THIRD PERSON’S POV

Damien looked down at his daughter as the driver moved.

Her small face looked pale from crying too much, and her tiny body shook weakly in his arms.

“Daddy...don’t leave me...” she whispered.

His wolf became conflicted immediately. One side of him still screamed to go see Sophia. The other side could not ignore Ashley crying in his arms like this.

Tiffany gently rubbed Ashley’s back while looking at Damien. Her voice sounded soft when she spoke again.

“She’s been looking for you all night,” Tiffany whispered quietly. “She wouldn’t calm down no matter what I did.”

Damien remained silent.

The entire drive back to the villa felt suffocatingly silent. Ashley remained asleep against Damien’s chest while Tiffany sat quietly beside him. Several times, Damien almost told the driver to turn around and head toward the hospital instead.

But each time he looked down at Ashley’s tear-stained face, he forced himself to stay seated.

Maybe Sophia truly was asleep already. Maybe he was overthinking everything.

Maybe tomorrow would be fine.

But deep inside him, his wolf refused to believe that.

Meanwhile, inside the hospital room, Sophia lay weakly against the bed while Bianca adjusted the blanket around her body.

Sophia’s face looked pale. Bruises covered her arms and neck, while fresh bandages wrapped around several parts of her body. Even breathing felt painful now.

Her wolf whimpered weakly inside her.

Bianca clenched her jaw angrily while staring at the injuries.

“I still can’t believe they did this to you,” she muttered bitterly.

Sophia forced a weak smile.

“What’s there not to believe?” she whispered hoarsely. “They’ve hated me for years.”

Bianca’s eyes became red again.

“You almost died, Sophia.”

Sophia looked toward the dark hospital window.

Outside, rain had started falling quietly across the city. Tiny droplets slid down the glass while the distant city lights blurred softly in the darkness. Everything felt cold tonight....just like her heart.

Her wolf curled weakly inside her, filled with sadness. Sophia slowly picked up her phone from beside the bed.

The moment the screen lit up, a news notification immediately appeared. Her fingers froze.

Bianca noticed her expression instantly. “What happened?”

Sophia said nothing. She clicked the notification. Then her entire body went cold.

The news article displayed several clear photos taken outside the bar earlier tonight.

One picture showed Tiffany fastening Damien’s seatbelt while standing extremely close to him. Another showed Damien carrying Ashley while Tiffany held onto his arm affectionately beside him. Underneath the photos, countless headlines filled the screen.

“Damien Stone Chooses Tiffany Over Estranged Wife.”

“Romantic Late-Night Moment Captured Between Damien and Tiffany.”

“Family Of Three Returns Home Together.”

Sophia stared at the screen silently. Her breathing became uneven.

Bianca grabbed the phone angrily after seeing the photos herself.

“These shameless people!”

But Sophia barely heard her.

At that moment, it felt like someone had reached directly into her chest and ripped her heart apart with bare hands.

Her wolf let out a painful cry inside her.

Even though she kept telling herself she no longer cared about Damien...seeing those photos still destroyed something inside her completely.

While she lay alone in a hospital bed covered in bruises... Damien had chosen Tiffany.....again.

Sophia lowered her eyes. Tears slid silently down her face.

“He really didn’t come,” she whispered weakly.

Bianca’s expression softened with pain.

“Sophia...”

Sophia laughed softly through her tears, but the sound carried no happiness at all.

“I actually waited for him.” she whispered.

That sentence alone shattered Bianca’s heart.

Bianca immediately hugged Sophia carefully, trying not to hurt her injuries.

“You deserve so much better than him,” Bianca whispered fiercely.

Sophia shut her eyes tightly.

Her wolf trembled weakly inside her, overwhelmed by heartbreak and exhaustion. She felt abandoned completely now. Whatever tiny hope she still carried for Damien had finally shattered tonight.

Meanwhile, Bianca’s livestream earlier that evening had already exploded online.

Countless netizens began discussing the Stone family aggressively after seeing Bianca subtly expose the situation at the hospital. Many people sympathized with Sophia after hearing about the miscarriage and abuse rumors.

But others immediately began attacking Bianca instead.

Inside the hospital bathroom, Bianca angrily scrolled through thousands of comments on her phone.

“She’s obviously clout chasing.”

“Why is that woman involving herself in rich family drama?”

“She probably staged everything.”

Bianca nearly smashed her phone against the sink.

“These idiots,” she cursed.

But among the hate comments were also countless messages supporting her.

“Protect Sophia!”

“The hospital should investigate!”

“That woman looks genuinely terrified.”

Bianca clenched her jaw tightly.

She knew very well that the Stone family’s influence was already affecting public opinion online. Fake stories were spreading rapidly now, trying to make Sophia look unstable and dramatic.

When Bianca returned to the hospital room again, she immediately noticed Sophia staring at her worriedly.

“What happened?” Sophia asked weakly.

Bianca quickly forced a smile. “Nothing important.”

But Sophia already understood.

“People are attacking you now too, aren’t they?”

Bianca sighed heavily.

“Some are,” she admitted honestly. “But most people are supporting us.”

Sophia looked guilty immediately.

Her wolf whimpered softly.

“I dragged you into this mess...” Sophia whispered.

“Stop saying that,” Bianca interrupted firmly. “You’re my friend.”

Sophia lowered her eyes quietly. For the first time in days, she suddenly felt terrified of being alone.

The hospital room felt too quiet tonight.

Every sound outside the hallway made her tense now. After being attacked so brutally earlier, she was scared.

Her wolf remained extremely alert too.

Bianca noticed.

Without another word, Bianca pulled her chair closer beside the bed and sat down firmly.

“I’m not leaving tonight,” she said.

Sophia’s eyes became red again.

Late that same night, far away from the hospital, another figure quietly climbed over the wall outside Sophia’s apartment building.

Zade landed on the balcony effortlessly.

His eyes focused on Sophia’s bedroom window. His wolf had been unusually restless the entire evening, unable to calm down no matter what he did.

Zade pushed open Sophia’s window and entered the dark bedroom.

“Sophia,” he called softly.

No response came. The room was completely empty.

Zade frowned. His wolf became alert at once.

The apartment felt strangely cold tonight. There was no scent of Sophia’s fresh shampoo lingering in the air, no soft breathing, no heartbeat.

Nothing.

Something was wrong.

He grabbed his phone and dialed Sophia’s number but the call went unanswered.

He started to panic.

For the first time in years....Zade truly felt afraid.