Chapter 5
Marvin didn't waste any time. He quickly pulled out his professional medical kit and started treating Sophia's wound.
The blisters had already started to ooze pus, and it was painful to look at.
Sophia was already numb from all the pain, so when Marvin dabbed on the medicine, she could hardly feel anything anymore.
"I got burned by the charcoal while grilling earlier," Sophia explained.
She paused, her voice hoarse, like sandpaper scraping over it.
"Dr. Smith, I put on the ointment as soon as it happened, so why did it get this bad? Was the burn really that bad?" she asked.
Marvin gently wiped off the ointment still left on Sophia's hand, and his face suddenly grew serious as he looked at it.
"Even if you put this ointment on right away, it won't do any good," he said.
Sophia was taken aback. "Dr. Smith, what do you mean?"
"After a burn, don't use random medication. It can worsen the condition instead of helping. The ones you used will increase the ulceration. If you keep this up, you might lose that hand," Marvin warned.
Sophia's heart gave a sudden jolt.
Her scalp tingled as a realization hit her.
This could be another one of Ethan's acts of revenge
It was the ninety-eighth time now.
Sophia was shaking uncontrollably, her heart felt like it had been hurled into an icy abyss, chilled to the bone.
So, this whole thing today. It was all orchestrated from the very beginning.
And she'd just gone through a miscarriage.
The more Sophia dwelt on it, the more her heart hurt. So much that she could barely breathe.
"Mrs. Grant, are you alright?" Marvin asked, his voice full of concern.
"It's best if you have someone with you right now," he said gently.
"I'll be fine," Sophia replied.
She weakly raised her hand and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.
"Dr. Smith, please don't tell anyone about what happened today," she said quietly.
Marvin let out a sigh and didn't say anything more.
After Marvin left, Sophia walked upstairs, her heart heavy with loneliness.
When she opened the bedroom door, the wedding photo of her and Ethan hit her like a dagger to the heart.
In the picture, the two of them were close together, their eyes full of longing for a happy future together.
But now, all Sophia could feel was how bitterly ironic and laughable it seemed.
He'd put on that whole show of affection just to hurt her even more.
He'd even gone so far as to marry her, just to win her trust.
Sophia pressed her hand to her chest, the pain so intense she could barely stand upright.
It was all fake.
Every single bit of it was a lie.
She was the only one who'd been hooked on that gentle blade, letting herself fall for it for three whole years.
She sniffled, her body feeling numb from crying so much.
After a long while, she finally went to the study to check over what she actually owned.
Next, she began going through all those gifts Ethan had given her over the years, one by one.
There were luxury watches, designer perfumes, and all sorts of luxury goods and sparkling jewelry.
She picked up one of the gift boxes and gently opened it.
This was the very first present Ethan had ever given her.
The brand was pretty famous, but the strap felt kind of flimsy. Sophia ran her fingers over the face, and the scratches on the dial made it obvious this was no fresh gift.
Maybe it was second-hand, or maybe it was just something he picked up on a whim.
But back then, when she first got these gifts, she'd treated them like treasures, keeping them safe for years, barely even wearing them.
Thinking about it now, she couldn't help but laugh at herself.
She opened a few more boxes. The necklace's clasp was shoddily put together, and the lining of the so-called designer bag was disappointingly cheap.
Each one, just like Ethan's lies, was riddled with flaws, obviously if she bothered to look.
Yet she never noticed.
Maybe it wasn't that she missed it. Maybe she just wanted to believe the lie.
With a wry, self-mocking smile, Sophia shook her head and packed everything into a cardboard box, including the photo album that held all their memories.
Finally, she called her lawyer, her voice unwavering, cutting through the silence.
"Hi, I need you to prepare a divorce agreement for me," she said.
After she finished everything, the air grew heavy with silence.
Sophia sat on the living room couch, waiting in silence for Ethan to come home.
By eight that night, the long-awaited sound finally came from outside the door.
Sophia's lifeless eyes wavered as she looked toward the source of the noise.
Ethan stepped in and asked, "How's your hand?"
He walked over, his gaze landing straight on Sophia's injured hand.
Then his eyes caught the divorce agreement she was holding.
He stopped in his tracks, momentarily stunned.
Sophia's voice was hoarse as she said, "Ethan, let's get a divorce."
Ethan set his suit jacket aside and sat down next to Sophia, his cold tone seeming to thaw, if only a little.
"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked.
Sophia locked her gaze on the face she used to be so attached to, and repeated herself.
"I said, let's get a divorce," she told Ethan, her voice steady.
The warmth drained from Ethan's face, and a vein started to throb at his temple.
"Why?" he asked, his voice tense.
"I don't want to be with you anymore," Sophia said, her voice steady.
"Sophia, I think you've misunderstood me," Ethan said, his voice softening.
"Ethan." Sophia interrupted him, her eyes red from crying. "Can we just stop fooling ourselves?" she said, her voice shaking.
The air was heavy with an awkward silence.
After what felt like forever, Sophia heard the sound of Ethan's knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. Then, in a sudden burst of anger, he snatched the divorce agreement from her hands and ripped it to pieces.
His expression turned dark and cruel. Something Sophia had never seen before.
"Divorce? Sophia, don't even think about it," Ethan growled, his voice cold and dangerous.