“Because we were just never meant to be.”
They came from different worlds, and values were one of the many aspects that they didn't have in common.
Most importantly, she had no feelings for him.
In the next instant, Sophie aimed her gun right at the middle of Nicholas' forehead and was about to pull the trigger when Alex aimed his own gun toward her hand.
Still, Nicholas had seen it all. She was truly about to kill him; he would've been dead by now if Alex hadn't interfered.
“Let's go, Boss.”
Alex swiftly moved in front of Nicholas, but as soon as that happened, Sophie fired her gun between his brows.
The man collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide in disbelief.
“Go, Boss.”
If it meant letting Nicholas get away safely, he had no qualms about dying.
“Please, Boss... Go...”
He couldn't return to Anglandur now. Furthermore, Tristan and his men had already barged in, so Nicholas could only leave with his remaining subordinates.
Tristan arrived upstairs to see the gun in Sophie's hand along with a now lifeless Alex.
Sean and the others knew how skilled Alex was to be able to serve Nicholas all this while.
Yet, the man now lay motionless on the ground, his eyes wide open.
Completely uninterested in Alex's death, Tristan dashed over to Sophie and got down on one knee.
“Sophie, let's get married once we go home!”
This incident had given him a lot to think about, and now, he didn't want to wait any longer.
“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?” The woman asked in bewilderment. How am I supposed to get married looking like this? His dad already didn't like me back then. He's going to hate me if he sees the state I'm in now!
“It just popped up in my head. Or we could just get ourselves registered first.”
“I'm going after Nicholas,” Charles offered. Staying here would only be torture for him, so he figured he may as well do something more fun.
“Forget it. There's no need.” Sean grabbed hold of his arm. “He's gone.”
Alex's influence in Anglandur was no lesser than the Lombard family's power over Jipsdale, so if Nicholas wanted to escape, there would be no way of catching him.
Besides, what mattered most right now was to get Sophie treated.
Charles waved a hand.
“Fine. I'll just head outside then. I'm not going to sit here and watch you guys get all lovey-dovey.”
Why is everyone so chill? I can't stay calm. Why? Because I don't have a girlfriend! I don't know what true love is, for God's sake!
Sophie was taken to the same hospital as before. Ysabelle had already recovered by now, so she spent all her time taking care of the former.
Sophie had nothing to say about that, for she knew Ysabelle would only blame herself more if she were to just sit there and do nothing.
Still, quite a few hours had passed, and it was about time Ysabelle got some rest.
“You should go back and rest, Ysabelle. Don't worry about me. Everyone's going to worry about you if you stay.”
“I'm really okay, Sophie. I can look after you. Please let me do something.”
Otherwise, she would feel bad.
“It's not your fault, Ysabelle. It was an accident. Remember that, okay?” She really doesn't have to do all this for me.
Ysabelle said nothing.
How could this have had nothing to do with her?
Ultimately, she left only after Felix came over to get her.
Cecelia and Butterfly remained inside the ward, but they, too, left after seeing Tristan's expression turn increasingly chilly.
With just the two of them left, Tristan sat on the edge of Sophie's bed. Having her next to him made him worry less.
“You should get some rest too.”
He hasn't gotten any proper sleep ever since the whole incident. He can't go on like this.
“I'm fine. I've gone an entire week without sleeping, so you don't have to worry about me.”
“I know what you're capable of, Tristan, but am I not here next to you now? You can take it easy.”
Alex is dead, and Nicholas has definitely gone back. Besides, we've brought in more people to keep watch at the hospital. There's no reason to worry anymore.
Tristan took her hand.
“I know what you're saying, but I just don't want to leave you on your own. I can't bear to watch the same thing happen again.”
That was why he wanted to stay by her side, even if it meant doing nothing else.
Seeing him like this made Sophie's heart ache.
“Don't worry. I'll do my best to get better quickly.” That was the only way to make him feel more assured.
Barney and Arius got ready for the surgery the next day.
Everyone else had come over and was still concerned, even though both Barney and Arius were the best in the medical field.
However, they were worried because Sophie was the one being operated on.
The woman beamed as she saw the fretful looks on their faces.
“Okay, everyone. There's no need to worry. I believe in Dr. Smith and Arius.” It's not the first time something like this has happened, anyway.
Unlike the others, she felt completely at peace.
Butterfly walked over and held her hand. “It'll be okay, Sophie. We'll wait for you outside.”
Cecelia smiled too.
“Yeah. You've gone through much worse. I'm sure you can get over something as minor as this!”
Ysabelle remained silent as she really didn't know what to say at this moment.
Understanding how she felt, Felix put a hand on her shoulder.
“Don't worry. Everything will be just fine.”
With Barney and Arius here, they could surely fix her no matter how serious her condition was.
When it was time, Tristan personally took her to the operating room and even followed her in.
Noticing that he was dressed in a protective suit, the woman grabbed his hand.
“What are you doing here?”
He's going to be in so much pain watching me! It's not like he'd be of help anyway.
“I know there's nothing I can do in here, but at least let me keep you company.”
Waiting outside and not knowing what was going on would only make him more anxious, so he decided to just come in.
Barney and Arius were under a great deal of pressure, given that Sophie was their patient. Thus, the younger man felt nervous for the first time.
“It'll go smoothly, right, Dr. Smith?”
Barney glanced at him, knowing how the latter felt. He's like this whenever Sophie's involved.
“Relax. It's not your first time performing this surgery, anyway. Everything will be just fine.” At this point, Barney could only encourage him as they both gave it their all.
A doctor had come to inject Sophie with anesthesia earlier, so the latter now appeared unconscious on the operating table.
Despite being well aware that she had merely fallen asleep, Tristan couldn't seem to let go of the lingering fear in his heart.
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