SOPHIA’S POV

The ride back to Stone Villa felt unbearably silent.

I sat beside the car window the entire time while staring blankly outside. Trees passed by quickly outside, but I barely noticed any of them.

Because all I could still hear was Ashley’s voice.

Mom.

My wolf remained painfully quiet inside me now. Earlier, she had cried and growled nonstop, but now she had completely withdrawn into herself.

Zade sat across from me inside the luxury van the kindergarten arranged for some parents. He hadn’t spoken much since earlier either, but I could feel his eyes on me several times throughout the ride.

Meanwhile, Tiffany sat several rows ahead beside Ashley while softly comforting her the entire journey home. Ashley leaned against her closely with swollen eyes from crying. Every now and then, Tiffany would kiss her forehead gently while whispering comforting words.

And every single time I saw it...my chest hurt all over again.

I slowly looked away before tears could gather again.

By the time we arrived at Stone Villa, I already felt emotionally exhausted.

Damien was already waiting near the entrance when we arrived. The moment Ashley climbed out of the vehicle, she immediately ran toward him.

“Daddy!” she screamed.

Damien bent down instantly and caught her in his arms.

“What happened?” he asked while checking her face worriedly.

Ashley’s lips trembled “T-They bullied me...”

Tiffany walked closer with perfect timing.

“Ashley and another child fought during the trip,” she explained softly. “She got pushed down.”

Damien’s expression darkened “Who pushed her?”

Ashley buried her face against his shoulder

“Klara...”

I remained standing near the vehicle quietly while watching everything.

My wolf felt restless again. Damien finally looked toward me.

His expression changed slightly the moment he noticed how pale I looked, probably because my face still showed traces of crying.

For a second, his brows furrowed. But before he could say anything, Ashley suddenly clung tighter to him.

-

Dinner that night felt suffocating from the very beginning.

Grandpa George had already eaten earlier because of his medication, leaving only Damien, Ashley, me, and several servants moving quietly around the dining room. Tiffany wasn’t seated at the table, but I knew she was somewhere nearby because I could smell her scent.

Ashley sat closely beside Damien the entire time. She was far away from me. She didn’t even look in my direction once.

Every bite of food tasted like ash inside my mouth.

Finally, I placed my utensils down calmly.

“Ashley.” I said.

Ashley stiffened beside Damien, but she still refused looking at me.

I looked directly at Ashley “You owe Boris an apology.”

The entire dining room fell silent instantly.

Damien frowned “Sophia-”

“She insulted him cruelly in front of everyone today,” I continued coldly. “And she needs to apologize.”

Ashley frowned “But he’s bad!”

“He did nothing to you.”

Ashley looked toward Damien desperately “Daddy...”

Damien sighed “She’s just a child.”

I looked at him in disbelief “And that excuses what she said?”

“She doesn’t fully understand those words yet.”

“Yes, she does. Children don’t randomly call someone a motherless bastard unless they heard it from somewhere.”

Ashley shrank slightly into her chair.

“She needs to apologize,” I repeated firmly.

Damien’s jaw tightened “You’re being too harsh.”

I scoffed “Harsh?”

My wolf stirred angrily now too.

“She publicly humiliated another child for something completely beyond his control.”

“She’s emotional because of everything happening lately,” Damien argued.

“And whose fault is that?”

The words escaped before I could stop them. Damien’s expression darkened.

“Sophia.”

“No,” I said coldly. “Let’s stop pretending for once.”

Ashley looked between both of us nervously now. Meanwhile, several servants nearby quietly lowered their heads awkwardly while pretending not to listen.

“You keep indulging her behavior,” I continued. “You let Tiffany replace me right in front of her while acting like I’m the problem.”

Damien glared at me “Tiffany has been helping Ashley because you’ve barely been emotionally available lately.”

Tears burned in my eyes as I whispered “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?” Damien challenged. “Ashley cries for Tiffany now because Tiffany is actually patient with her.”

The words hit me like a slap. For several seconds, I simply stared at him in disbelief.

I looked toward Ashley. She looked frightened now.

Tears rolled down her cheeks while she held on to Damien’s arm. Yet even now...she still didn’t come toward me.

That realization hurt more than anything else.

“Ashley,” I said more softly this time. “Do you understand how painful those words were?”

Ashley shook her head while crying harder “I hate Boris!”

“Why?”

Suddenly, a wave of pain stabbed through my abdomen.

I froze immediately. My breath caught painfully inside my throat. My wolf instantly became alarmed.

I gripped the edge of the dining table tightly as the pain got more intense.

Damien frowned “Sophia?”

Another pain hit me. It was much worse this time. I gasped in agony.

My entire lower abdomen twisted painfully. My eyes started to turn, leaving me dizzy and breathless. It felt like something inside my body was tearing apart violently.

My wolf cried out in panic now.

Damien’s expression changed instantly.

“Sophia!” he screamed.

I barely heard him. Because suddenly, warm liquid spread down my legs.

My entire body froze. I slowly looked down.

It was blood....lots of it. Bright red blood stained my dress fast under the table.

For several seconds, nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Then Ashley screamed.

Damien rushed toward me instantly “Sophia!”

The room exploded into chaos.

Servants panicked while Ashley cried hysterically nearby. My vision blurred badly now as pain tore through my body harder and harder.

Another violent pain ripped through me before I collapsed completely.

Damien caught me just before I hit the floor.

“Sophia!”

His voice sounded panicked now. Blood continued spreading under me while agony consumed my entire body. My fingers clutched weakly at Damien’s shirt while I struggled breathing.

“Hospital...” I whispered weakly.

Damien immediately lifted me into his arms.

“Get the car now!” he screamed.

Everything afterward became blurry.

The ride to the hospital felt endless.

Every part of my body was in pain, while blood continued soaking through my clothes. Damien held me tightly in the backseat the entire way while shouting desperately at the driver to go faster.

My wolf cried continuously inside me now.

Damien kept calling my name repeatedly.

“Sophia, stay awake.”

I could barely respond anymore. The pain was unbearable now.

When we finally reached the hospital, doctors rushed me into emergency treatment immediately.

Slowly...everything faded into darkness.

-

The next time I regained consciousness, the world felt strangely quiet.

My body felt very cold. For several seconds, I stared blankly at the ceiling without understanding anything.

Then slowly...my memories came back. I remembered the pain I felt during dinner and the blood.

My wolf remained silent now. The emptiness inside me suddenly became terrifying.

I turned my head weakly.

Damien stood near the hospital window with his back facing me.

“Damien...” I whispered.

He turned and the moment I saw his face...fear gripped me instantly.

Damien Stone looked shattered.

His eyes were bloodshot, like he hadn’t stopped crying. His usually neat appearance looked messy now, and his entire face had gone pale with shock.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

“What happened?” I asked.

Damien stared at me silently. That silence terrified me more than anything else.

Finally, he walked toward the bed.

“Sophia...”

The way he said my name made my heart sink.

Damien closed his eyes briefly.

“The doctor said...” His voice cracked badly. “You had a miscarriage.”

Everything inside me stopped completely.

I stared at him blankly while the words echoed repeatedly inside my head.

Miscarriage. Miscarriage. Miscarriage.

Fresh tears rolled silently down my face.

How? Was that possible? I didn’t even know I was pregnant.

And now...the baby was gone. My wolf cried out painfully inside me now.

“Lost pup. Lost pup”

I broke completely.

I sobbed while tears poured uncontrollably down my face. My entire body shook under the blankets. All I felt was grief.

Damien grabbed my hand tightly.

“Sophia-” he whispered.

“The baby...” My voice shattered completely.

“I’m sorry.”

But then...hs next words destroyed me even more.

“The doctor also said...” His voice became rougher now. “Because of the damage from your previous surgery... and the hemorrhaging tonight...”

Damien looked completely broken now.

“Your chances of getting pregnant again are very low.”