Chapter 284 Which Parents Out There Will Have The Heart To Blame Their Own Child?

"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. "Back then, Charles may have a reason for threatening the White family, breaking your legs, and sending you to prison, but how do you explain it when he made you stay in Dream Club to humiliate you, made you receive guests, and even threw you out naked?" When her past that was too unbearable for her to recall was brought up in front of her, Sophia pressed her lips firmly and clutched the sheets beneath her. Charles took in her reaction and his hand that was hanging limply on the right side of his body twitched several times subconsciously. James glanced at him with a flash of hesitation in his eyes but quickly put on a stoney resolve. He raised his voice slightly and said, "If you can forgive Charles and even stay with him after all that he has done, why can't you forgive your biological parents who have given birth to you and raised you then?!" "Soph—" Jenny called out to her, her voice choking with sobs. At the sight of Sophia's pale complexion and how she remained as mute as a fish, James continued, "After all that is said and done, you’re simply ignoring the kindness we’ve shown you as your parents!" Sophia did not expect that he would be so shameless as to distort the truth, putting it in a way that made him appear completely innocent, making her to be the ungrateful one instead. Anger and hatred coursed through her limbs and bones. Something seemed to be stuffed in her throat as she could not even utter a single word. "Do you see the slap marks on my face, Mr. White?" Charles spoke suddenly, pointing to the swelling on his face that had yet to subside. James had noticed the injury on his face as soon as he walked in, but he did not take a closer look. "I was very sincere when I apologized to Sophia. She refused to forgive me and got angry every time she saw me, hence I offered her my cheeks and allowed her to slap me." Charles said, "If you are as sincere as me, then Sophia will forgive you too." James was taken aback when he heard what he said and subconsciously took a few more glances at Charles' face. This did not look like a matter that could be solved with a slap or two. Jenny dabbed the corner of her eye with a handkerchief and glanced several times at Charles with a slightly complicated look on her face. "Right?" Charles looked at Sophia. "Sophia?" Sophia's lower eyelids twitched a few times and said mildly, "The closer a person is to you, the deeper the pain will be. You are just an outsider so I can vent my anger after slapping you a few times. On the contrary, Mr. White has caused me too much psychological trauma that not even a few slaps will be enough for me to forgive him." "I understand. Not only has Mr. and Madam White wronged you and used you, but they have also beaten you. You definitely won’t blow off steam with just a few slaps," Charles said. He thought for a while, then said to a pale-looking James, "Why don't you move your face closer and let her slap you a few times first to show your sincerity, then let her vent her anger by hitting you a few more times?" "He is too thick-skinned, my hand will hurt if I slap him," Sophia said. The look and complexion on James' face started changing unpredictably like a colorful and splendid-looking color palette. "Put on a pair of gloves first before you hit him," Charles said. James' complexion turned ashen when he heard what he said and wanted to refute subconsciously. However, when the words of admonishment reached his throat, he clenched his teeth and swallowed them back in. "...Soph, go ahead and do it." Jenny had been listening to their conversation very carefully. After hesitating over and over again, she approached Sophia with a pair of swollen eyes and then closed her eyes. When she looked at her red and swollen eyes, Sophia felt like her heart was clenched by an invisible hand, suffocating her so hard that she could barely breathe. Her mom... she did not know what to do to her mother anymore.