When Sophia opened her eyes, she found herself in a strange place.
She stared blankly at the ceiling, confused, until the sharp, clean smell of antiseptic hit her.
Slowly, she realized she was in a hospital.
Her mind struggled to piece together how she ended up here.
Little by little, the memories returned.
Last night, her stepmother had told her to go to the Golden Goose Club to accompany her father, who was supposed to have a business dinner with an investor.
She had given Sophia a dress that was far too revealing and had even forbidden her from wearing a bra, assuring her that it was just a dinner and she would return home with her father afterward.
Sophia's fingers tightened around the blanket as she recalled what had happened.
When she arrived at the club and entered the private room, she hadn't found her father.
Instead, there was only a bulky old man with yellow teeth waiting for her.
Panicking, she had tried to leave, but the guards outside wouldn't allow her.
Left with no choice, she sat down, hoping her father would show up soon.
Time dragged on, but her father never came.
The old man kept offering her drinks, trying to make her drunk.
Thankfully, Sophia was good at holding her liquor.
Seeing that his plan wasn't working, the old man lost patience.
His hand started creeping up her thighs, his yellowed teeth flashing a greedy smile.
Sophia tried to resist, but he was much stronger than her.
The revolting smell of alcohol and bad breath on him made her stomach churn.
When he tried to kiss her, she panicked but forced herself to stay calm.
Seeing the anger flashing in his eyes when she resisted, she swallowed her fear and coaxed him by saying she needed to freshen up first.
She asked if she could go to the restroom.
The old man agreed, not worried in the least.
After all, the whole club was under his control, packed with his guards.
Sophia climbed the stairs to the restroom on the second floor, her heart pounding wildly.
Inside, by some miracle, she noticed a window — and outside, a large tree with branches reaching close enough.
Without a second thought, she climbed out and escaped.
She ran through the night, the heavy rain pouring down on her.
There were no taxis nearby.
The club was in the suburbs, a place only visited by the rich with their luxury cars.
No taxis, no buses, no escape except on foot.
She hid for a while, hoping the rain would cover her tracks.
But fear pushed her to keep moving.
She decided to run to the nearest subway station, even though she knew it was far.
Sophia let out a dry, bitter chuckle as she lay on the hospital bed, mocking herself for believing her stepmother's lies.
That woman had never liked her from the beginning.
Her stepmother — the woman who ruined her family.
Her father had loved his mistress since high school but had been forced to marry Sophia's mother for business reasons.
He had never stopped loving the other woman.
Even after Sophia was born, he continued seeing her in secret, and they eventually had a daughter together.
After Sophia's grandfather passed the family business to her father, he no longer cared to hide his affair.
He brought his mistress into their home openly.
It didn't take long before her stepmother began plotting against Sophia's mother, planting doubts in her father's mind — accusing her mother of infidelity and even claiming Sophia wasn't his biological daughter.
After that, life became unbearable.
Her father turned violent.
He would beat her mother almost every night.
And when her mother could no longer endure it, she left — leaving Sophia behind.
From then on, Sophia lived in the house like an unwanted servant.
While her half-sister, Amelia, lived like a princess, Sophia was treated worse than a maid.
The only reason Sophia stayed was because they allowed her to attend the same prestigious school as Amelia.
Even if she had to carry Amelia's bags like a servant, even if she was humiliated daily — it didn't matter to her.
As long as she could study, it was enough.
Now she was twenty-two and had graduated, but things had only gotten worse.
Now, they were even shameless enough to try and sell her off to an old man for an investment.
Sophia clenched the bedsheet tighter, a deep bitterness rising inside her.
How foolish she had been to believe her stepmother's words last night.
------
Sophia was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice when someone entered the room.
"Miss... Miss..." a male voice called out.
"Heenh?" Sophia murmured.
"I've been calling you for a long time, but you didn't seem to hear me. Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Marcus asked worriedly, thinking maybe she had hurt her head last night and that was why she didn't hear him earlier.
Sophia looked at the man standing in front of her — tall, handsome, and muscular.
He was wearing a suit, but it was dirty, stained with dried mud.
He wasn't a doctor... so who was he?
"Oh! I'm alright, I was just deep in thought earlier. Who are you?" Sophia finally spoke.
"I'm Marcus Wexley. I accidentally hit you with my car last night, and then you fainted, so I brought you to the hospital," Marcus explained.
She remembered — yes, after running away from that old man, she had been drenched in the rain, and her view had been so blocked that she unknowingly left the sidewalk and wandered into the road.
"I'm sorry. It was my fault for getting onto the road and causing the accident," Sophia said.
Marcus frowned slightly.
"You don't have to apologize. I should have been more careful, especially with the heavy rain."
Sophia lowered her eyes. She didn't know what else to say. Everything that happened last night still felt like a bad dream.
"Do you have any relatives we can call?" Marcus asked after a moment.
Sophia stiffened.
Relatives?
She didn't want to call anyone — not her father, not her stepmother, and certainly not her half-sister. They would probably just scold her for ruining their plans.
"No," she said softly. "No one."
Marcus studied her for a moment, noticing the slight tremble in her fingers as she gripped the blanket.
She looked so fragile, like she had nowhere to go.
He hesitated before speaking again. "You should at least stay here until the doctor says you're fine. Don't worry about the bills — I'll take care of them."
Sophia looked up at him, a little startled.
"Why... why would you do that?" she asked.
Marcus shrugged lightly, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his wrinkled trousers.
"Because I hit you. It's my responsibility."
Sophia bit her lip. She didn't know whether to feel grateful or suspicious. In her experience, people never helped for free.
But right now, she was too tired, too drained to argue.
"...Thank you," she said quietly.
Marcus nodded.
"I'll go talk to the doctor. Rest for now."
He turned to left the room, leaving Sophia staring after him, her heart filled with a complicated mix of emotions she couldn't even name.
"Oh! I forgot to ask your name," Marcus said, turning back just as his hand touched the doorknob.
Sophia blinked, still a little dazed, then replied softly, "Sophia Harrison."
"Good. Sophia Harrison," Marcus repeated, as if committing it to memory. "I'm going to call the doctor."
With that, he turned and left the room, his footsteps fading down the hallway.