Chapter 1398
"Hey, big brother..."
Sophie shook her head frantically, as if she was trying to shake off the fear of the unknown that had settled deep
inside her. She didn't want any birthday presents. She didn't want anything anymore! A glint of sadness passed
through Gordon's eyes, yet with a heavy heart, he presented the pair of sapphire-blue rings he had carefully
prepared.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
As the rings caught the light, Sophie's tears flowed uncontrollably. They glimmered brilliantly, casting a soft glow,
yet they laid bare the harsh reality before her. "Andrew gavethis ring years ago. | had the Aldridge family
gem crafted into an identical one... | meant to place it on your finger myself, but... someone else has beaten me
to it."
Gordon's words sent a flood of memories through Sophie's mind-moments of Colby slipping that ring onto her
finger on the deck. Those memories flashed by so quickly, feeling like they were from another lifetime. "Sophie,
it's tto wake up from this dream," Gordon's voice trembled slightly. Then, like smoke, he faded away before
Sophie's eyes.
She snapped out of her daze, panic-stricken, and cried out, "Brother! Don't leave me! Please, don't abandon
me!" But no matter how much she pleaded, Gordon's figure had already vanished. Suddenly, realization hit her.
She turned around sharply to find the faces in the banquet hall now blurred and unrecognizable.
She wanted to run down to hug her parents, to share all the struggles she had faced over the years. She didn't
want to be a child without parents, didn't want to be bullied by her in-laws without her own family to lean on.
She didn't want to carry the weight of the entire Russell family by herself. And she certainly didn't want to
navigate the deceit and turmoil of Devonport alone.
But as she stumbled forward, everything dissolved into mere illusions. "Dad! Mom!" she cried out, but there was
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmonly silence. She collapsed, sobbing and screaming, trying to unleash all the injustices fate had thrown her way.
The pain in her shoulder intensified, a relentless reminder that everything she saw was just a facade. Just a
dream.
"Sophie!" A voice suddenly pierced through her despair. She looked up to see James standing there. Her last tear
trickled down as James knelt to gently wipe it from her cheek. "It's tto wake up from the dream, isn't it?" Her
voice was raw and broken. James remained silent. In this dream world, only those fully aware and unattached
could leave. When everything turned to illusions, he becaware. The dream was too perfect, too tempting to
remind one of the cold reality outside. But dreams always have to end. The only thing holding him back was
Sophie.
"Rose... Rose!" Nearby, Joseph called out for Ruby, but everything had already ended. It was nothing more than a
beautiful dream spun from the gems. "James, thank you," Sophie said softly, looking at him. "And... I'm sorry."