Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around! novel Chapter 284

"Soph, how… how are you feeling now?" Jenny wiped the corners of her eyes and asked in a pitiful and worried tone.

All sorts of feelings welled up in Sophia’s heart when she saw her tears, though when she opened her mouth, her voice remained mild and calm. "I’m feeling much better now. Thanks for your concern, Madam White."

Jenny could taste an acerbic taste in her mouth when she heard her daughter calling her Madam White. Even so, she did not pursue this matter but asked worriedly instead, "Why do you look so pale then? Should I get the doctor over to check on you again?"

"How can a person recover so quickly? Soph has just finished her operation, so it’s understandable why her face is so pale," James explained.

Mockery was written all over Sophia's face after hearing what he said. He was calling her Sophia one moment and Soph the next. Did he feel no shame at all?

Thinking that James’ words made sense, Jenny asked, "Are you hungry? Would you like to eat something?"

"I'm not hungry. Thank you for your concern, Madam White," Sophia answered mildly. "I need to rest now, though. You and Mr. White should probably leave first."

James handed Jenny a handkerchief and sighed. "Soph, I made a mistake back then and it’s fine if you want to blame me, but your mother has been worried sick. Her eyes were basically swollen every day in those few months after your release from prison. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate for you to treat her like that?"

Jenny looked at Sophia with eagerness in her eyes. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the handkerchief yet the redness and swelling on her eyes were still there.

"You have the freedom to treat me in any way that you want; I have the freedom to choose whether I want to forgive you or not," Sophia said coldly.

Jenny's tears started dribbling down her face again.

James frowned. "It was my idea to sever ties with you for the sake of the White family’s survival. This has nothing to do with your mother, so why are you saying things like that to her to break her heart?"

"Don't… Don't say anymore. This… this isn’t Soph’s fault." Afraid that Sophia would find it irritating if she cried all the time, Jenny had been mentally preparing herself before she came. Despite that, she still felt unbearably heartbroken after seeing how frail her daughter was and how she was also giving her the cold shoulder.

James looked at her, suppressed the irritability in his heart, and wiped her tears gently as he could. "I don't want to blame Soph either. Which parents out there will have the heart to blame their own child?"

He might be saying this to Jenny, but he had deliberately raised his voice so Sophia could hear it.

Sophia made no reply but held her cup and took a few sips of water, suppressing the flames of rage that were seething through her.

"Apart from being fooled by Leah and believing in her nonsense, your mother has never wronged you, Soph. I will accept it if you blame me, but as a husband, I really can’t stand watching you treat her like that," James Righteous said with a strong sense of righteousness.

Sophia sneered and said sarcastically, "Oh, so you feel sorry for Madam White now, Mr. White? If my memory serves me right, you have blamed Madam White countless times in front of me itself, you even said that she doesn’t know how to do anything but cry all day."

"You'll know once you get married. Have you seen any couples who have never quarreled?" James kept his countenance and said in a deep voice, “If a couple treats each other like honored guests, then that will only mean that they don’t love each other and that they consider each other as outsiders.”

Jenny's expression was not exactly pleasant to start with after hearing Sophia’s words, but after hearing his explanation now, she felt slightly at ease. "Soph, it’s normal for old married couples to quarrel occasionally. You think too much."

Sophia made no reply, though she could not help feeling disappointed.

Mom had been married to Dad for several decades and was used to relying on him now. Even after two big quarrels, she still could not get rid of the habit of relying on and trusting him.

Mom was not wrong to yearn for a peaceful family, but in Sophia’s case, she had long since stopped considering a hypocritical man like that as her father…

"You keep saying that your mother and I have made a mistake and that there’s no way that you can forgive us." James said angrily, "Do allow me to say something that you may find unpleasant to hear.