Anna froze for a moment, tears streaming down her face. “I did give her aconitine, but I only used a very small amount. I just wanted to teach her a lesson so she wouldn’t go looking for Nathan this weekend. This weekend is my birthday, and I wanted to spend my last birthday with Nathan. I never thought she would collapse like this. I swear, the amount I gave her was tiny, just a few milligrams—it shouldn’t have caused this!”
Sophia stared at her, noticing that her expression didn’t seem like she was lying.
“It wasn’t you who used thallium? Then who did?” Everyone in the dormitory was full of doubt. At that moment, the police went to the dormitory across the hall to gather evidence. Sophia stared at Anna and said, “Turn yourself in. Try to get leniency.”
Anna refused to give up and kept staring at her phone:
“No, I just want to wait for a call from Nathan. I want to hear him say with his own voice whether he loves me or Madeline!”
Just then, the police walked in and asked, “Which one of you is Anna?”
It turned out they had found evidence in Madeline’s diary, which mentioned that she had taken Anna’s boyfriend, leading the police to investigate further.
“I swear, I didn’t give her thallium. I only gave her a little aconitine because we often use aconite. I’m certain the amount I used couldn’t have harmed her—it would at most cause mild discomfort!” Anna cried as she explained.
Suddenly, one of the police officers shouted, “Captain, come take a look! There’s a new discovery in Madeline’s diary!”
When Adriana , from the dormitory across the hall, was brought out, everyone was shocked. Adriana was Madeline’s close friend, and the two had the best relationship in their dorm. How could she have poisoned Madeline?
Anna was equally stunned.
When the two faced each other, Adriana suddenly sneered:
“Nathan loves me! You two b****** kept stealing him from me! From the moment we met, Nathan and I were in love at first sight. We even had a relationship the first time we met. So why should you two idiots get to be with him in public while I stayed in the shadows, waiting for my turn after your dates? Especially that b**** Madeline—she wanted to have Nathan all to herself. How could I let that happen? I saw you buying traditional medicine that day, Anna, so I knew you were planning something. I went online and bought thallium to frame you. I never expected to get caught myself.”
Everyone was stunned by her words.
Adriana had always given the impression of being gentle and well-behaved, with a quiet and pleasant demeanor. No one could have imagined that she was capable of doing something so ruthless—purchasing thallium online to poison someone.
Anna was speechless for a long time. Even as she left, she was still in shock. She couldn’t believe she had been framed, nor could she comprehend that Nathan had been involved with so many women behind her back.
The love she had cherished suddenly became a cruel joke. With a bitter smile on her lips, Anna left crying.
—
This incident left everyone feeling uneasy, especially Madeline’s dormmates. Adriana had poisoned her, Madeline had been poisoned, and their once peaceful dormitory life was now in shambles. Several girls who had seen Madeline’s condition broke down in tears. Even if Madeline survived, the aftereffects of the poisoning would be inevitable.
Sophia’s dormmates also felt deeply uncomfortable. Anna had always been on good terms with them, but the revelation of her involvement in the poisoning left them unable to process the situation.
“Sophia, how many years do you think Anna will get? Her parents called me earlier, asking why they couldn’t reach her. I didn’t dare tell them; I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to handle it,” Adriana said.
Sophia felt conflicted about Anna. After a moment, she replied:
“They’re going to find out eventually. Instead of waiting for the police to contact them, it’s better if we tell them ourselves.”
That night, Anna’s parents heard about the situation and were devastated. They rushed over, saying they wanted to atone for their daughter’s mistakes by paying for Madeline’s hospital treatment.
—
Later that evening, as Sophia rode in the car, Scott Livinus spoke up:
“I had someone fix the phone line today, but it won’t be done until tomorrow. Do you want to stay at my place tonight?”
Scott Livinus suddenly leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt.
Sophia froze. His proximity made her feel breathless.
“Still not fixed?”
“Yeah, the wiring is old. A lot of it needs to be replaced.”
Livinus wasn’t lying. After Sophia’s parents passed away, she had been living in the Scott family’s house, which hadn’t been occupied in a long time. The humid environment in the mountains had severely corroded the wiring, making it necessary to overhaul everything for safety reasons.
“Alright, I’ll stay at your place.”
“Okay…”
When they arrived at Scott Livinus’s apartment, Sophia took a hot shower. The warm water cascading over her head helped calm her emotions.
After her shower, Livinus handed her a glass of red wine. “Try this; red wine is good for your skin.”
Sophia smiled and took a sip. Sometimes, alcohol really could help one forget their troubles.
“Why are women like Anna so foolish? And why do some women choose either suicide or killing the ‘other woman’ instead of the cheating man?”
Scott Livinus took a sip of wine, sensing the complexities of the situation.
—
The next morning, when Sophia woke up, Scott Livinus had already left. On the table was a note with strong, bold handwriting:
“Breakfast is in the kitchen. Eat before you leave!”
Sophia opened the breakfast he had prepared and was greeted by the aroma of porridge. She couldn’t help but smile.
This kind of life didn’t seem so bad after all.
After finishing breakfast, she folded the sheets, tidied up the apartment, and ensured everything was in order before heading to the clinic.
“Sophia, you’re finally here!” Chloe greeted her at the clinic. “Look at all these patients. Some have been waiting for you for days. If you don’t come back soon, people might start complaining that you’re running an illegal practice! Look at this crowd—there must be two or three hundred people!”
Sophia glanced at the scene. Indeed, there were hundreds of people gathered at the entrance.
“Sophia, you’re finally back!”
“Yeah, we were worried something had happened to you!”
“A day without queuing up for Sophia’s treatment feels like something’s missing!”
“A day without her treatments, and life just doesn’t feel complete!”
This group… they wouldn’t die if they didn’t tease her!
Sophia chuckled and said, “Alright, Mr. Raymond, sit down. Can you even stand with your condition?”
Mr. Raymond was one of Sophia’s VIP clients, a cancer patient. Western medicine hadn’t worked for him, and he couldn’t afford treatment, so he came to Sophia’s clinic as a last resort. He didn’t know if the treatment was working yet, but he felt better, so he kept coming back.
