I Ctrl+Alt+Deleted My Ex and Ctrl+C'd His Uncle novel Chapter 77

**Through Silent Meadows We Trace Stories Left Behind Yesterday by Asa Rowan Flint**

Sophie found herself enveloped in a stifling haze, each breath a struggle against an invisible weight pressing down on her chest. The air felt thick, almost suffocating, as if the world outside was closing in on her.

Ding ding ding…

The sudden chime of her phone shattered the oppressive silence, jolting her back to reality. She flinched, her heart racing as she quickly pressed the answer button, eager to escape the confines of her thoughts.

“Are you still upstairs?”

Marcus’s voice poured through the phone, and with it came a wave of relief that washed away some of her anxiety.

“I’m downstairs waiting for you. Are you coming down now?” she asked, her voice betraying a hint of surprise.

“I happened to hear about the internal strife at Chandler Group, so I guessed you would be here,” he replied, his tone laced with a weariness that spoke volumes about his recent days. Sophie could only imagine how many multinational meetings he had navigated, all while holding back the urge to visit her in the hospital.

“I’m coming down now,” she said, determination creeping into her voice as she hung up and hurried to Marcus’s car.

The air between them felt charged, thick with unspoken words and the weight of their recent separation.

“Do you want to go back to the hospital?” Marcus broke the silence, his voice gentle yet probing.

Sophie nodded, a simple gesture that felt monumental in its significance. “Yes.”

As he started the car, Marcus deliberately kept the speed slow, almost as if he wanted to prolong their time together, to savor the moment before the inevitable conversation they both seemed to be avoiding.

“Is everything sorted out with the company?” he inquired after a brief pause, his eyes flickering toward her, searching for answers.

Sophie blinked, caught off guard for a moment, before it dawned on her that he was referring to the chaos at Chandler Group. “Almost everything is sorted,” she replied, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

“By the way, did you break Liam’s arm?” Marcus’s tone shifted, growing heavier, and Sophie could sense the tension in his voice.

She hesitated, her heart racing as she glanced at him. “Yes,” she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

The admission hung in the air between them, and although she had suspected it, hearing him confirm it sent a shiver down her spine. She had been blissfully unaware of the extent of Liam’s injuries until this moment.

Marcus furrowed his brows, his expression inscrutable. “Did he come to you and complain?”

Sophie took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the question. “Yes, he did. He said it was you who broke his arm, and he claimed you did it for me,” she replied, choosing her words carefully. “But I told him it was because of Liora, that it had nothing to do with me.”

She had been wrestling with her feelings about Marcus during his absence, and now, she found herself testing the waters of his reaction, curious about his feelings toward her.

Marcus remained silent, his face a mask of contemplation, revealing nothing of what he was thinking.

An unsettling urgency filled the car. “Marcus, are you—”

Before she could finish her thought, Marcus abruptly pulled over to the side of the road, the tires screeching against the asphalt.

Sophie froze, her heart racing as she looked at him, bewildered. “Marcus, why did you stop the car suddenly?”

He turned to her, his gaze piercing and intense. “He wasn’t lying.”

“What?” Sophie’s mind raced, confusion swirling as she tried to process his words.

“Liam wasn’t lying,” he reiterated, leaning closer, the stubble on his face catching the light.

The realization hit her like a punch to the gut—Marcus had indeed broken Liam’s arm for her.

He vividly recalled the harrowing scene at the Starlight Cup, where Sophie had been bound in chains, her wrists marred with bruises and scars.

Sophie’s eyes lit up at the mention of her brother. “Mom, have you contacted my brother?”

“His secretary just called. They’ve roughly located where your brother is, and they’re on their way there now. If all goes well, he should be back in about three days,” Mrs. Chandler said, a small smile breaking through her worry. “You’ve been working so hard, Sophie. You were already in a weak state, and your father’s condition only made it worse.”

Mrs. Chandler sighed, her eyes filled with a mix of pride and concern. “I should have let you rest, but with the company in trouble…”

Sophie felt a wave of relief wash over her at the thought of her brother’s return. She couldn’t wait to have someone she could lean on, someone who would understand the weight of their family’s legacy.

The following morning, Sophie was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing insistently.

Groggy and half-asleep, she squinted at the caller ID, her heart sinking when she saw “Liam.” Without a second thought, she blocked the number and rolled over, hoping to drift back into sleep.

By noon, her mother’s voice broke through her haze.

“Sophie, your dad’s awake!”

Sophie shot up, adrenaline coursing through her veins. “Really? Mom, I’m coming right now!”

Excitement surged within her as she quickly changed and dashed toward the hospital. But as she reached the entrance, she was intercepted by Liam.

“Sophie, I’ve been calling you. Why didn’t you answer?” he asked, his tone insistent.

Sophie shrugged off his hand, irritation flaring. “I was sleeping, and my phone was on silent. What do you need?”

“We’ll talk about us later. I just heard your uncle woke up. Let me go with you to visit him,” Liam said, his voice shifting to a more serious tone.

Sophie hesitated, torn between her desire to see her father and the discomfort of being near Liam. But she knew she had to face the reality of her situation, and with a deep breath, she nodded, steeling herself for what lay ahead.