Chapter 286

Evelyn emerged from her bedroom to find all eyes in the living room fixed on her. An uncomfortable silence hung thick in the air.

"Did I go too far earlier?" Evelyn sank into the sofa cushions, her fingers twisting nervously. "I shouldn't have said those things about Sophia."

"Absolutely not!" Clara exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "That bastard Dominic started shouting first! The moment you opened your mouth, he told you to shut up. Honestly, you showed remarkable restraint! If it were me, I would've torn him to shreds! Not only would I call Sophia an idiot, I'd say the entire Blackwood family belongs in a circus!"

Evelyn blinked at Clara's unexpected outburst.

Lily nodded vigorously in agreement. "Mom, you were upset. Anyone with half a brain would understand you didn't mean it."

Evelyn's shoulders slumped. "I don't care what Dominic thinks of me. I'm worried about hurting Sophia's feelings."

Her chest tightened at the thought. The spiteful words had tumbled out in anger, but now she regretted potentially wounding the innocent woman.

"Sophia isn't mad. She said she knows she's not smart anyway," Clara offered gently.

"That's exactly why I feel terrible." Restless energy buzzed beneath Evelyn's skin. She abruptly stood and retreated back to her room, unable to bear the weight of her guilt.

Watching their mother's distress, Lily and Henry exchanged troubled glances. Tonight had revealed the stark differences between Sophia and themselves in painful clarity.

Though Sophia appeared grown, her mind remained childlike. Even young children would cry if called names, yet Sophia accepted the cruel label without protest. Henry suddenly felt ashamed of his previous hostility.

Back in their shared room, Lily pulled out her art supplies and began sketching with intense focus.

Henry peered over her shoulder. "What are you drawing?"

"Can you give this to Sophia tomorrow?" Lily held up a vibrant watercolor of blooming roses against crisp white paper.

Henry hesitated but didn't refuse. His voice softened. "I feel bad for Sophia too." Lily's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "Nobody chooses to be different. Only someone truly cruel wouldn't care about being called names."

Henry carefully tucked the painting into his backpack.

"Let's be nicer to Sophia from now on, okay?" Lily grasped Henry's hand with sudden seriousness. "We can hate our stupid father all we want, but Sophia didn't do anything wrong."

The next day during recess, Sophia appeared at Henry's classroom door as usual. This time, Henry turned to face her directly.

Sophia's face lit up like sunrise when presented with the artwork. The previous night's incident might as well have never occurred.

"I love it!" Sophia enveloped Henry in a crushing hug before he could react. Henry stiffened - while he'd resolved to be kinder, her overwhelming displays of affection still made him uncomfortable.

Extricating himself with difficulty, Henry hastily retreated into the classroom and shut the door firmly behind him.

Moments later, Sophia's caretaker arrived bearing an overflowing basket of exotic fruits and gourmet treats. She handed it to Henry's teacher with a warm smile.

"Sophia insisted on sending these for Henry," the caretaker explained. Her gaze drifted to Henry just as he glanced up from his desk.

For one startling moment, the woman saw not Henry, but Dominic's striking features reflected in the boy's face.

Returning to Sophia's classroom, the caretaker found her charge still admiring Lily's painting with childlike wonder.

"Sophia," the caretaker began carefully, sitting beside her. "Don't you think Henry resembles your brother?"

Sophia nodded enthusiastically. "I like Henry very much."

"What I mean is... Henry might actually be your brother's son." The caretaker lowered her voice, ensuring their privacy. "If Henry is Dominic's child, that would make you his aunt."

"Aunt?" Sophia's brow furrowed in concentration, the new concept slowly taking root in her mind.