Chapter 6

Sophia's POV

Carrying the freshly brewed medicine, I climbed the stairs one painful step at a time.

My legs felt like they'd been filled with lead. My vision kept going dark. With each step, the stabbing pain in my stomach felt like it would tear me apart.

I pushed open the master bedroom door. Clara was lounging against the headboard playing with her phone. Seeing me enter, she set it down, a malicious smile curling her lips.

"Oh, Sophia is here. Thank you for getting up so early to make it for me." Clara's voice dripped with sweetness, yet carried undisguised malice.

I ignored her mockery and numbly set the bowl on the nightstand.

"Drink your medicine."

Clara picked up the bowl and took only a small sip. Suddenly her wrist twisted, and the entire bowl of scalding brown liquid splashed directly at me.

"Ah!!"

Though I reacted quickly and turned aside, more than half the hot soup still splashed onto the back of my hand and arm. My fragile skin instantly turned bright red, even blistering. The searing pain made me suck in a sharp breath.

Before I could speak, Clara suddenly screamed and deliberately smashed the empty bowl to the floor. Shards scattered everywhere.

"Help! Evan! Help!" Clara covered her face, crying pitifully on the bed.

Urgent footsteps sounded outside. Evan burst through the door in long strides.

"What happened?!"

Seeing the ceramic shards on the floor and Clara sobbing breathlessly, Evan's expression darkened to its limit.

"Evan, Sophia..." Clara pointed at me accusingly. "I said the liquid diet was too bitter and I wanted to wait until it cooled down. She suddenly got angry, smashed the bowl, and tried to hit me..."

"You're lying." I clutched my scalded arm weakly and protested. "You threw it yourself."

"Enough!"

Evan didn't listen to my defense at all. His dark eyes bored into me, fury blazing in their depths. "Sophia, I gave you a chance by having you serve Clara, and you dare take your anger out on Clara!"

"I told you, she threw it herself. Evan, why won't you believe me even once?" I looked at him, my eyes full of sorrow.

"Believe you? Why should I believe a scheming, vicious person like you?"

Evan strode forward, grabbed my collar, and shoved me aside without mercy.

"Get out! Stop polluting Clara's eyes with your presence!"

Already in extreme weakness from the cancer flare-up, his violent shove sent me flying like a kite with a broken string.

My forehead crashed hard into the sharp corner of a table.

Searing pain struck. Warm blood instantly streamed down my forehead, covering my left eye. The bright red droplets fell onto the light-colored carpet, shocking to see.

I curled up on the floor. The stomach spasms made even breathing difficult. The pain radiating from my forehead left my mind completely blank.

The agony was so severe I didn't even have the strength to moan. I could only bite my lip hard until I drew blood.

Evan saw the blood gushing from my forehead. He instinctively started to take a step forward.

But just then, Clara cried out in pain. "Evan, my chest hurts so much..."

Evan's steps halted instantly. He turned immediately and gathered Clara into his arms, soothing her gently.

When he looked back at me on the floor, his eyes had returned to their icy, piercing coldness.

"Stop playing pathetic for me." Evan looked down at me with disgust saturating his tone. "You scraped some skin and now you're playing dead? Hurry up and get out, then clean this floor!"

Scraped some skin.

Hearing those words, I suddenly laughed. The laugh was weak, hoarse. Eerily unsettling in the silent room.

I used my blistered hand to brace against the floor and shakily stood up. Blood still dripped down my cheek, but I seemed not to feel the pain at all, roughly wiping it away with my sleeve.

"Fine. I'll leave."

I didn't spare Evan another glance, didn't look at Clara. I turned and dragged my broken body out of the room, one step at a time.

Behind me, the door slammed shut again, cutting off that man's tenderness and cruelty.