If Colin had to marry someone else, Sophia hoped he would take Leila as his wife.
But Leila didn't agree, she wanted Sophia to get back with Colin. She had heard another piece of distressing news. "Colin has chosen to marry Dorothy Lien."
Sophia's world shattered. The shock was too much for Sophia to bear. Feeling her legs weaken, she fell to her knees.
Leila and Justina quickly caught her in time. Leila frowned and raised her voice. "Sophia Lo! Don't you want to avenge your parents? How can you avenge them if you're so vulnerable! You let me down, Sophia Lo!"
"Please don't, Miss Ji... Sophia's condition isn't good. There have been signs of a possible miscarriage." Justina gently persuaded Leila. She couldn't bear to see Sophia suffer.
Taking a deep breath, Leila continued, "I didn't mean to hurt you, Sophia. But you have to know that your name is taboo in A Country. Colin forbids everyone from mentioning it in his presence. Do you have any idea how much he hates you?"
Everyone in A Country knew that Sophia Lo had disappeared, so had her ex-boyfriend, Payne Tai.
Rumour had it that they eloped together.
"What can I do? Everything seems beyond repair..." Sophia grabbed the handrail beside her to steady herself.
Leila revealed her purpose for coming over. "When the baby is born, seek the Hang clan's help. We'll do everything we can to get you back with Colin."
"The Hang clan? Why would the Hang clan help me?" Sophia was puzzled.
"Do you remember my mother? Sandra Hang, she's actually your aunt. Your mother was also a member of the Hang clan. I'm your cousin, Sophia." Leila always had a feeling that she had seen Sophia somewhere before. Now she realized that Sophia looked a lot like her aunt.
Sophia's eyes widened in shock. "Miss Ji... Did I hear it wrong?"
"No, you heard me right. My mother had a little sister called Adelaide Hang, and she was your birth mother. She passed away when you were one and a half years old. After her death, your father married Julia Qiao, your foster mother."
Leila's words sounded familiar. It reminded Sophia of the story Colin had told her when they met Sandra...
"You're saying that... your mother had a sister, who was disowned by the Hang clan for eloping with someone for love. But the guy fell in love with someone else, and she died from depression..."
"Yes."
Leila's confirmation turned Sophia's face paler.
She remembered Colin asking her, "If you were the daughter of Sandra's sister, would you forgive Sandra?"
Thinking about it now, could she truly forgive the woman who indirectly killed her foster mother? Even if Sandra had changed her mind, her previous actions helped the killer...
Leila kept talking, but Sophia didn't hear another word.
When Leila was gone, Sophia stumbled back to her room. She lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling as she digested the news that Leila told her.
She never imagined that so many innocent people would get involved in her revenge plan. She never meant to hurt any of the people she loved. Everything she did reflected nothing but ingratitude.
Her disappearance brought nothing but shame to Colin and the entire Li clan.
And the scandal even undermined Levi's status...
Sophia couldn't help thinking about the other piece of news that Leila had told her. Her birth mother was apparently the younger daughter of the Hang clan, Adelaide Hang. Julia Qiao was actually her foster mother. And she had two cousins, June and Leila Ji.
But her birth mother's sister, her aunt, indirectly killed her foster mother. Although Jonas and Gregary drew the knife, Sandra participated in the crime.
Now, her cousin had told her that she could seek the Hang clan for help. That Leila and Sandra would convince the clan to take Sophia in.
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