason why Sofia’s genes and Sophia’s genes were the sa was that they belonged to the sa batch of embryos. Biologically speaking, they were biological sisters.
"What do you want to do?" I stared at Lisa.
"Divorce Dexter, to be with Damien, and keep pretending to be Sophia," Lisa asserted as she pushed the card across the table to .
She asked to continue pretending to be Sophia and accompany Damien.
"Why? Don’t you think I was sent by Peter?" I couldn’t comprehend her intention.
She scowled and let out a sarcastic chuckle. "What a joke..."
"After Sophia died, Damien completely lost control. He is truly unlike his father. I never imagined he could feel such profound love. Previously, I viewed him as heartless and foolish, much like his father."
Lisa spoke again, the tone filled with mockery. "But since Sophia’s death, he appeared to have lost his mind. He isolated himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink, and inflicted harm upon himself."
"I’ve never seen him like this before...desperate, regretful, crazy..." Lisa was likely scared by Damien’s behavior as well.
"I had to force him to eat, but he ended up vomiting most of the food. He said he didn’t realize how much Sophia loved him, and now he regrets it."
Damien never believed that Sophia loved him, and he was unaware that she was pregnant. He carried his regret with him until it beca too heavy to bear.
She clenched her fist and murmured. "He wants to die. He said that if he dies, he can be with Sophia. He’s falling in love with an experintal subject... it’s just fate."
I looked up at her, my eyes on high alert. She was also aware of the experintal subjects...
Lisa clenched her teeth in frustration. "After punishing himself dejectedly for a few days, he began to harm and abuse himself. I have no other way, so I reached out to Peter, hoping that he could help him out... But little did I know, this was just the start of Peter’s conspiracy. He must have brainwashed Damien to make him believe that Sophia is still alive..."
"Did he really commit suicide?" I had my doubts. Could soone like Damien truly take his own life and engage in self-mutilation out of guilt?
"The first ti, he cut his wrists. The second ti, he not only cut his wrists but also wanted to drown himself in the bathtub. He ntioned that Sophia must be enduring intense pain... He said that Sophia was afraid of the darkness, and he wanted to accompany her.
"For the third ti, he went on a hunger strike, pushing himself to the brink of death.
"The fourth ti, this ti... he cut his wrists in Sophia’s room, making both horizontal and vertical cuts."
Damien was still unconscious after being rescued. It was uncertain when he would wake up.
She sneered and pushed the letter in front of . "This is the letter he asked the nanny to pass Sophia before his accident. As a mother, I’m asking you, please, pretend for once, even if you have to lie..."
"I just want him to live." Lisa pleaded, her voice trembling with tears.
She actually begged ... She begged to help Damien, to be with him and lie to him even if it was just for show.
I remained silent for a long ti before uttering a word. "I’m sorry. Believe it or not, I have never thought about hurting Damien..."
I looked up at Lisa. "You should be aware of Dexter’s situation too. He has a history of self- harm and suicidal tendencies when things get tough. I can’t and won’t leave or divorce him."
I took a deep breath, stared at Lisa, and finally expressed what had been weighing on my heart. "And... Do you really believe that an abuser will regret abusing his victim?"
Lisa was stunned and frowned at . "What do you an?"
"In Sophia’s eyes, Damien is the perpetrator. And you, you were a bystander. You could have intervened, but instead, you chose to play ignorant. You’re an accomplice too..." The words escaped my quivering lips.
"You knew what Damien did to Sophia, isn’t it? Damien sexually assaulted Sophia without her consent. What are your thoughts?"
Lisa was instantly overco with distress. "Don’t make assumptions about Sophia’s feelings with such a tone. She loves Damien, and the two of them have a consensual relationship."
I clenched my fists, a smile gracing my face. "Love should never be used to justify any abusive conduct. Sophia may have loved him. But that does not grant him ownership over her, nor does it entitle him to violate, degrade, and tornt her..."
"Sophia used a pregnancy test stick when she was pregnant. She threw it in the trash because she was scared. Later, she wanted to retrieve the test stick because she was worried about the nanny finding it. However, she discovered that it was gone. Did you take it?" I whispered, my eyes fixed on her.
Lisa was montarily shocked, looking at in disbelief, as if she couldn’t fathom that I was privy to such intricate details. Sophia couldn’t directly tell others this, right? She gave a suspicious look but stayed quiet.
"Despite knowing that Sophia was pregnant, you failed to intervene and stop Damien from engaging in harmful behavior. When he behaves like this today, regrets it, or even considers suicide, the responsibility lies with you and cannot be shifted. You should be held accountable for his suicide, not ."
I found it utterly ridiculous. They always sought to escape, running away from the truth. "Even if Sophia is still alive, I don’t think she will be able to forgive Damien. The damage has already been done. Does Sophia truly deserve all the harm she has suffered, just because his self-mutilation and self-abuse are ant to compensate for past wrongdoings?"
I rejected it with a quivering voice as I handed the card back. "I apologize, but I’m not Sophia. I don’t think I’m able to help you. Please find another way."
I stood up, planning to leave.
Lisa sank into the chair, exhaling deeply. "You had the chance to turn away at Dexter’s doorstep. Why did you decide to co here?"
I remained silent, most likely due to the upbringing she had provided with throughout these past few years. After all, she was the one who took in during my most difficult tis.
"It’s not too late to regret it now. Otherwise..." she threatened .
I didn’t say anything and left directly.
"Hand it over to the police." Lisa made a call when I entered the elevator.
The profound and complex way she looked at conveyed a sense of pity, almost as if she were observing soone on the verge of death.
On my way ho from the restaurant, I spontaneously decided to buy a serving of seafood croquettes from a roadside vendor. I couldn’t explain it, but I had a strong feeling that Dexter would enjoy them.
I was crying, but I didn’t know why. I couldn’t control my tears. I never expected Damien to take his own life, and I never considered forgiving him. What’s the point of all this now?
"Sophia, stop using the marriage contract to control again. Just think, do you really want to marry ?" In the past, Damien used to ask after drinking if I really wanted to marry him.
"Sophia, you are awful."
"Your love is worthless."
"Why don’t you go to hell..."
"Sophia, you are mine, rember?"
Damien’s repeated hurts were like leaving deep marks on . He seed to desire to possess in a contradictory way, but at the sa ti, pushed away with distrust.
"Sofia." I heard my na being called as I strolled down the alley on my way back ho.
I turned around and realized it was Howard.
He appeared visibly panicked and shouted nervously, "Run!"
I was confused and frowned.
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