Chapter 44: Chapter 44

At that time, Sophia was already in Edward's car. Her mind was utterly unfocused. Anxiety and fear now creep into her brain and mind while on the way to her father's office.

For some reason, Sophia felt sure, after seeing her, Tristan would decide to go straight to his father at the office. Because she was worried that something untoward would happen, she forced Edward to deliver it immediately.

Sophia's worries grew, even more when the car they were both in was stuck in traffic for a while. From the corner of his eye, Edward could see how agitated the woman beside him was. Occasionally look to the right and left. It seems to check the cellphone screen as if waiting for someone's phone call. Taking the initiative to lighten the mood, Edward was reprimanded and then offered Sophia a bottle of drink.

"Drink it," Edward prodded. "I thought this might calm you down a bit. I see. You look like someone who is worrying about something."

Sophia turned her head, then nodded. Grabbing the bottle of mineral water given by Edward, she opened the lid and took a sip to moisten her dry throat.

"Thank you very much, Ed," she said. The woman's gaze then turned back to the queue of cars moving slowly in front of them. Sophia said a prayer in her heart so the vehicle they were traveling in could immediately run without the slightest obstacle.

"For God's sake, I'm afraid this traffic jam will last a long time," she lamented later.

Edward nodded. He was trying as much as possible to calm Sophia's nervousness.

"Don't worry. It's not a long traffic jam. After a red light, the car we were riding in could return to the road smoothly."

"Hopefully so," Sophia confirmed. No one can describe how chaotic he feels right now. "I'm afraid something will happen between Tristan and my Papa," the woman continued.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with the two of them?" surprised Edward. He turned his head to confirm what Sophia had just said. From the moment he left until he was in the middle of the road like now, Edward had wondered what the purpose of this beautiful woman he loved so suddenly asked to be brought to his father's office was.

"I believe that Tristan just found out a big truth, Ed. It's also the reason why I immediately thought of Papa."

Although he didn't know where Sophia was talking at the moment, what was certain was that what she said made Edward's brow furrow even more.

"Big truth? Come on, Sophia. Don't talk half-heartedly like this. I don't get what you mean." Sophia was sighing repeatedly and trying to slowly unravel the tightness that had gathered in his chest cavity. Closing her eyes briefly, she quickly convinced herself to answer Edward's question. It is not an easy matter to tell a significant fact like this to other people.

"Tristan has got proof that my Papa caused his Papa's death."

For the sake of hearing the words that just slipped from Sophia's lips, Edward gasped in surprise. He thought that what the woman told him the other day was just Tristan's unfounded accusations because Sophia was only telling the outline.

"Are you sure and simultaneously believe that your Papa did this?"

Sophia nodded weakly. Her face immediately dropped.

"I gave Tristan the proof myself."

"What?!"

Twice Edward was surprised by the statement that escaped Sophia's lips. On the other hand, he couldn't imagine how Tristan would feel right now when he found out who had caused his father's death.

"So your Papa did this to the Quartararo family?"

"Yes," Sophia said quietly. She was feeling ashamed for the disgraceful act her father had done. She had never thought that the man she knew was so gentle that he could kill another person's life on purpose. "This is a painful truth, Ed."

"Does that mean Tristan's previous accusations were proven?" guessed Edward.

Again Sophia nodded. She was confirming the words of the man next to her.

"That's why I was able to survive in Tristan's cage. I thought that what I've been doing so far would never be able to make up for what my Papa took from his family. I feel guilty ---"

"Sophia ..." Edward immediately interrupted. "You don't need to be responsible for something you never did. Besides, you did the right thing by telling Tristan the truth he's been searching for. Now, it's best if we leave all of this to those who have the right to handle it.

"But I'm still scared, Ed," Sophia complained again. "You know what a typical man Tristan is. For some reason, I've always thought that he would come to Papa's office and make calculations. which I fear. Worried that the two of them would end up in a fight to risk their own lives."

Edward was silent. What Sophia told him was true. They shouldn't take this case lightly. Moreover, he knew Tristan was capable of the unexpected. seeing the condition of the road, which was a bit deserted, Edward immediately drove his car to Alfonso's office right then and there.

Once they arrived, they both took big steps to go to the 20th floor immediately. Right in front of the room, Edward and Sophia could see Alfonso's secretary was busily Approaching her. Sophia intended to ask permission to enter her father's room.

"Is my father in?"

The secretary, who had been busy, stopped working her fingers on the keyboard. She looked up and gave an amiable smile. She, of course, knew who it was. was talking to her at the moment.

"Miss Sophia," she greeted first. "Mr. Alfonso is inside. But at the moment there are guests," she said casually, not having the slightest thought that the two people inside could potentially cause a stir.

"Visitor?" Sophia's reflex answered. "You mean a business partner or what?"

The secretary immediately shook her head repeatedly. "No ... no ... " she said. "But your husband is inside. Ten minutes ago he arrived and said he had something important to say."

"Then, I must catch up soon."

Not hindering, the secretary let Sophia and Edward directly enter Alfonso's workspace. Once inside, both of them were shocked to see how Tristan threw a punch at Alfonso's face blindly.

Sophia had screamed hysterically. Edward also rushed forward, trying to break up by pulling and locking Tristan's body.

"Tristan, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind!" Edward snapped at Tristan to stop what he was doing.

"Don't meddle, Ed. You don't know a thing here!" replied Tristan did not like it. He kept trying to free himself from Edward's grip.

"You should know that this man was clearly behind my Papa's death!"

"I won't let you go until you calm down."

Slowly but surely, Tristan relaxed his body. No more thrashing or trying to fight Edward. Edward slowly let Tristan go because his friend was no longer dangerous.

"I don't know anything about your business. To be sure, if you feel right, you should call the police right away to solve your problem immediately. Don't act stupid by taking the law into your own hands. What you did just now could be self-defeating!"

Tristan growled in annoyance. Ignoring Edward, he clenched his jaw. He was piercingly at Alfonso, who was still cleaning the blood around his face.

"Don't even think about running away, Pa. I'm sure the police will come and arrest you soon. I have all the evidence against you!"

When Tristan turned around and was about to leave the room. Alfonso immediately pulled a gun from his desk drawer, intending to kill Tristan. He thought, whether Tristan lived or died, in the end, he would still be the same in prison. It would be better if Tristan died.

So that when he came out later, he could more freely take over Foxtail from Raphael. Meanwhile, Sophia, silent in shock in one corner of the room, immediately put on a conservative attitude when she saw her father take a firearm from his drawer.

As soon as she realized that the bullet was about to be released, at that second, Sophia ran. She was trying hard to protect Tristan, who was about to step outside. After killing Tristan's parents, she thought the father she had loved so far could not make the same mistake as injuring his husband.

But it all seemed too late. Just as the sound of gunshots echoed through the room, at that moment, Sophia collapsed from the bullet that had lodged in her body. Edward, who saw this incident directly from his eyes, immediately ran toward Alfonso. It lunged at the middle-aged man, trying to grab the weapon he was holding and then throw it away.

Meanwhile, Tristan, ready to step out, immediately turned around when he heard the sound of gunshots. Finding Sophia slumped on the floor with a lot of blood on her body made him reflexively approach and immediately grab his wife's body.

"Sophia!" Tristan screamed as he hugged his wife tightly. Seconds later, he tried to carry Sophia to go to the hospital immediately.

***

Time seemed to slow down as Tristan took Sophia in his car to the hospital. Laying the woman on his thigh as a cushion, Tristan's hand seemed to be stretched out to help press the wound that had been bleeding non-stop.

Now and then, Tristan turned his head. Confirm whether the car Alexius is driving has arrived or not.

"For God's sake, Alexius. Speed up this car. At this rate Sophia could bleed out!" he cried, so angry. Don't ask how panicked and frustrated Tristan is right now. It was hard for him to think straight because his brain was suddenly filled with fears of what would happen to Sophia.

"Y-yes, sir," said Alexius nervously. He shuddered to see how Tristan's expression looked confused and emotional simultaneously because of the current busy road conditions. It can't be helped. London is often crowded and congested during lunch hours and after work. Everyone must have poured out on the road to go to their destination.

After 10 minutes of driving, struggling to get out of the traffic jam, Alexius was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The car he had been driving arrived at the lobby of The Royal London Hospital and was immediately greeted by several medics who were always on guard outside.

"Please help," Alexius shouted as he got out of the car. "There was a seriously injured patient in the car."

The medics quickly approached. I opened the door and immediately grabbed Sophia's body. Remove slowly, then lay down on a gurney to be directly taken to the emergency room.

"Sir, you can't come in. Let the team of doctors treat the patient first," one of the nurses asked when Tristan accidentally wanted to come into the room. "If something goes wrong, we will immediately notify the patient's relatives."

Tristan nodded. Then brought his feet to go to the waiting chair. There he sat with a sense of uncertainty. How had he ever thought that Sophia would do this reckless act? She deliberately sacrificed herself solely to save his life.

During this time, Tristan always boasted. He was talking arrogantly by constantly threatening to hurt and kill Sophia slowly.

However, when he saw the body of the woman whose status as his wife lay stiff, even covered in blood, his guts immediately shrunk. The arrogance that he often displayed instantly evaporated. Replaced with a feeling of uncertainty as well as regret that seems useless.

From another direction, Edward is seen coming while running. Followed by Mikaila, Sophia's mother, who had also just arrived, immediately started crying as soon as she sat on the waiting chair.

"Relax Aunty. Sophia will be fine," Edward comforted. He seemed to be trying very hard to strengthen Sophia's mother's heart so as not to dissolve into sadness. Everyone waited in front of the room for a long time. He hoped that when the doctors came out, they would bring news of Sophia's condition.

Until ten minutes later, the long-awaited finally came out of the room. Immediately Tristan and Edward got up and then approached.

"Are you Mrs Sophia's relatives?"

Tristan and Edward nodded in unison in response to the male doctor in front of them. "How is the patient, Doc?" Edward asked impatiently. Even though he looks tough, he has been almost crazy for a long time waiting, not sure how the condition of the woman he loves will develop.

"Sorry, but we have to inform that Mrs. Sophia's condition is not okay. After conducting an intensive examination and taking X-rays of the body that was hit by the shot, we decided to perform surgery. So, the gun projectile managed to penetrate the stomach and finally lodged in the uterine wall patient."

Edward and Tristan instantly fell silent. The doctor resumed his sentence without having had time to digest the explanation he had just heard fully.

"We are also sorry, because as a result of this wound, Mrs. Sophia could not help but lose the fetus in her stomach."

"W-what, Doc?" Tristan immediately raised his face to hear this one fact. "Sophia is pregnant?"

The doctor nodded weakly. "According to the data that appeared on the ultrasound machine, the patient's fetal age was around seven weeks. But because the wound was quite deep and fatal, we really regret that we couldn't do more help."

"But, the patient's life can still be saved, right?" Edward asked too.

"We are trying our best. After this, the patient will immediately undergo surgery. Let's pray together that his condition continues to be stable, the operation goes smoothly and can pass the critical period quickly."

After the doctor returned to continue his duties, Edward approached Tristan, standing next to the glass of the room. Without permission, without saying much, the big man immediately beat Tristan repeatedly at that very second. Don't leave an opening for his friend to reply.

To Edward, the pain Tristan felt from his punch was nothing compared to the agony Sophia had been feeling. If Alexius hadn't been there, Tristan might have followed Sophia into the treatment room.

"Mr. Edward stop it!" Alexius kept trying to intervene and asking Edward to finish his punch. Following the words of the man in front of him, Edward nodded. But he didn't let go of his hand from the collar of the shirt Tristan was wearing.

"Are you satisfied now, Tristan Quartararo? Has Sophia's suffering made you happy?" he cried angrily. "For God's sake, If I had known from the start that you treated her so inhumanely, I would never have let you two marry. And now? Sophia even lost her future baby in her stomach! You're a killer, Tristan. You killed your own flesh and blood!"

Tristan couldn't help but be silent. Not the least bit able to repay all the insults that Edward sent to him. All the evil actions he had done had made Sophia suffer.

"You listen carefully, Tristan," repeated Edward. "If anything happens to Sophia, I will kill you with my hands myself!"

Edward released his hands while pushing Tristan's body. Then the man left just like that, his best friend who couldn't do anything else.