Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Chapter 245 Sophie

The girl whispered "Richard" and then just collapsed. The crowd went wild, and Richard's face twisted as he looked over. She was closest to me, so I stepped up and caught her before she hit the ground.

She was barely conscious, trying to open her eyes, but all she managed were a couple of tears and another soft "Richard."

I rushed her to the hospital. After a bunch of tests, the doctor dropped the bomb: she was pregnant. I stared at the girl on the bed, looking so young and innocent. That was my first impression of Sophie. Thinking back to how upset she was when the judge gave the verdict and her constant calling for "Richard," I thought I had it figured out.

She was still out cold, so I dug through her phone for her family's contact info and gave them a call. A middle-aged couple showed up just before dark, right as Sophie was waking up.

When they heard she was pregnant, the woman lost it, throwing all kinds of insults at her. Sophie just cried, too scared to talk back.

Then the woman turned to me, giving me the once-over before pointing at me and asking Sophie, "Is he the father?"

Sophie shook her head like crazy, but the woman didn't care and started yelling at me.

"You look decent, but what have you done? Sophie's just a kid!"

I wasn't planning to say anything, but she was really pushing it.

I calmly said, "It's not me."

That just made her angrier. She put her hands on her hips and yelled even louder. "Why won't you take responsibility?"

She turned back to Sophie, stormed over, and jabbed her in the forehead. "You're such a disgrace. We raised you, and this is how you repay us?"

Sophie's head jerked to the side, but she just kept crying, not daring to talk back.

The woman said angrily, "You need to get rid of this illegitimate child."

shocked, but then her eyes got this fierce look. "No, I won't. I'm keeping this

voice went up several notches, and she grabbed Sophie's ear. "You've shamed us enough, and now you want to keep it?" Sophie, still crying, said firmly,

sneered. "Sophie, if you keep this baby, you're out of our house.

mom but her aunt. Her parents had died, and she'd been living with her uncle's family. After they left, Sophie cried her eyes out. I stood there, clueless about

I asked, "Is the baby

up

Richard know about

look crossed her face, and she

for her and added, "Are you

with her swollen eyes and

trying to

"I'm Ethan, Richard's older

set on having the baby, I had to find a place for her. Richard had messed

We all had to face the consequences of our

drug habit. If he hadn't, then after Richard

anniversary, I drove back

mom and

clearing them out and then stood there for another half, just staring at

face those long lashes, big eyes, and the way she'd shyly look down and say "thank you," too scared to

so hard not to cry. Over the years, I've had nightmares, seeing her covered in blood, telling me she was

clear voice called

a tall, beautiful

lot like Fiona, but now

looking for Fiona; she was just a kid. Now

in the big city, she wasn't scared at all just curious and eager to try everything. She even went on stage for Fiona once. Like Fiona, she had a beautiful

this uplifting tone that made it pleasant to hear. I couldn't help but smile a