Sophiay on the bed and looked toward the doorway, only to see Marcus standing there motionless.


    The man was tall and had a slender figure. His tailored ck suit that entuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist made him look exceptionally stylish.


    If Sophia hadn''t been his fake lifesaver, she would have pursued him back then.


    Putting everything else aside, Marcus'' appearance alonepletely outshone Sky.


    But Sophia couldn''t even have Sky, her legitimate fiancé, let alone dream about the unobtainable Marcus.


    However, stolen things would always remain stolen. No matter how cautiously she held on, she could never grasp happiness that didn''t belong to her.


    Tears streamed down Sophia''s face as she reached out and caressed her lower abdomen. Losing the child was a good thing for her, but if that man knew about it, she was afraid he would kill her.


    Perhaps he would torment her in an even more cruel way.


    Perhaps he sensed the intense gaze fixed on him from inside the room, but Marcus suddenly turned around. Sophia hadn''t had time to avert her eyes, and he caught her staring at him.


    But at that moment, her face was tear-streaked, and Marcus'' doubts were suppressed.


    "What''s wrong?" he asked.


    Sophia quickly shook her head and said, "It''s nothing."


    She then started, "Marcus, if I told you...''


    "


    Sophia bit her bottom lip, not daring to meet his eyes. But in the end, she gathered her courage and continued, "If one day, I had no choice but to deceive you, would you me me for it? Would you take revenge on me? Would you... hate me?"


    Marcus stared at Sophia and asked bluntly, "So, what have you deceived me about?"


    Sophia hurriedly shook her head. "No, I just mean... in case it ever happens. Maybe I had no other choice. Just in case anything unforeseen happens, I want to ask for a chance to be forgiven."


    As she spoke, Sophia lowered her head again. "Marcus, have you helped me arrange a meeting with Ms. Walker?"


    "I''ll do it right now." Marcus took out his phone and called Natalie in front of Sophia.


    After the phone rang three times, Natalie answered. "Hello, Mr. Holden?" "Ms. Walker, Sophia wants to meet you. Are you avable toe over?"


    "Yes, I am." Natalie had already nned to visit Goodwill Pharmacy. Whether Sophia wanted to meet her or not, she had to check on her recovery anyway.


    "Thank you very much, Ms. Walker."


    Marcus was polite, and Natalie responded with equal politeness. "No need to thank me, Mr. Holden. I''m just doing what I should."


    After ending the call, Marcus saw Sophia visibly exhale in relief, but then her expression turned tense and filled with worry again.


    "Natalie has agreed. She should be here soon," Marcus told her.


    He kept his phone away. "Sophia, you don''t look well. I told you before that if you


    run into any trouble, you can tell me. If I can help you, I will."


    "I know, but this... no one can help me." Sophia''s face was pale as she said, "Marcus, I want to rest now."


    "Alright, then rest."


    Marcus turned and left the room. As he did, he heard Sophia let out a long sigh, one filled with obvious fear and unease.


    ...


    An hourter, Natalie drove to Goodwill Pharmacy. She first took Olivia to Lincoln''spany, where Shawn met the both of them by the entrance and brought Olivia in.


    Then, Natalie continued her journey to Goodwill Pharmacy alone.


    "Ms. Sinir, I heard you wanted to see me." Natalie pulled up a chair and sat in front of Sophia''s hospital bed.


    Marcus couldn''t wait an hour for her to arrive and had already left to do his own things.


    "That''s right." Sophia was still lying down. Her eyes began to redden as she stared at Natalie''s face for a while.


    "Ms. Walker, do you recognize me?" she asked.


    "Hmm?" Natalie raised an eyebrow, looking at Sophia with a hint of confusion.


    "Ms. Walker, I recognize you now." Sophia took a deep breath. Her face was pale, and her entire demeanor radiated guilt and unease.


    "When we were kids, you saved Marcus and then asked me to look after him. Butter, I stole the credit for what you did. For a long time afterward, I lived in constant fear, always anxious that one day you woulde back and expose me.


    "But since then, you never appeared again, and I gradually let my guard down. I thought we would never meet again in this lifetime. Yet, here we are, meeting again—and under such circumstances."


    As Sophia spoke, her eyes reddened further. "I dare not tell Marcus the truth, but I''m also terrified. After all, something that was stolen will never truly belong to me."


    "So, are you nning to tell Marcus now?" Natalie asked lightly. "Or do you just want to talk things through with me so that I won''t expose you?"


    Sophia hadn''t expected Natalie to see right through her. She looked ashamed as she bit her lip, not knowing what to say.


    "Ms. Sinir, just say what''s on your mind." Natalie could already guess what Sophia was thinking about when she looked at her. "If I wanted to expose you, I would have told Marcus right from the beginning. You don''t have to be afraid."


    Sophia widened her eyes upon hearing that, and she looked at Natalie in disbelief. "Ms. Walker, so... you''re not nning to tell Marcus you were his savior as a child?"


    "Yeah. I have no intention of telling him," Natalie said indifferently. She simply didn''t want to have too much involvement with Marcus.


    "Then... you don''t me me?" Sophia was dumbfounded. She didn''t expect her worries to be so easily resolved with just a few words from Natalie.


    "I won''t." Natalie''s tone remained calm. To her, this was nothing more than a trivial matter, so she had let it go.


    Plus, even if the person who fell into the water was not Marcus but someone else, she still wouldn''t have stood by and done nothing.


    No matter who it belonged to, a human life was still a life.


    Sophia waspletely stunned and was at a loss for words for a moment.


    "Ms. Sinir, have you been carrying a burden because of this?" Natalie looked at Sophia''s stunned expression and asked, "Why has this matter been tormenting you for so many years?"


    Sophia snapped out of her daze and bit her lip again, unsure of how to answer Natalie''s question.


    For years, she had lived in constant fear, always worried about being exposed. Because of that fear, it had led her to her current predicament.


    Now that the child was gone, it was as if fate had made the decision for her. Perhaps, in a way, it was a blessing in disguise.


    But regardless, she still owed Natalie for this matter.


    "Ms. Walker, I''m sorry." Sophia propped herself up. "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry. All these years, I lived in fear, but I also left things up to luck, thinking that if you didn''t show up, I could always be known as Marcus'' lifesaver.


    "My father treated my mother and me horribly. My mother never fought back, and


    in the end, she was forced into a convent. The only reason I was able to survive in


    the Sinir family was because I held the title of your brother''s fiancée.


    "But behind closed doors, Ruby never stopped sending people to bully me."


    As Sophia spoke, her eyes reddened even more. "Because Marcus was around, Ruby didn''t dare go too far. But I can''t always rely on Marcus to support me. So..."


    Sophia choked up. In truth, Ruby had still managed to get others to constantly torment Sophia.