And looking at him now made something twist painfully inside her chest.
Had she been wrong all this time?
Had she been wrong to believe that he only cared about his brothers… and not her?
“Sophia… I’m so sorry.”
Arthur’s voice broke.
Sophia immediately dropped to one knee in front of him. She didn’t even remember deciding to move. One moment she was standing, the next she was there, close enough to see every tremble in his lips.
Arthur grabbed her hand and wrapped it tightly between both of his, as if he was afraid she would pull away. His hands were warm, slightly trembling.
When he looked at her, his eyes were soft, red-rimmed, filled with pain. His voice shook as he spoke, every word uneven.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I can’t even put into words how much pain I feel right now. To think they were hurting you, and I let it happen right in front of my eyes.”
His shoulders sagged.
“I see it now. I finally see how greedy they are. Even when you were in danger, all they cared about was transferring the company into their own names. They didn’t worry about you at all.”
Tears slid down Arthur’s cheeks and dropped onto the back of Sophia’s hand.
Sophia stiffened.
The warmth of his tears felt like fire.
Arthur lowered his head, his chin almost touching his chest. He kept staring at their joined hands, unblinking, as if he didn’t deserve to look at her face. Shame carved deep lines into his expression. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t lift his eyes to meet hers.
“Sophia…” he called her name again, his voice barely above a whisper, hoarse and fragile. “I will never trust them again. I promise.”
More tears fell. He blinked them away, then finally forced himself to look up at her.
He lifted one hand and reached for her face, his fingers trembling as they brushed her cheek.
“You are the only family I have,” he said. “The only one I want in my life. After your mom died… I should have stayed by your side.”
His fingers trembled against her skin.
“But I was so scared about your future. I kept working and working, thinking that if one day I suddenly die like your mom, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I wanted you to live a good life.”
Sophia’s lips trembled as she finally spoke, her voice firm despite the ache in her chest.
“I never asked you for anything, dad. I am perfectly capable of building my own future.”
Arthur’s expression tightened.“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice suddenly hard, breaking through the softness. “Your mom died all of a sudden. Within six months… we were so happy.”
His breath hitched.
“I was happy with your mom. Then we had you. I had never been so happy in my entire life.” His eyes glistened again. “And then she passed away.”
His voice cracked again.
“And then it was only me and you.”
Arthur broke down.
A raw sob tore out of his chest. His body shook violently as he cried, his shoulders heaving, his grip on Sophia’s hand tightening as if she was the only thing keeping him conscious.
