The ashy water poured over Victor's head.

Caught off guard, he was drenched completely.

The pungent liquid trickled down his face, burning his eyes.

Blinking furiously, he wiped at his face with clumsy hands.

"Audrey!" he spat through gritted teeth.

A bodyguard rushed forward with tissues, only to be shoved away.

The VIP ward hallway stood empty except for the three of them.

Audrey watched him coldly. "Serves you right."

Finally clearing his vision, Victor glared at her. "Have you lost your mind?"

"You're the insane one!" Her voice trembled. "Our son just woke up, and you shove those photos in his face!"

"They're the truth!" Victor lowered his voice. "Sophia is—"

"Enough!" Audrey cut him off. "Even if it's true, you drove her to it!"

Victor shook with rage. "Unbelievable!"

He turned on his heel, his shirt clinging damply to his back.

Audrey stared after him, drawing a deep breath.

Returning to the room, she picked up the photographs again.

Under the magnifying glass, every detail became painfully clear.

"Son..." She hesitated.

Ethan leaned against the headboard, pale-faced. "Mom, don't."

"But she really..."

"We're fine." He interrupted firmly. "Just a misunderstanding."

Audrey's heart ached at her son's stubborn profile.

She knew him too well.

The harder he denied, the truer it was.

"I'll go now." She pocketed the photos. "Rest well."

The moment the door closed, Ethan grabbed his phone.

Sophia's number emerged from the blocked list.

His finger hovered over the call button but didn't press down.

He needed to think.

After careful consideration, he became certain—Sophia wouldn't betray him.

His earlier fury gradually subsided.

The call connected.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

Ethan's chest tightened.

His bodyguard's phone also went unanswered.

He immediately contacted his assistant. "Find Sophia!"

Thirty minutes later came the report: "We've checked everywhere. She's gone."

Cold sweat beaded on Ethan's forehead.

He dialed Kyle's number.

"Where's Sophia?" His voice was glacial.

"Now you care?" Kyle sneered before hanging up.

When the doctor entered, he found Ethan in extreme distress.

Sedatives flowed into his veins.

Ethan fell into unconsciousness.

He woke the next afternoon.

His first action was to seize his phone.

——

At the Northwest Ancient Town Hospital

Sophia stood in line for medication.

Her fingers trembled slightly at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Darling, I was wrong." The voice on the line sounded subdued.

Sophia froze.

"Frederick Vanderbilt! Medication!" a nurse called out.

"I'm busy!" She hung up abruptly.

The words stabbed through Ethan's heart like knives.

She'd never spoken to him like that before.

The phone slipped from his grasp onto the bed.

Staring at the ceiling, he suddenly found the hospital room unbearably empty.