Chapter 285

Evelyn slammed the door shut and turned the lock with trembling fingers.

Dominic watched the confrontation end. Without hesitation, he guided Sophia out of the playroom.

"Wait! Mr. Blackwood!" Lucas had intended to defend Evelyn.

Dominic shot him a warning glare. "Not another word!"

Lucas pressed his lips together. He watched helplessly as Dominic led Sophia away.

A light rain had begun falling as they stepped outside Mooncrest Manor. Dominic removed his coat and gently covered Sophia's head with it.

Inside the car, Sophia clutched his jacket like a security blanket. Her tear-filled eyes remained fixed on the mansion.

Dominic fastened her seatbelt with unsteady hands. His voice came out rough. "Don't look back, Sophia."

"Dominic... I'm so sorry..." Tears streaked down her pale cheeks.

"None of this is your fault." He brushed away her tears with trembling fingers. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Her small frame shook with quiet sobs. "It was me. I was terrified of the operation, so I begged Henry to take me away..."

The confession tumbled out - the truth she'd been too frightened to share until this moment.

Dominic's mind flashed to Evelyn's icy stare. Why hadn't she explained? Did she enjoy provoking him?

"Dominic, please don't blame Evelyn. She's been so kind to me." Sophia's breath hitched as she remembered. "When I fell ill... she gave me medicine. She's wonderful, really..."

Dominic wiped her tears with a tissue, his throat tight. "So Henry brought you home, you became sick, and Evelyn treated you? Did she call the ambulance too?"

Sophia blinked through her tears. "I don't remember everything. Just that Evelyn was so gentle... not like tonight. She's good, Dominic."

His jaw clenched. "She called you names. Doesn't that anger you?"

A fresh wave of pain crashed through him. Sophia hadn't always been this way. Their father's abuse had stolen so much from her.

No one would ever hurt her again.

Sophia shook her head, her eyes red-rimmed. "You hired Dr. Montgomery to help me... because I'm slow, right?"

Dominic pulled her into a fierce embrace. "No! Never think that." His voice broke. "I want you to experience everything beautiful this world has to offer—"

"But it's true." She pressed her face against his shoulder. "Evelyn wasn't wrong. I'm not angry... so please don't be angry either?"

Her soft plea shattered his resolve. Gripping the steering wheel, he turned toward the rain-streaked window. Silent tears tracked down his face.

"There's nothing wrong with how I am." Sophia inhaled the familiar scent of his jacket. "As long as I have you, I don't mind staying this way forever."

Dominic's lips parted, but no words came. He would find a cure. She wouldn't remain trapped like this - he'd make certain of it.

Back in Mooncrest Manor, Evelyn lay curled on her bed, agony twisting through her. The line between living and dying felt paper-thin.

She shouldn't have lost control. She could have explained properly... but how could she when Dominic had stormed in looking for a fight?

From the moment he'd crossed her threshold, his eyes had burned with accusation. He hadn't come for answers - he'd come to punish her.

This was her home! Why should she endure such treatment here?

Evelyn dragged a pillow over her face, suffocating in regret. Calling Sophia names was inexcusable. How was that any better than Dominic's immediate assumption she'd kidnapped the girl?

She'd lashed out at an innocent because Dominic hurt her. And now it was too late. Outside her window, an engine roared to life, carrying her mistakes away into the night.