Charles lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze that was brimming with hate and disgust. "You know what to choose."
"Hah." Sophia sneered. Her fist was turning white from clenching too hard. "Charles, the greatest regret of my life is loving you!"
She turned around, opened the door, and left.
Charles watched as she vanished from his line of vision. He lifted his foot subconsciously but retracted it before he could put it down.
Nicole glanced at the door several times, refusing to reconcile to the result. She said, "Mr. Harris, if you really love Soph, then you should know how painful it is for her to stay with you. If I were you, I would let Soph go."
"But you're not me," Charles said.
Nicole looked at him with a complex expression. "Are you going to force Soph to stay by your side even if she no longer has feelings for you?â
"Yes," Charles answered without hesitation.
He could not imagine life without Sophia, whether it was in the past or the present.
"..." Nicole sighed, overwhelmed by emotions and anger. She said, "What you have isnât love but your own selfish desire! Soph is right. Loving you is the greatest regret of her life!â
Charles looked at her coldly, not swayed by her words.
In fact, if Nicole was not Sophia's sister-in-law, he would not even bother standing here listening to her nonsense.
Nicole glanced at him without saying another word. She opened the door with a sullen look on her face and went out.
After Sophia came out of Charles' ward, she bumped into Victor. A woman wearing a patientâs attire was standing next to him. The beautiful woman was currently staring at him coyly, her face blossoming like spring.
"Thanks for curing my legs, Dr. Hemingway. My legs hurt all the time from dancing. Theyâve turned into a chronic problem now. If it wasn't for you, I would definitely still be suffering now."
Victor smiled. The dimples on his face were very deep. "Iâm just doing my duty as a doctor. Youâre too polite, Ms. Florence.â
"Iâm really grateful, Dr. Hemingway!" The woman's voice was soft and tender. "I will be discharged soon. Why don't we exchange IDs with each other on WeChat? I should invite you to a meal next time."
The smile on Victor's face faded slightly. "Youâre too polite, Ms. Florence. Look, youâre making me embarrassed now."
Before the woman called Miss Florence could say anything, he turned to look at Sophia and said, "Hey, Ms. White, where were you? Didn't we make an appointment to treat your leg right now?"
Sophia, "..."
"I was bored staying in the ward alone, so I went next door," Sophia said.
"Okay, Iâll forgive you, but donât do this again next time. I have to keep track of time even when Iâm eating. Time is precious." Victor was already pushing her into the ward as he spoke.
Miss Florence followed behind them and wanted to say something, but before she could enter the ward, the door slammed shut from the inside. It nearly slammed into her nose.
"Quick thinking, Ms. White" Victor said after closing the door.
Sophia glanced at him and sat on the hospital bed with her pink eyes. "Dr. Hemingway is a very good actor. I almost believed you."
"You flatter me." Victor's dimples appeared again. "I'm not lying, though. I was on my way to take a look at your leg when we bumped into each other earlier."
Though things were still unpleasant between Sophia and Charles, at least she could be sure now that he most probably would not break her leg anymore. Hence, she was also starting to think about the treatment for her leg.
"So... can my legs heal?" She dared not put too much hope, but she could not lose all hope either.
Victor sighed. "At a conservative estimate..."
He stretched his tone. Sophiaâs heart fell with a thump. Her heart sank as she studied his expression.
Sure enough, she should not have hoped even for a bit! She would only end up in disappointment!
"At a conservative estimate, your leg will heal, but it will take at most a year and a half." Victor smiled and pointed to her injured right leg. Under her surprised and overjoyed gaze, he said, "This leg will go up in value in the future."
For a moment, the joy that stemmed from the hope that her leg could be healed had diminished the pain Charles caused her. Sophia asked subconsciously, "Why?"
"A leg that can perform the most beautiful dance in the world will definitely go up in value." Victor raised his eyebrows slightly. There seemed to be bright stars in his eyes.
He and Clara had magic powers that could make others feel at ease. Sophia's tense back relaxed a little. A tiny arc formed at the corner of her mouth. "How did you find out that I was a dancer, Dr. Hemingway?"
"Aunt Lucy wouldnât stop talking about you. How else would I have found out?" Victor said, waving his hands.
When he brought up Aunt Lucyâs name, Sophia was reminded of her parents. She lowered her eyes, and the tiny arc at the corner of her mouth disappeared. "Aunt Lucy is very kind to me."
"Thatâs true." Victor's eyes were stained with a hint of helplessness. "I used to be all she ever talked about. Ever since she met Ms. White, I only rank second now."
Sophia lowered her head and remained silent.
"The bones in your leg are slightly deformed. You need to first undergo an operation to reorient them, then continue with acupuncture treatment and massage afterward. Do you have any problems with that?" Seeing that she was looking crestfallen now, Victor stopped talking nonsense and went straight to the point.
"No problem," Sophia replied. Then, she suddenly raised her head to ask, "Will the operation be risky?"
Victor thought that she was frightened, so he smiled and consoled her. "Don't be afraid, the surgical conditions and technology in this area are already at a mature stage. Apart from a few extraordinary cases, accidents wonât happen."
Sophia hummed a response, her eyes much dimmer than before.
Initially, she figured that if the operation was extremely risky, she could probably fake a surgical accident and issue a death certificate to break free from Charles' shackles completely.
Right now, it seemed like... she was just indulging in fantasy.
Victor did not know why she suddenly looked so crestfallen. He asked her to lay down on the bed and helped her to insert the needle, saying, "When will you be free, Ms. White?"
"... I think Iâll probably be free most of the time." Sophia paused before answering.
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 172 Come In, Itâs Cold Outside "Well, actually," Victor said, "Aunt Lucy wants me to tell you that she wants to invite you over to have a meal together when youâre free. She has learned how to cook several new dishes lately."
Beep.
The sound of a phone vibrating was heard.
Victor glanced at his phone, sighed almost imperceptibly, and added. "Ms. White, are you free tonight? Aunt Lucy wants you to go over tonight."
Sophia was just about to say yes when someone knocked on the door. Before she could answer, the person pushed the door and walked in.
The person who came in was Jenny. In just a few days, there seemed to be a few more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, making her look as though she was five to six years older compared to before.
She thought she would not be able to enter the door as usual but was surprised when she was able to push it open. A flash of surprise emerged in her eyes at once.
"Soph," Jenny called out, walking to the side of the bed and holding Sophia's hand. "Your dad and I have reached an agreement. You can come home now."