The Man Who Destroyed Me Is Now Begging to Mend Me 4

The color drained from both Helen’s and Emily’s faces.

Helen stepped forward, jabbing a finger toward Sophia. “You think you’re better than us? Then you give the Westwood family an heir. Don’t blame anyone else for your own useless womb.”

Sophia bit back the sharp retort on her tongue. She was done with this family, done with Lucas. Arguing now would only prolong the inevitable.

“Mrs. Westwood,” she began, “I’ve decided-”

Lucas’s familiar, deep voice cut through the tension from the doorway. “Decided what?”

Sophia turned to see Lucas standing there, his clothes rumpled from travel. His assistant, Kevin, hovered behind him with a suitcase in hand.

The air in the room was thick with tension, so Kevin knew better than to stay. He simply left the suitcase by the door and made a quick exit.

Loosening his tie, Lucas turned to Helen. “Mom, what brings you here?”

“If I hadn’t come, you’d have let our family name die out,” Helen shot back.

She then snatched the medical report from Sophia and flung it at Lucas’s chest. “See for yourself,” she said coldly, and with that, she swept out of the room.

Lucas looked down at the document in his hands, and the words “permanent infertility” caused a faint twitch in his brow.

His eyes, when

when they finally lifted to meet Sophia’s, were devoid of warmth. “You’ll go back to the hospital tomorrow for a full work-up. I will not have a wife who can’t give me an heir.”

A hollow ache spread through Sophia’s chest. Any foolish hope she’d been clinging to finally faded.

Lucas had never defended her in three years of his mother’s constant belittlement. And now, the ease with which he believed this lie revealed the chilling truth of his character.

“I have the divorce papers right here,” Sophia said, pulling the documents from her bag. She extended them toward him, her voice steady. “Just sign them, and you’ll never have to see me again.”

Lucas didn’t even look at the papers. In one swift motion, his hand closed around her throat, pulling her

close.

He leaned in until his face was mere inches from hers, and she could feel his warm breath and smell the familiar scent of his cologne.

There was a time when this closeness would have made her heart flutter. Now, it only made her skin crawl. It was amazing how easy it was to walk away when all the love had drained away.

“Sophia, have I been too soft with you?” Lucas’s voice was thick with contempt. “Where exactly do you think you’ll go without my protection?”

She held his gaze without flinching. “That’s really none of your concern anymore.”

“Still got that sharp tongue,” he sneered.

He released her with a dismissive shove, as if her defiance meant nothing. “Go make me dinner. I’m hungry.”

A wave of pain shot through Sophia’s lower abdomen as she sank into the sofa, her skin turning clammy with an instant, cold sweat.

Across the room, Emily slid her arm through Lucas’s with practiced ease. “Don’t let Sophia bother you,” she murmured. “Her little scene was just a cry for your attention.”

Lucas pulled his tie free, his stern expression melting away as he focused on Emily. “How are you holding up?” he asked, his tone gentler.

“I’m fine,” she sighed, putting on a pitiful face. “It’s just that the medicine is so awfully bitter.”

“It’s bitter because it’s strong. You need to keep taking it,” he reminded her. “I picked up those candies you like. They’re in my suitcase. Go get them yourself.”

“I know you always look out for me,” Emily said, stretching up to press a light kiss to Lucas’s cheek. “Consider that your reward.”

A look of quiet satisfaction crossed his features at the gesture. “I’m going up to shower,” he said.

“Go ahead,” Emily said sweetly, fluttering a wave at him. She waited until Lucas’s footsteps faded staircase before turning to the suitcase.

up

the

They carried on as if Sophia weren’t standing right there in the same room.

Humming cheerfully, Emily unzipped the luggage. Alongside Lucas’s neatly folded clothes sat a jar of shimmering candies and an elegant red velvet box that clearly held something valuable.

Her eyes skipped over the candy, going straight to the velvet box. When she lifted the lid, a pink diamond necklace lay gleaming, its facets scattering rainbows in the light.

“Oh, it’s exquisite. I love it,” she whispered, her eyes widening. “So the candy was just a decoy. This necklace is what he really wanted me to find.”

Draping the necklace against her collarbone, Emily turned to face Sophia, who had risen from the sofa. “Well, Sophia? Don’t you think it suits me perfectly?”

The pink diamond necklace around Emily’s neck struck Sophia as oddly familiar.

It came to her a moment later-she had coveted it last month while flipping through a magazine.

Lucas had seen her fascination and promised to get it for her. The catch was its exclusivity—a single piece, sourced from Melaria, the country where Lucas had been attending to business.

“That was for me,” Sophia said, her voice calm.

29

40 vouchers

The man was disposable, but her possessions were not. She would reclaim what was rightfully hers.

With a swift motion, Emily clasped the necklace. “Finders keepers,” she said with a mocking grin.

Sophia approached for a closer look. Though the necklace was more exquisite than its photograph, any desire for it had vanished.

A wary look crossed Emily’s face. “What is this about?”

“To take what belongs to me, of course,” Sophia said, stepping close and extending her hand. “It’s time you returned it.”

Emily’s hands instinctively flew to the diamond necklace at her throat. “Lucas will never stand for this, Sophia. You know what I mean to him.”

Sophia almost laughed. She knew well that Emily held a special place in Lucas’s heart. But that was irrelevant. She was only claiming what was hers.

“Give the bracelet back to me,” Sophia said coldly. It was a token earned through true devotion, and she wouldn’t let its significance be tarnished.

Realizing Sophia only wanted the simple bracelet, Emily smiled condescendingly. ‘Some shortsighted people have no taste,’ she thought.

Emily twisted the bracelet around her wrist. “I heard you went to Grace Abbey to beg for this good-luck charm,” she said. “You are so hung up on him, aren’t you?” The hypocrisy of her words was almost laughable.

“Give it back,” Sophia said, her voice like ice.

Emily’s eyes flickered to a point behind Sophia, and a sly smile touched her lips. She lowered her voice. “If you want it so badly, why don’t you come and take it?”

Sophia didn’t stop to think. She grabbed Emily’s wrist and tugged the bracelet free.

The moment it was off, Emily’s demeanor shifted completely. “Sophia, what are you doing?” she cried out, her voice suddenly loud and panicked. “Lucas gave this to me.”

Before Sophia could even turn around, a powerful hand seized her by the collar and hauled her backwards.

The fabric dug sharply into her throat, stealing her breath.

Stumbling to regain her footing, Sophia looked up to see Lucas.

He was already cradling Emily. “Emily, are you alright?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

Emily buried her face in his chest. “I’m fine,” she whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Please, don’t be angry with Sophia. She didn’t mean it.”

Lucas’s jaw tightened, a vein pulsing visibly at his temple. He took a deep breath and fixed Sophia with an icy

…

stare. “Apologize to Emily.”

Mark