Chapter 10
The moment I acted, Hugo's attitude, which had softened due to my cold demeanor, exploded. He strode toward me, snatched my suitcase, and smashed it against the floor. Clothes scattered everywhere. As he walked over, his leather shoes flattened the meat pie on the floor. I gritted my teeth, staring at his feet.
"Sophia," he said, "my patience has limits. Don't drag innocent people into our business!"
My hands trembled as I stood frozen. Bella's eyes reddened, tears welling up as she looked at me innocently.
"I'm sorry, Sophia," she stammered. "I just checked those flight tickets; I was planning to pick him up" Her tears fell drop by drop, mixing with the meat filling on the floor. "I was just worried Mr. Roberts was being deceived. After all, the Roberts family is special. There are too many cases of people using children to trap wealthy families into marriage" She looked at Hugo, biting her lip and shaking her head.
My gaze grew colder. "Hugo," I said, my voice devoid of warmth, "you also think I'm deceiving you?"
He didn't speak, but his expression answered. My father's medical records were real, from the local hospital. I had accompanied him for a checkup just six months ago—there was no way to fake that. So Bella had focused on my father's travel tickets. He hadn't taken a plane. How could he afford such expensive plane tickets?
Unspoken Farewell at 30,000 Feet
To save money for my dowry, he had endured a thirty-hour train journey while battling illness—all to attend his daughter's wedding that didn't even exist. But even for just one line of dialogue, Hugo chose to break his promise rather than act with me. Thinking carefully, he had never reciprocated my feelings. Our ending was predetermined from the moment we met. I searched for evidence of his love in every detail of our interactions, deceiving myself.
Everything remained peaceful for five years. But since Bella's appearance, this superficial balance was broken. Mr. Roberts began to show emotions like a normal person. He learned to love. He would ask me what to do when Bella had stomach aches. He would prepare allergy medicine in the car, anticipating her allergic reactions. He would take Bella to all the Roberts family company events, introducing her as his perfect work partner. In comparison, I was like a rat in the gutter, emanating stench. Even if I offered up my dignity, letting him and his beloved trample it, I still couldn't get a "ticket" to this battle. Now, I no longer want what I can't have.
The spot where Bella had been hit quickly swelled and reddened; tears rolled down her face. Hugo immediately cursed in rage. But his hands didn't stop moving; he skillfully took out medicine from his bag and applied it to Bella's face. After comforting Bella, he turned to me with a threatening tone.
"Sophia, don't be ungrateful. Bella is innocent. The first thing she said after waking up in the hospital yesterday was to tell me to hurry to the wedding to find you."
"Look at yourself now, you're acting like a jealous shrew! How can you face her kindness?!"
"Sophia, I'm telling you for the last time, apologize to her!"
"If you make another scene like this, get out of here!"
I acted as if I couldn't hear him, silently picking up my scattered belongings. Time ticked by, and Hugo's patience ran out. He strode over, bent down, and grabbed my hair, his features fierce and terrifying. The pain from my scalp was excruciating, but I bit my teeth, my bloodshot eyes fixed on him.
His tone was vicious: "Can't hear me? Or don't know how to apologize? Sophia, I've really spoiled you too much!"
"You want your dad's meat pie, right? Why don't you taste it right now!"
I clenched my teeth, but my head was forcefully pushed down and rubbed against the floor. My lips were pressed and distorted, tears and flour stuck to my face. Hugo wasn't satisfied. He erupted, pulling my head up with one hand while slapping my face repeatedly with the other. A metallic taste filled my throat, blood blurring my vision.
"Open your mouth! Weren't you acting tough? Come on, open your mouth and let me see how good my aim is!" He picked up a relatively intact meat pie and forcefully ground it into my face. "Smells good? Happy now? Now apologize to Bella! Otherwise, I'll make your father go back to wherever he came from right now!"
Unspoken Farewell at 30,000 Feet