Chapter 5
Chapter 5
As Sophia’s door slammed shut, the impact made the frame rattle.
Howard slumped against the wall, coughing violently as he struggled to catch his breath. A vivid red mark circled his throat where Sophia had choked him.
“Are you alright?” Heather fussed, still dismissing Sophia’s threats. “That disrespectful girl needs to be taught—”
“Mom, stop,” Howard gasped, clutching Heather’s arm. “Just… help me downstairs.”
For the first time, he’d genuinely feared for his life. Without Heather’s intervention, he might have died right there.
*****
Back in her room, Sophia flopped onto the bed but couldn’t sleep. After restless tossing, she gave up and sat slumped forward, hair hanging limply around her defeated posture.
After ten minutes of blank staring, she mechanically washed up, changed clothes, and headed downstairs–only for a cup to come flying at her the moment she appeared.
Sophia turned her head sharply. The cup flew from her hand and shattered on the floor behind her.
“How dare you dodge!” Jonathan’s face twisted with anger.
Sophia looked up at him and tilted her head with a grin. “If I hadn’t dodged, that would’ve killed me. You didn’t seriously expect me to just take it, did you?”
“You…” Jonathan was so mad that he couldn’t even get the words out.
“Already losing your temper?” Sophia clicked her tongue and walked over,
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looking disgusted.
She flopped into a chair, snatched a piece of bread, and took a bite. “Honestly, Jonathan, you’re the head of the family, and you’re losing it over something this small? No wonder the company’s a mess.”
Heather gasped. “How can you talk to your father like that?”
Jonathan was furious. “What’s your problem, eating like nothing’s wrong? Did you burn down the memorial hall last night?”
Sophia kept eating her bread and oatmeal, acting like she didn’t care. “Why ask if you already know the answer?” she shot back, her tone mocking.
Everyone else at the table stayed silent–except for Sean, who had left early for work, and Elliot, who was missing. No one dared to say a word.
Yvette kept her head down, not even bothering to stop Sophia. She just watched, knowing Sophia was making things worse for herself.
The only sound was Sophia chewing. After a few seconds, she finally looked up, annoyed. “If you’re not eating, just leave. You’re ruining my
appetite.”
29)
Jonathan was practically shaking with anger. “You wicked girl!” he snapped. “Haven’t you done enough? What else do you want?”
Sophia stopped chewing, her mind racing. ‘What do I even want? Just a normal life. But with all this mess, that’s too much to ask. This damn story just won’t leave me alone.
“This isn’t fair. Just because Yvette is the favorite, do I have to die? What did I ever do wrong?
‘Well, if I’m going to die anyway, I might as well do what I want. Better yet -I’ll drag them all down with me. If not all at once, then one by one. No way am I suffering alone.‘
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Jonathan, furious at being ignored, charged at Sophia with his hand raised to strike. But Sophia moved faster. With a sharp crash, the cup she flung smashed directly into his face.
Jonathan stumbled backward in shock, clutching his face. The side where the cup hit had already started swelling, red and streaked with thin lines of blood.
Heather sucked in a sharp breath, too shocked to make a sound.
Howard’s eyes went wide–his fingers twitched toward his own neck instinctively. Yvette just narrowed her eyes at Sophia, suspicion written all over her face.
Sophia ignored them all. Her gaze stayed locked on Jonathan as she asked coolly, “Wake up now?”
Jonathan finally snapped out of his daze. The stinging pain on his cheek proved this wasn’t a nightmare–his own daughter had actually struck him. “That ungrateful little bitch! This is beyond humiliating!‘ he thought, fuming inside.
“Sophia!” Heather suddenly screamed, snapping back to reality. “You’ve gone crazy! Somebody call the police!”
She turned to Jonathan, her voice frantic. “Jonathan, Sophia’s lost it! She burned the memorial hall, and now she’s coming after you. Who knows what she’ll do next? Call SWPC immediately. We can’t let this continue.”
Before Heather could say another word, Sophia, her meal still unfinished, suddenly rushed into the kitchen. She returned with a knife and swung it wildly at Heather.
The room erupted in screams as Heather stumbled backward, desperately shielding her head with her arms. Sophia charged after her, the knife glinting as she waved it wildly.
After a desperate scramble, Heather’s legs gave way, and she crashed to the
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Chapter 5
floor. She curled into a ball, shaking uncontrollably as she covered her
head with both hands.
The knife slipped from Sophia’s hand and stuck deep into the wooden table beside Heather with a heavy thud.
At the screams, Sophia snatched up the knife again and pressed it against Heather’s neck. “Quiet,” she ordered.
Heather’s eyes fluttered as she nearly fainted from fear.
“Stay awake,” Sophia said sharply, pressing the blade closer. “Or I’ll slit your throat right here.”
Trembling violently, Heather fought to keep her eyes open while urine pooled around her feet.
With a disgusted sigh, Sophia threw the knife down and returned to her seat. “Quick thinking, Heather, calling SWPC so fast,” she remarked. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
For forty years, the Silkwood Psychiatric Center–everyone just called it SWPC–had been the most feared mental hospital in Jelasburg. Patients
who entered never left.
The place ran like a maximum–security prison, with cameras watching every room and guards carrying stun guns roaming the halls. The whole facility was circled by a deadly electric fence. Anyone dumb enough to try escaping without permission would end up fried.
SWPC’s outrageous fees put it out of reach for anyone but the wealthy- effectively a private mental hospital for the wealthy. The cruel irony was that in her eighth life, Sophia had been confined there until her death.
Heather’s face went pale, her eyelids fluttering. “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered, voice shaking.
Inside, Heather burned with shame and rage. The disrespect from her
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own daughter was more than she could stomach.
Sophia’s behavior pushed Jonathan to his limit. His face turned red with anger, though part of him was scared too. “You ungrateful brat!” he shouted. “I don’t care about your excuses. You’re coming with me to apologize to all three families right now.”
Sophia played with the knife in her hand. “If you love apologizing so much, you go.”
“You…” Jonathan was speechless with rage. For a split second, he was seeing red, and the room seemed to sway.
With fake sympathy, Sophia said, “You should calm down, Jonathan. At your age, this much anger isn’t good for your heart.”
Jonathan’s face turned red with rage. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Sophia gave him an exaggerated sad face. “I wish it were that easy,” she said quietly. Jonathan would outlive her, and nothing could change that bitter fact.
