Sophia awoke amid an intense gaze.
Her consciousness was confused, her head dizzy. She couldn't lift her heavy eyelids, and she could only vaguely hear a deep, magnetic voice that was so cold it sent shivers down her spine...
"No one can threaten me."
Sophia frowned and rubbed her temples. It was a bit strange because she was always feeling a tightness in her chest, a suffocating discomfort and palpitations. However, what seemed to be aching was not her head, but...
Her wrist?
Without relaxing her tightly furrowed brows, she finally managed to open her eyes, seemingly fatigued.
It should still be early, so the indoor lighting wasn't glaring. However, her gradually focused gaze was met with an expressionless man staring at her. Sophia didn't comprehend.
"You put on a good show," the man coldly scoffed.
Sophia inexplicably felt that the voice sounded familiar. But as she turned her head and seriously thought about it, she couldn't recall.
She only remembered that she was supposed to have cardiac bypass surgery, and her father decided to cheer her up before the surgery by holding her engagement with her brother Andrew. It was meant to be a joyful event.
However, due to her physical condition, as the bride, she did not drink on her wedding night. So, she shouldn't be feeling this sort of hangover discomfort.
The room had a low pressure, and Sophia unconsciously reached up to touch her chest.
There was no usual dull pain; the heartbeats were slow, but fortunately, they were steady and strong.
This made her too occupied to deeply analyze his words, her eyes sparkled, her tone involuntarily heightened, and she asked the other person in the room excitedly, "Was the operation successful?"
Seeing her like this, the man seemingly lost his patience as he coldly reprimanded, "Enough is enough!"
The sudden change in tone startled the delighted Sophia, causing her to tumble back onto the bed after barely managing to prop herself up.
Her finger trembled, and following the source of her pain, she found her left wrist tightly wrapped in several layers of gauze. Because of her earlier exertion, several dark-red blood stains had already begun to seep out from underneath.
However, this didn't matter to Sophia who was entirely engrossed by the sight of her hand.
This hand, with its overall slender bone structure, appeared graceful due to its long fingers. Even though the fingertips bore the wrinkles associated with too long a soak in water, it was still far more pleasant to behold than her own hand that had been reduced to skin and bones from illness.
“This…” Sophia was baffled. She had a heart condition, not a brain ailment; there was no way she could've forgotten the state of her own body after merely a nap.
In that case, she let out a forced chuckle, corner of her mouth stiffly twisting upwards while she slowly turned her gaze towards the person beside her...
The man's tall and slender figure blocked most of the light in the room, backlight making it hard for her to discern his expression. But the heavy atmosphere surrounding him suggested he was at the end of his patience, the disgruntled sentiment laid bare.
The corner of an elaborate Swarovski crystal chandelier hanging behind him gave a precise hint to Sophia...
This was not a hospital!
And this gentleman with the buzz-cut, revealing resolute facial contours, and narrowed phoenix-eyes which were brimming with displeasure—the sturdy military uniform he sported accentuated by a shiny shoulder badge and a cowhide belt...
This man was not a doctor!
Having confirmed these two facts, Sophia swallowed dryly. When she looked down and saw herself not in a hospital gown but in a silver gown, she lacked the strength to be surprised.
She clearly remembered not staying to attend to the guests at the banquet hall after the wedding ceremony had ended. Her father had sent her back to the hospital, only leaving behind Success and a few bridesmaids and groomsmen to deal with the banquet.
Could this be a dream? This idea barely surfaced before Sophia pushed it down—the pain in her wrist told her it is not.
So her eyes returned to the man next to the bed, and she ventured to ask, “Excuse me, may I know ..."
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down from the window...
Immediately, the outside world was as bright as day, and the next moment, a thunderous crack echoed, creating a deafening sound!
The earth-shattering noise shocked Sophia who had just experienced a strange event, and she leaped from her bed, screaming, throwing herself towards the only person near her. However, in the next moment, she was seized by a massive force!
By the time Sophia reacted, she was pinned down on the bed...
"Ouch, it hurts, sir, officer, please be gentle." With her unhurt left hand twisted behind her back, Sophia couldn’t move. Her face pressed hard against the bed making it deform, she gasped and begged for mercy.
Lincoln glanced at the window left open, the sudden loud thunder did put him on edge a bit, but he wouldn't overreact like she did.
He let go of her, his lips curled in mockery and he scoffed, "Hurt? Could it be more painful than slitting your wrists?"
Unsatisfied with his comment, he ruthlessly added, "All this act you put up exhaustively, is only making me despise you more!"
Having regained her freedom, Sophia quickly crawled towards the center of the bed, a bruise appeared on her pale right wrist, causing her to wrinkle that delicate flawless little face.
"Put up an act?"
Her moist eyes stared at the man.
