CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 447: IN THIS LIFE, DESERVED TO BE ABANDONED (1)

Sophie closed her eyes, and once again that image which often lingered in her dreams floated into her mind.

Her mother stood on the rooftop of their neighborhood, stretched out her arms, and, without hesitation, leapt down, crashing heavily onto the ground, leaving her body a bloody mess.

And now?

Her once most beloved, most respected father, did he really just follow in her mother’s footsteps?

Those who leave always do so cleanly and decisively, while those still alive are left to bear the pain that should never have been theirs.

Sophie, oh Sophie, destined to be abandoned in this life!

Henry panicked, not expecting that this time would truly result in a death; now he had lost the only leverage he held. He ordered a few words in a low voice, quickly asking people to retreat.

Atop the desolate water tower, there were only two figures left.

"Sophie, please, talk to me, will you?" Seeing her like this, how could he not feel heartache?

Initially, what answered him were uneven breaths, gradually turning into quiet sobs.

Before him, she never needed to pretend to be strong.

Her hands, which were originally hanging by her sides, slowly rose up, then wrapped around his body; no matter when, that familiar sense of security, only he could give.

...

Christopher’s funeral was held two days later,

There were only five people attending the funeral.

Sophie, Asher, Eva, and Charlotte came with James from Southern County.

They all wore solemn black, pinned a white flower to their chests, stood silently in front of the tombstone, mourning.

Sophie stared at Christopher’s photo on the tombstone; suddenly her heart became much calmer, with no tears, no wailing.

Yet beside her, James, still young, couldn’t control his emotions, tears streamed down, crying and calling ’Dad.’

"Little James, don’t cry, Dad is gone, he surely wouldn’t want to see you crying like this, do you remember? When you were at home, as soon as you cried, Dad would get angry..." She squatted down slightly and wiped away the tears from James’s eyes.

"Sister, I miss Dad so much, I really miss him." James hugged Sophie, his tears soaking her clothes.

"I miss him too, but he’s not coming back." She closed her eyes, slightly lifted her head, trying to swallow back the tears that were about to spill out.

Asher’s arm suddenly draped over her shoulder, she looked back and met his worried gaze.

"I’m okay..."

How frail and powerless that ’I’m okay’ was, only Sophie herself probably knew in her heart.

As they left the cemetery, Sophie called out to Charlotte.

"Auntie, although Dad is gone, I will take on the responsibility to care for you all." Her eyes showed no trace of hypocrisy, even though Charlotte had once treated her as an evil stepmother.

Charlotte kept her head down, momentarily at a loss for words.

"You must take good care of Little James, remember to give me your account number later; every month I will deposit money into your account, but..." She paused for a moment, then looked up, "But, I don’t want you to gamble with that money anymore."

"I won’t."

Charlotte replied softly, despite the many wrongs she had done, Sophie still treated her this way. Her heart was unexpectedly touched a little, even as unyielding as she was, at this moment, she could only comply with Sophie’s words.