Nancy knew she had hurt Bright, but she wasn’t ready to face society’s judgment.
“No matter what, I have to remind you—Bright’s legs need continuous treatment. Lately, I’ve noticed he’s not taking it seriously. If he doesn’t persist, the chances of recovery will become even slimmer.”
“When exactly will he get better? Sophia, I’m really anxious.”
Sophia glanced at her. “If he recovers, will you make your relationship public to your parents?”
“I… I can’t guarantee I’ll have the courage to do it. But if he truly gets better, maybe I can take that step.” She had always been timid, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be brave just once.
“And what if Bright recovers but no longer loves you? What will you do then?”
Nancy was stunned. She had never considered this possibility. All along, Bright’s love had seemed so certain, so unwavering. She had taken it for granted that he would always be there, waiting for her, loving her humbly. She admitted she had been taking advantage of him, yet she couldn’t help herself.
Sophia was right—she didn’t truly understand Bright. But from what she did know, he was financially stable, he was tall and handsome, and if he ever recovered from his paralysis, a man like him wouldn’t necessarily continue loving her.
Yet, she still wanted to keep Bright all to herself.
Was she really that selfish?
Seeing her conflicted expression, Sophia knew there was no point in saying more, so she didn’t continue the conversation.
—
Due to the inheritance issue, Livinus had been receiving a lot of public attention lately. Netizens all knew he had inherited company shares, and some busybodies had even done the math, calculating his personal net worth. They claimed he was now one of the youngest rich men and speculated wildly about the future of the Scott family’s assets. Everywhere Sophia went, she could hear people discussing him.
As a result, Livinus had been extremely busy.
Recently, he had been traveling for work, and Sophia hadn’t seen him for days. He had been disappearing a lot lately, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
That afternoon, just after waking from a nap, she received a call from the Scott family.
“Madam Scott.” Sophia wasn’t sure how to address the caller. She used to call her ‘Grandma,’ but changing it to ‘Aunt’ or something else just felt awkward.
“It’s too hot these days. You must not have much of an appetite.”
“A little, but I grow a lot of vegetables at home, all fresh, so I’m managing.”
“That’s good. Come over for dinner tonight! The old man says he wants to play chess with you.”
Sophia chuckled. Last time, when she had played chess with the old master in the hospital, he had taken a liking to her style. He said she played decisively, without hesitation, which suited his taste.
She agreed and went to the Scott residence that evening.
When the old master saw her, he huffed, “Just because you saved my life doesn’t mean I’ll accept you as my granddaughter-in-law.”
Sophia lifted her chin. “Alright then, but don’t think that just because you invited me to dinner, I’ll have my son call you Grandpa.”
The old master’s hand trembled as he placed a chess piece, his old face filled with shock. Son? Grandpa? Was she joking?
“Don’t try to fool me, old man. Look at you, so skinny—you don’t look pregnant at all. And besides, how do you even know it’s a boy?”
Sophia chuckled. “Just because I’m pregnant, does that mean you have to be able to see it? Besides, I’m a doctor—do you really think I can’t diagnose the gender of my own baby? You’re underestimating me.”
Sophia preferred having a daughter, but if she ended up having a son, she wouldn’t mind. To her, gender didn’t matter. However, she hadn’t shared the baby’s gender with anyone yet—not even Livinus.
The old master was genuinely shocked. He immediately called out, “Old woman, come in here! Sophia says she’s pregnant! Do you believe it? She might be lying to me!”
The old lady rolled her eyes. “I’ve known for a while.”
“What?! Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to see how you’d handle the situation. You’ve clearly already accepted Sophia, yet you keep pretending you haven’t. You insist on acting tough and refusing to let her into the family. Well, now she’s having a child. If you don’t let the kid call you Grandpa, let’s see what you do then!”
The old man was so angry that his beard trembled. “You’re too cruel!”
“So what if I am? Don’t tell me you don’t want to hold Livinus’s child in your arms?”
Unable to argue with her, the old master stormed off.
Once he was back in his room, he pulled out old family photo albums. As he flipped through pictures of Richard and Livinus as children, he couldn’t help but feel sentimental. Richard had always been a deep regret in his heart. As a parent, he failed to guide his child, and he couldn’t blame Richard entirely. He blamed himself more. If he had another life to live, he swore he would raise his children better, to be more filial and responsible.
He picked up a solo photo of young Livinus. The boy was dressed in a tiny suit, bow tie neatly in place, looking every bit like a little gentleman. This must have been taken after a violin performance—Livinus had learned to play the violin as a child but hadn’t touched it in years.
