Chapter 226: He Knew He Was Wrong
Through the glass on the hospital room door, he saw Sophie sitting up against the headboard, surrounded by many people.
Alaric Blackwood, Anne and Ethan Austin, Nina Halloway, as well as Mrs. Ford and her grandson Evan Ford, were all gathered around Sophie. Someone must have said something funny, because Sophie was smiling so hard her eyes crinkled into crescents.
Joseph Shaw stood outside the hospital room, his eyes turning red.
The scene reminded him of when Mina Ford was sick in the hospital—of the cold, empty room. Back then, he was the only one by Mina’s side.
A sharp pain suddenly stabbed at his heart. Seeing Sophie surrounded by so many people, he was struck by the devastating realization of how wrong he had been.
Mina had also had a family that loved her dearly—her parents, her brother, her best friends...
When she needed companionship, they all could have been there for her.
But for his own selfish reasons, to prove he was right and Mina’s parents were wrong, for the sake of his so-called dignity, he had clung to a sliver of hope. He had convinced himself that if they just waited a little longer, a matching bone marrow donor would surely be found.
And so, he refused to back down, refused to admit he was wrong.
However, the onset of Mina’s illness was abrupt, and her condition deteriorated much faster than he had anticipated. The delay meant they lost even the window of opportunity to wait for a transplant. One night, she suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, and the doctors couldn’t save her.
It was a devastating blow. He couldn’t even bring himself to believe he was at fault, instead shifting all the blame onto Mina’s parents.
He blamed them and hated them, believing their disapproval and constant obstruction were the cause of everything. To him, they were the culprits, the root of the entire tragedy.
Clinging to his hatred, he arranged Mina’s funeral. It was only afterward that he learned from Mandy Halloway that Mrs. Ford had been the one to fund the company he and Mina started, using Mandy as an intermediary...
In that moment, he shattered.
The very people he hated had been the ones to secretly help him, ensuring the success of his and Mina’s venture.
He was overwhelmed by bitter resentment and fell into a deep depression. He let the company crumble day by day, and he let himself crumble right along with it...
Later, the Ford Family fought him for custody of Sophie. Fueled by a bitter mix of love and hate, he won the case and secured final custody of his daughter.
All that fighting, in the end, had been meaningless.
As time went on, Mina’s parents grew old, and so did he. Mr. Ford—the old man who could never stand the sight of him, who constantly belittled him and flew into a rage at his very presence—had passed away from an illness several years ago.
Now, with Sophie’s diagnosis of the same illness that took Mina, his years of stubborn denial and self-deception were utterly shattered.
He watched Sophie through the glass in the door.
Despite her grave illness, she wore an optimistic smile, looking exactly like the Mina from his memories.
Sophie wasn’t like him at all. She was just like Mina.
He was so stubborn and selfish, but Mina had never blamed him, not even at the end...
’The old man was right about me all along. I really wasn’t worthy of Mina.’
Only a door separated him from Sophie, yet he couldn’t summon the courage to push it open and walk in.
’My presence would only ruin the peaceful atmosphere in there. Sophie definitely doesn’t want to see me.’
He just stood there, watching her from afar for a long, long time.
Not until Lawson arrived with dinner and found him at the door did he tactfully step aside, retreating from the harmonious scene he could never be a part of.
Alaric Blackwood caught a glimpse of him and hurried out of the room, finding him waiting for the elevator.
"Did you get your blood drawn?"
Alaric Blackwood walked over, getting straight to the point.
Joseph Shaw gave a sullen grunt. "The hospital will notify me when the results are in and if it’s a match."
"Then we’ll wait for the results."
Alaric Blackwood said nothing more. He didn’t even bother mentioning Sophie’s pregnancy; there was no point. The doctors would soon be scheduling the procedure to terminate it.
In his eyes, the fact that Joseph Shaw had come for the compatibility test at all was a relief. He had been worried all day that the man wouldn’t show.
"Thank you for coming."
He didn’t like Joseph Shaw, but Alaric Blackwood wasn’t one to withhold thanks where it was due.
Joseph Shaw nodded. "Take care of Sophie."
"Don’t worry."
"Alright, I’m heading out."
When the elevator arrived, Joseph Shaw squeezed in with the crowd.
Alaric Blackwood watched until the elevator doors closed and Joseph Shaw was out of sight, then turned to head back.
As he reached the door to the room, Ethan Austin and Nina Halloway were just coming out, followed by Anne. Evan Ford was also preparing to take Mrs. Ford home.
"Everyone leaving?"
Nina Halloway pulled on her face mask. "I have to take care of something. Leon Grant asked to meet, and he happens to be in the area."
"Be careful."
"I will. Any word from the police about Jaden?"
"Nothing."
The light in Nina Halloway’s eyes dimmed. She took Ethan Austin’s arm to leave, but Alaric Blackwood stopped her. "Your mom isn’t answering her phone."
"She’s not picking up for me, either, and neither is Dad. I don’t know what they’re so busy with. Let’s not worry about it for now. I’ll swing by the family home tonight and see what’s up."
"Alright."
Anne wasn’t joining Nina Halloway and Ethan Austin. She needed to go back to The Metropolis to pack her things and move back into her own home. First thing tomorrow, she would officially start at Heart of the Ocean.
Regarding her resignation, although Anne had already agreed to it, her employment contract was with Alaric Blackwood, so she intended to discuss it with him.
Before she could speak, Alaric Blackwood, already guessing what she wanted to say, held up a hand to stop her. "Your employment contract is void. Your salary will be paid as usual."
Anne was speechless.
’Rich people are certainly decisive!’
Seeing her stunned silence, Alaric Blackwood frowned. "Isn’t that what you wanted to discuss?"
"It is. You’re the boss, you call the shots."
...
When Alaric Blackwood returned to the hospital room, Lawson had already set up the overbed table and was arranging the food on it.
She had prepared enough for two, making a portion for Alaric Blackwood as well.
"Sir, why don’t you sit here."
Lawson stepped aside to make room for him.
He walked over and sat by the bed. Seeing Sophie had a decent appetite, he smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat with her.
After dinner, Lawson packed up the containers and folded away the table. Seeing there was nothing else to do, she took the containers and left, not wanting to disturb Sophie’s rest.
Soon, only Sophie and Alaric Blackwood remained in the room.
As the room fell quiet, Sophie leaned back against the headboard. To stop her mind from racing, she looked for a distraction and asked Alaric Blackwood, "Where’s my phone?"
"I have it."
"Could you give it to me? I want to call Hannah Sutton and a few of the department heads at the company to sort some things out."
Anne would be starting at the company tomorrow, and Sophie needed to make some arrangements in advance.
Alaric Blackwood nodded. He strode over to the coat rack and pulled Sophie’s phone out of the pocket of the coat hanging there.
The phone had been in his coat pocket for three days, on silent mode the whole time.
He saw that the battery was nearly dead.
"It needs to be charged. You can use it in a little while."
He walked to the bed, phone in hand, took a charger from the drawer, and plugged it in.
Sophie watched him quietly. After a moment, she couldn’t resist asking, "My dad... he still hasn’t come by?"
"He already came. He had his blood drawn for the compatibility test."
Sophie was surprised, suspecting Alaric Blackwood was just lying to make her feel better.
"Did he really, or are you just..."
"Of course he really came."