NovelNext Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Sophia Sinclair nearly collapsed as she stepped out of the prison gates, her legs giving way beneath her. Luna Smith rushed to steady her, only to realize her own hands were trembling uncontrollably.
The black Maybach gleamed coldly under the sunlight. The fifty-meter walk to the car felt like an eternity, the mother and daughter stumbling like drunks. The bodyguards had to support them on either side to get them into the vehicle.
"Madam, Miss, please fasten your seatbelts."
No one answered. The only sound in the car was their ragged breathing.
Back at the manor, Sophia shoved everyone aside and stormed into her bedroom. The door slammed shut with such force that the crystal chandelier swayed. Clutching the faded photograph in her hand, her nails dug into her palm until it nearly bled.
The woman in the photo bore an uncanny resemblance to her.
Five years of marriage—she had truly believed Ethan Smith loved her. That was why he endured her coldness, tolerated her whims, and even smiled while accepting the child she had with Alexander Huxley.
But it was all a lie.
"Hahaha..." Sophia suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed a perfume bottle from the vanity and hurled it at the mirror.
The sound of shattering glass startled the maids outside.
"Madam? Are you all right?"
"Get out! All of you, get out!"
She snatched a liquor bottle and drank straight from it, the amber liquid spilling down her chin and soaking her silk nightgown.
Every look he had given her—it was never meant for her.
Every sweet word he had whispered—it was never meant for her.
For five years, she had been nothing but a pitiful stand-in.
In the next room, Luna tore through drawers, flipped over rugs, and even crawled under the bed in a frenzy.
Nothing. There was nothing left.
The man who had braided her hair every morning, the man who never got angry no matter how much she called him "useless"—he hadn’t even left behind a single photograph.
"Liar..." The little girl curled up in the corner, burying her face in her knees. "You promised you'd never leave me..."
Tears soaked her skirt. She remembered last year, on her birthday, when Ethan had stayed up all night baking her a castle-shaped cake. She had mocked it for being tacky and thrown it in the trash right in front of him.
Now she finally understood why his eyes had looked so heartbroken that day.
"Daddy..." Luna sobbed until she could barely breathe. "I'm sorry... Please come back..."
An eerie silence hung over the entire manor. The staff exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to disturb them.
Late into the night, the sound of falling liquor bottles in the master bedroom finally ceased. The quiet sobs outside the nursery door gradually faded.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains, painting a silver line across the floor.
In her dreams, Sophia saw Ethan standing in a haze of white mist. She ran toward him desperately, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch the edge of his coat.
"Ethan!" she screamed, her voice raw. "Did you ever love me? Even for a single moment?"
The man turned, offering her the same gentle smile she knew so well.
Then he dissolved into countless specks of light, vanishing into the mist.
At the same time, Luna dreamed she was standing at the entrance of an amusement park. Ethan knelt to tie her shoelaces, the sunlight gilding his profile.
"Daddy has to go somewhere far away," he said softly. "Be good, Luna."
The little girl clung to his sleeve. "Take me with you!"
He shook his head, gently prying her fingers loose one by one.
"I'm sorry."
Their dreams overlapped at that moment. Mother and daughter both woke with a start, their pillows damp with tears.
Outside, the morning star had just begun to rise.