Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around! novel Chapter 149

Nicole frowned. "Soph…"

"It's alright, Nicole. It was my 'mistake', so I should make up for it. I want some time alone to clear my head. Could you go back ahead first?" Sophia interrupted her hoarsely.

Nicole wanted to say something more, but then she stopped. After a long time, she said, "Alright then."

She paused. "I'll give you half an hour. If you're not back in half an hour, I'll come looking for you."

"Okay." Sophia tried her best to tug at the corners of her lips, but she just could not manage a smile. "Thanks, Nicole."

Nicole sighed and stuffed her phone into Sophia's hand. "Keep an eye on the time."

Sophia nodded, saying, "I'm twenty, Nicole. Don't treat me like a toddler who could get kidnapped at any moment."

"You make me worry a lot more than a toddler would," Nicole said.

Sophia pursed her lips and played with the phone in her hand without a word.

"Then I'll go back now." Nicole waved at her and left, turning back to look at her every other step.

The pitch-black night was completely devoid of stars, and the moon was nowhere to be seen either. There was only the night air, cool after the rain, and the few lamps around the yard. It was eerily empty.

To Sophia, though, this was the only way she could let her guard down for a second.

She released a long breath and stood there dazedly for a while. She could not shake the feeling that someone was watching her, so she turned around and looked about her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone's shadow disappear through the hospital door.

Perhaps she just stood out too much, standing here in the middle of the night. She probably earned a double-take or two.

Sophia laughed self-deprecatingly. After two years in prison, she had grown a little overly sensitive.

"Sophia?" a man's voice called out to her, deep and pensive.

Sophia's body stiffened, and she frowned in contempt. She did not turn around, nor did she say anything in reply.

Since the person calling her did not get a response, he tried again. "Sophia White, is that you?"

That was immediately followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Sophia pressed her lips together. She did not want to meet this person, so she headed the other way. When he saw that she was leaving, he quickened his pace. In no time at all, the person behind her had overtaken her and was standing in front of her.

Under the cool white light, the man's handsome features were clear as day. There was a hint of exhaustion and anger in his amber eyes. "Why didn't you respond to me?"

Sophia looked at him calmly. Her heart had settled somewhat thanks to her open and empty surroundings, but now she felt her disgust and hatred creeping back in again. "Do I have any obligation to respond whenever you call me, Mr. Jones?"

"Sophia, must you talk to me like that?" William Jones grabbed her arm, the anger in his eyes deepening. There was an unmistakable hurt in there too.

However, Sophia felt nothing but revulsion at the sight of him. She forcefully shook his hand off and said icily, "I thought I told you this a long time ago, but I'll tell you again to stay away from me. I don't want Madam Jones, Ms. Sommer, or Ms. Jones saying that I seduced you!"

With that, she wanted to walk away, but William suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

"You know perfectly well that I can't let go of you, so why must you treat me like this?" William's voice was filled with pain. He hugged her tightly, demanding, "Why? Charles Harris broke your leg and threw you into prison, so why are you still hung up on him?"

Sophia had just recovered from a terrible illness, so she was still feeling a little weak. She tried putting up a struggle, but she just could not break free from his grip, so she said angrily, "Let go!"

Sophia looked at their intertwined hands. Instead of fighting to break free this time, she just looked over his shoulder calmly. "What great timing you have, Ms. Jones. Your brother was just proposing to me."

"Leah, why are you…" William instinctively let go of Sophia's hand and turned around to explain to Leah, but when he turned, he saw that there was no one behind him—

Sophia had tricked him.

He turned back to her and looked at her intently.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Mr. Jones?" Sophia took a step back, putting some distance between them as she said ironically, "You keep saying that you can't let go of me, so I gave you a tiny test. Was that the extent of your devotion to me?"

William's expression changed, and he clenched his hands into fists. After a pause, he said bitterly and angrily, "I meant what I said to you. Even if Leah really does come here, I have no intention of going back on my words. Yet you tricked me."

Sophia held up the phone and checked the time. Out of the half an hour Nicole had promised her, sixteen minutes had passed. She frowned, her dislike and hatred of William intensifying further.

Putting down the phone, she looked directly at him with nothing but irony in her eyes. "Let's say you really do want to marry me. What then?"

"What do you mean, what then?" William frowned deeply.

Sophia snorted. "Even if you marry me, you'll feel like you betrayed Ms. Jones, right?"

William's frown deepened but he did not say anything, admitting his guilt in his silence.

"So I'll be going through hell and back to marry a man I don't love. And if there are any conflicts between Ms. Jones and me, you, her loving older brother, will definitely jump to her side and turn on me.

"Also, I'll have to take your mother and Ms. Sommer's accusations. They called me a vixen, a witch who seduced you. Your mother will make life miserable for me." The jeer in Sophia's expression grew ever more sardonic. "Why would I ever marry you? I'm not stupid."