When Love Fades to Ashes

"Sophie! What are you doing?!"

William rushed over in a panic and pushed Sophie aside. Dropping to his knees, he anxiously checked Lily's injuries.

Sobbing, Lily extended her ring finger, which bore the unmistakable signs of being pulled—marked by a deep red laceration.

"I did what you asked. I apologized to Sophie, but she lost it when she saw the ring. She insisted I take it off and tried to snatch it from my finger when I refused!

"I know I have a bad temper, but you know I'd never lie, right? I just don't understand… Why would Sophie do something like that after I apologized?"

Lily bit her lip, struggling to hold back her tears, stubborn yet delicate.

Heartbroken, William gently stroked Lily's head and wiped away her tears. "It's all right, Lily. I'll take you to the hospital—or anywhere you need to go. I'll do whatever it takes."

Lily's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Of course!"

William turned to Sophie with a cold expression. "Since when did you become so violent? I gave Lily her ring. If you're upset, you should be angry with me, not her! Besides, don't you also have a ring?"

William glanced at Sophie's ring finger, only to find it empty.

Confused, he raised his voice rose slightly. "Where's your ring?"

Sophie sneered. 'I see… So I should wear my ring to show others…'

Four years ago, William had carefully placed the ring on Sophie's finger.

Even his usually composed demeanor had softened into a smile as he vowed to dedicate his life to her, declaring she was his only fiancée.

At that moment, Sophie had fallen deeply in love with him, thinking they would live happily ever after.

But four years later, she had endured rumors that she was only marrying into the Lockes for their wealth, not to mention the insults from William's own nanny.

Their marriage had never been formalized.

Nonchalantly, Sophie replied, "I left it at home."

Her answer momentarily piqued William's curiosity, but it quickly shifted to anxiety as he almost lost his grip on Lily, who would have fallen.

He remembered the time when Sophie lost her ring while swimming. She had searched the pool for hours that night before finally finding it.

Afterward, she had cried in William's arms, promising never to take her ring off again.

'It's true I've been focused on Lily since she returned, but Sophie's always been understanding. She should know why I'm doing this, right?'

William thought back to how Sophie would always make him a warm glass of milk the morning after he had yelled at her or given her the cold shoulder.

At the thought, his gaze softened, and he said gently, "Let's go to the hospital together. You should get your face checked too."

Lily's eyes widened in shock, and she stomped her foot angrily. "William! Have you forgotten what she's done to me?!"

William found himself in a difficult position, unsure whose side to take.

Sophie needed to pick up her prescription from the hospital that afternoon, but she couldn't bear being around William and Lily any longer.

Calmly, she turned down William's offer and hailed a cab to the hospital on her own.

-

After consulting with the dermatologist, Sophie unexpectedly ran into William.

"What did the doctor say?" William asked.

He reached for Sophie's mask to remove it, but she quickly evaded him.

At that moment, a nurse approached and said, "Are you Sophie Queen? The doctor mentioned you'll be leaving in two days and would only like to collect half of your prescribed medication. Is that correct?"

William's heart skipped a beat.

He grabbed Sophie's hand, his gentlemanly demeanor replaced with urgency as he shouted across the hallway, "You're leaving? Where are you going?!"

Sophie smiled and tried to pull her hand from his grip. "I'm going with the dance troupe for a show."

William let out a sigh of relief, but his anxiety lingered. "How long will you be gone? Where are you going? We can't keep delaying our marriage, you know?"

'He still remembers we haven't gotten married,' Sophie thought with a sarcastic smile.

"We'll be performing in a small town for a few days," she replied.

William paused to think, checking his schedule. "I'll come with you. I don't have anything else planned for the next two days."

Sophie frowned, impatience creeping into her voice. "You don't need to. It wouldn't be convenient for you to come with us."

"I won't be in your way. Just do what you need to do."

William was determined to accompany Sophie, and he was never one to take no for an answer.

Sophie knew that he would insist even more if she refused.

After a moment of thought, she came up with an idea. "Lily's competition is in two days, right? Aren't you going to go?

"You should bring her with you next time we go out. Otherwise, she'll just give me an earful."

As expected, William fell silent for a moment before nodding with a faint smile. "You're right. I should accompany Lily. We'll have plenty of chances to spend time together in the future."

After that, William drove Sophie home before returning to his room to work.

Meanwhile, Sophie's phone rang with a text message from Alena.

Alena: [I'm sorry to ask, but you're the most flexible and adaptable performer I know. I promised someone I'd perform with them, but I injured my leg. Would you be able to perform on my behalf? Or, if you're busy, you could have one of your girls perform instead.]

Sophie stared at her phone, lips pressed together.

She didn't want to get involved with anything right before her trip. Yet Alena had been her mentor for so long, charging Sophie only half of her usual fee due to her family's financial struggles.

After a moment's consideration, Sophie decided to perform on Alena's behalf as a way to repay her kindness.

Shortly after sending her response, Lily knocked on her door.