Sophia smiled.
Exactly! If everything proceeded normally, what Nathan did was just the typical behavior of a stupid person.
Earlier, Nathan had sent her flirtatious messages, which Sophia rejected. At that time, Sophia had been cautious, worried that if something happened, Nathan might twist the story to his advantage.
She had thought about telling Anna, but considering Anna’s relationship with Nathan, would she believe her? If Anna didn’t believe her and instead let the idiot manipulate her, it might lead to resentment, straining their friendship. What could she do then?
At that time, Sophia had just arrived in this world and didn’t know Anna well. After some hesitation, she decided to let it go. Later, when the incident at the bar occurred, she didn’t know how to bring it up.
Because she knew that if she spoke up, this would be the result.
Anna, swayed by Nathan’s words, thought Sophia had been the one to seduce him first.
Sophia thought for a moment and called Anna out to talk, showing her the saved messages on her phone.
After reading, Anna frowned and said, “What do you mean? Are you saying Nathan was hitting on you?”
Tears welled up in Anna’s eyes, though she tried to hold them back, clearly feeling heartbroken. Sophia stated the truth, “That’s exactly what happened. He sent me those messages first, but I rejected him. Isn’t it clear in the messages?”
“But…” Anna thought of Nathan’s words and frowned. “Nathan said you were rubbing your toes against his leg during dinner to seduce him!”
Sophia’s brows furrowed tightly. She had truly underestimated this man’s shamelessness.
He could even make up such a ridiculous story? Did he have no limits?
Rubbing him with her toes? Through thick denim jeans? How could he even feel that?
“What do you think?” Sophia stared directly at her.
Anna was taken aback, stunned by Sophia’s calm and straightforward gaze. She had imagined confronting Sophia, but never like this. Sophia was openly and calmly talking to her, her tone even, with no trace of panic—completely unlike someone guilty.
Sophia could see that Anna was hesitating, which meant she wanted to believe her.
Sophia explained, “Anna, I’m a married woman. Do you think I’d have any reason to do something like that?”
“But you…” Anna gritted her teeth. “I overheard you talking to your lawyer the other day. Aren’t you going through a divorce?”
Sophia sighed deeply. This was hard to explain. Since the situation was already out in the open, she had nothing to hide. She then told Anna what had happened at the bar. Anna kept shaking her head.
“That’s impossible! Nathan is a good person. How could he do something like that?”
“Believe it or not, you can always go to the police station and ask if there’s a case,” Sophia replied.
Anna felt devastated and didn’t know who to believe for a while.
“I’ve said everything I needed to. The truth will come out on its own. I don’t need to explain further. But let me warn you, Nathan is someone you should watch out for.”
The next day, Nathan came looking for Anna again. When Anna saw him, she remembered what Sophia had said and felt conflicted.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Nathan asked softly.
Anna hesitated. “Nathan, Sophia said you were the one who made advances toward her, but she rejected you. Is that true?”
Nathan froze for a moment, but his expression quickly returned to normal. “Baby, you can’t listen to other people’s provocations. Didn’t you say she’s getting a divorce? Women get jealous of each other all the time. She’s just unhappy in her own marriage and jealous of you. She wants you to be miserable too. Don’t fall for it.”
Anna paused, shaking her head. “That’s impossible. Sophia isn’t that kind of person.”
“How is she not? I even saw her being all flirty with another man that day. Do you think she was cheating on her husband, and that’s why they’re getting a divorce? Besides, do you even know who her husband is?”
Anna shook her head.
“Exactly! You know nothing about her. If she were so honest, why wouldn’t she introduce her husband to you? Isn’t it because she’s hiding something?”
Thinking of Scott Livinus, who had dislocated his arm, Nathan clenched his teeth in hatred. After that incident, Scott Livinus had reported him to the school, and Nathan had been formally reprimanded. Thankfully, the teacher, a fellow hometown friend, didn’t expel him. Otherwise, he would have been completely finished!
His arm still ached faintly. Nathan sneered coldly.
“Sophia is not a good person. She’s clearly the type to seduce men. Stay away from her, or she’ll corrupt you.”
Seeing how angry he seemed, Anna was even more confused.
—
That evening, Sophia had a call with Chloe. Chloe sounded unwell.
“What’s wrong?”
“My period is irregular, and I always feel uncomfortable.”
Sophia had checked her pulse a few days ago and didn’t find anything serious. It was just that Chloe’s energy was low due to a previous hemorrhage, leaving her body weak. Recovery would take time.
“I was just thinking of telling you—I’ll make some medicinal gelatin tomorrow. You can come by and pick it up.”
“Medicinal gelatin? Like the kind they sell outside?”
“Yes, but I’ll add some herbal ingredients to it. It’s good for relieving cramps, replenishing energy, nourishing the body, and calming the mind.”
“That’s amazing! I’ve had some before, but it didn’t seem to help much.”
“The kind I make is different.”
“Great, great!” Chloe sounded excited. For some reason, hearing that Sophia would personally prepare it made her feel assured, as though Sophia, with her expertise, could drive out every ailment in her body.
Sophia decided to make the gelatin because her current body was also weak. Although she had been taking care of herself, she still felt drained, especially during her period, when she’d often feel dizzy upon standing up.
She checked her own pulse and found no major issues. A little nourishment would suffice.
The next morning, Sophia went for a run before heading to the clinic.
“Good morning, Dr. Smith!”
“Good morning!”
“Dr. Smith, the clinic isn’t open yet.”
