Chapter 172 Come In, It’s Cold Outside

When he saw Sophia standing outside the door, Charles raised his eyebrows slightly, his sharp and distinct features softening. "Are you looking for me?"

Sophia took a deep shaky breath, trying her best to suppress the emotions that were surging in her blood. "I said that I have nothing to do with William and you said that you believe me. You also said that you won’t blame me for the car accident two years ago, right?"

"Come in, it's cold outside." Charles glanced at her thin patient blouse and stepped aside to clear the doorway.

Sophia clenched her hands that were hanging on both sides of her body but did not move. She asked again, "You said that you believe me, right?"

"Yeah." Charles let out a faint hum, her figure reflected in his pupils.

Sophia took a deep shaky breath and glared at him. "You said it yourself that I don’t need to go back to Dream Club anymore, right?”

"Yes," Charles said.

His affirmation did not make Sophia happy but infuriated her even more instead. "You said that I don’t need to go back to Dream Club anymore but told my brother that you won’t let me go… Charles Harris, are you having a lot of fun toying with me?!"

In the cool corridor, her body had heated up from flames of fury.

Charles lowered his eyes to look at her, his eyes deep and serene. His Adam's apple rolled slightly, but he did not say a word.

"Why aren’t you saying anything?!" The cells in Sophia's body were tightly packed. It seemed as though fury and hatred were about to gush out of her body. "Why won’t you let me go if you already know that this is all just a misunderstanding?"

Standing next to them, Nicole watched the two of them with a sullen look on her face.

There was a gust of wind. The patient’s attire stuck to Sophia's body, making her look even scrawnier.

Charles looked at the scar at the tail of her eyebrow as well as her scrawny body. It felt as though something was jabbing his heart. "Is it such torture for you to stay with me?"

"What do you think?" Her tone was overflowing with sarcasm and mockery. Her voice sounded a bit sharp due to the excessive elevation in her pitch. "If someone misunderstood you, then broke your leg and sent you to prison, asked you to sell yourself to entertain other men, threw you out naked, trampled on your dignity in front of everyone, put you through utter misery, and forced you to live a life of degradation..."

She took a step forward, glared at him, and said through gritted teeth, "Do you think it’s torture if you are forced to stay with this person?"

Charles' face turned paler with every word that Sophia said. Every word she said was like a sharp knife stabbing at his heart mercilessly.

He pursed his lips. It felt like a boulder was pressing down on his chest. "I can't let you go."

"Heh!" Sophia sneered. Rage was about to blow her up into pieces. "You..."

"You have no choice but to stay with me for the rest of your life, Sophia." Charles reached out and stroked the scar at the tail of her eyebrow gently. It felt as though a ball of cotton soaked in water was blocked up in his chest. It was heavy and stifling. Every breath that he took was taxing and demanding.

A gust of autumn breeze blew in from a few windows in the corridor that were left open. The coolness was refreshing.

Charles' words were like a basin of cold water, pouring down on Sophia from head to toe. Her body was ice-cold, but her heart was burning with rage.

The coexistence of the cold and heat made her feel extremely uncomfortable, almost tearing her in half.

"Charles!" Sophia smacked his hand away. Her eyes were bright crimson. "You have ruined the first half of my life. Must you also ruin the rest of my life? Exactly what sort of grudges do you bear against me that you must treat me this way? Huh?!"

Next to them, several doors opened again. A few people poked their heads out. After taking a closer look, a series of complaints were heard.

"You again? Can you keep your voices down? We’re in a hospital."

"Why are young people nowadays so inconsiderate?"

"If you have something to say, then do it when you’re discharged. Otherwise, can you bring your matters into the ward? You’re really inconsiderate!"

The old lady who had talked to Sophia and Nicole earlier also opened the door and walked out. However, after seeing Charles standing with his back facing her, she frowned and sighed. Then, she pushed the door and went in again.

They were indeed at fault, so Nicole smiled and apologized to the patients’ family members immediately. She then grabbed Sophia's wrist and said, "Let’s talk inside."

Sophia pushed Nicole away. She glared at Charles with crimson eyes, asking in a suppressed voice, "Why must you do this to me?"

"Because I'm in love with you," Charles said nonchalantly, but every cell in his body was taut. His eyes were collecting every tiny movement that Sophia was making.

Sophia's body stiffened. She snapped back to her senses after a very long time.

There were countless times when she had fantasized about the day that Charles would confess to her, yet never in a million years would she have guessed that it would happen in a situation like this. How startling and hilarious.

"You're in love with me?" Sophia laughed until tears were flowing out. "Charles, you just threw me out naked a while ago, but now you’re saying that you’ve fallen in love with me?"

Her tears flowed into her mouth. It was salty. "I’m in awe at the way you love someone!!!"

Nicole did not expect this to be the answer either. She was so surprised that her jaw dropped for a very long time.

"I'm sorry." Charles had never apologized to anyone but was now saying it to Sophia many times today. Every apology he made only intensified the stabbing pain in his heart.

His eyes darkened slightly while his Adam's apple rolled. "This will not happen next time."

The tears on Sophia's face were so striking that they hurt his eyes. He reached out in an attempt to wipe the tears from her eyes.

However, Sophia tilted her head and evaded his touch, taking a few steps back while wearing a look of disgust on her face. "There will be no next time!"

"Are you leaving?" Charles retracted his hand and narrowed his eyes slightly. There was a hint of coolness in his voice now.

Sophia was expressionless. She remained silent. Her silence was acquiescence.

"You’re the one who provoked me first." Charles got down to Sophia’s eye level. "It’s too late for you to leave now."

Their breaths intertwined. They were so close that their relationship seemed ambiguous. Even so, there was not the slightest hint of romance and affection in the air.

"Do you think I won’t be able to leave just because you refuse to let me leave?" Sophia used to be madly obsessed with his undemonstrativeness, but now she loathed the self-conceited look on his face.

Did he really think that he could control her life at will just because he was Harris Corporation’s president?!

The disgust in Sophia's eyes sent sharp pangs to Charles' heart. He clenched his fists, straightened up his spine, and said flatly, "Do you think the White family will be able to leave if you leave?”

"Are you threatening me?!" Sophia was breathing faster than usual. Flames were about to spurt out of the depths of her eyes.

Charles took in the hatred on her face and loosened his fists slightly, allowing them to fall on the sides of his body. He began tapping the sides of his legs unconsciously. "I can give you everything you want if you stay with me."

"I don’t want to be with you. Can you give me that?" Anger, hatred, unwillingness, and helplessness clambered over each other in turn to gain control of Sophia's body, almost tearing her apart.