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He never imagined the Harrisons lived in such an estate.
"Yeah, this is our home! Who are you? Looking for someone?"
Chloe Harrison answered cheerfully, eyeing the strangers.
Ethan Thompson reacted first.
He stormed toward Sophia, hand outstretched.
"Sophia Thompson! Did you steal Lily’s jewelry before leaving? Hand it over!"
His demand carried the same entitled tone he’d used all year.
"Lily told you, didn’t she? I didn’t take anything. Her jewelry is still with her,"
Sophia replied calmly.
"I hadn’t planned to meddle in Thompson affairs. But since I’ve left and Lily won’t stop targeting me, you’ll see her true colors."
She pulled out her phone.
"Here’s Lily’s confession. Proof she stole my painting. This video shows her smashing the bowl and cutting her foot on purpose. Watch and listen. Then ask me about jewelry."
For over thirty minutes, Sophia played the recordings, showed the original painting drafts, and the damning video evidence.
When it ended, Lucian and Ethan stared in stunned silence, unable to refute the proof.
"Lucian, I never lied to you. The liar was Lily,"
Sophia stated coldly.
"So… you never had a boyfriend? You kept your promise to me?"
Lucian’s voice cracked with realization.
"I told you I didn’t have one. You refused to believe me."
Sophia’s smile was bittersweet.
"All this time, did you never notice Lily’s ‘award-winning’ painting was a portrait of you as a child? How could she paint your childhood when she never knew you?"
Lucian’s eyes widened.
Only Sophia could’ve captured that memory.
"Now that the misunderstanding’s cleared, Lucian, goodbye."
Sophia stepped back as Lucian moved forward, widening the gap between them.
While his eyes swam with regret, hers held only detached clarity.
"Lucian Thompson, do you know how much Sophia loved you?"
James Harrison stepped in, his voice thick with anger.
"For you, she refused to come home to us—her real family. She said you Thompsons were her world. And how did you repay her? One year of cruelty because you blindly favored a stranger who looked like your dead Sophiater!"
He gestured at Sophia’s thin frame.
"Look what you did to her!"
"Sophia… Big Brother…"
Lucian began, but Sophia cut him off.
"My brother is James Harrison. Your business here is done. Leave."
Her tone was ice.
Lucian’s heart clenched at her indifference.
"Sophia… I was wrong. We’ll make this right. We’ll bring you home—"
"Leave."
Sophia turned away.
