The more Sophia endured, the worse Ryan got.

Finally, unable to take it any longer, Sophia grabbed a glass of iced liquor from the table and threw it straight at Ryan.

"Are you awake now, Dr. Scott?"

The cold splash instantly sobered Ryan up a little. He looked down at the woman standing before him—her almond eyes cold, her expression full of annoyance.

Before he could say anything, her impatient voice cut through, "Can we talk now?"

With Sophia’s words, and the sound of laughter from the crowd behind her, Ryan’s pride couldn’t take it anymore. His anger flared as he reached out to grab her again.

But before he could touch her, Sophia lifted her leg and kicked him hard between the legs.

Ryan's shrill scream nearly drowned out the blaring music from the venue.

The commotion immediately drew attention.

Julian, who had been flirting with a woman, turned toward the noise, his eyes catching the scene.

Having grown up with Sophia, he knew her temper well.

But since marrying Aaron, she hadn't shown any anger. He had even started thinking she would never get mad!

Wait... was she here for Aaron?

It didn’t seem like she was about to divorce him.

"Aaron, your wife..."

He turned to speak, but just as he was about to, he saw the man narrowing his eyes, coldly watching what was happening.

"She's here to catch you?" Julian chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. "Honestly, this Sophia is the one I remember… after marrying you, I thought she’d become a damn ninja turtle."

Aaron lifted his eyes and shot Julian a sharp look. "Who’s that man?"

"I don’t know, but I’ll have someone check for you."

Julian gestured for one of the bodyguards to investigate.

It wasn’t long before the bodyguard returned and respectfully spoke, "Mr. Ryker, that man is Ryan, a doctor. He’s said to be a genius in cardiology."

"Genius doctor?" Aaron sneered, "I don’t want to see that man in Harborville again. Julian, you know what to do."

Julian blinked, watching as Aaron stood up and walked toward the scene, tapping his nose in thought.

Wasn’t Aaron supposed to not care?

Sophia struggled as Ryan grabbed her hand tightly. If it weren't for his hands being the ones that could save her father, she would’ve loved to snap them off!

"You filthy woman, tonight I’m going to teach you a lesson. When we go upstairs, you’ll be begging me to stop!" Ryan said, dragging her toward the stairs while his friends whistled behind them.

Sophia pulled away, but couldn’t escape. "Ryan, I don’t want to ruin your hands that save lives..."

"Not even worth it!" Ryan interrupted, coldly sneering as his gaze turned hungry. "These hands not only perform surgery—they can make you scream—"

Before he could finish, someone kicked Ryan from behind. He staggered, losing his balance, and fell forward.

Sophia, startled, took two steps back and looked up to see Aaron standing there.

Her heart skipped a beat.

What was he doing here?

Aaron’s cold gaze swept over Ryan before landing on Sophia. "Come here."

Sophia bit her lip but didn’t move. She just stood there.

"Who the hell are you?" Ryan climbed to his feet, swinging his fist at Aaron, but missed. He was kicked back to the ground.

Before he could rise, two bodyguards held him down.

Julian stepped forward from behind.

The people at the table finally came to their senses.

Julian was the owner of Imperial Club, and since it was known that the Chases' third son and the Ryker Corp. CEO had grown up together, the man standing there must be Aaron.

"You take Sophia and leave. I’ll handle this," Aaron said.

Julian nodded as Aaron walked toward Sophia, lowering his head to look at her. "Still not leaving? Or do you really want to go up with him?"

Sophia looked up. In the shifting light, she clearly saw the disgust in his eyes.

He helped her, but it was probably just to avoid losing face as Mrs. Ryker, wasn’t it?

But... they were getting a divorce. Even if it was embarrassing, that was her own problem, not his.

Sophia smiled faintly, then turned to Julian. "Julian, can I ask you for one favor?"

Julian raised an eyebrow but glanced at Aaron.

After a long silence.

"Go ahead."

"Please, let Ryan go."

Julian was stunned.

"He means a lot to me. Please don’t hurt him..."

Before she could finish, a sharp scream rang out behind her. Her spine chilled, and she turned to see Aaron’s foot crushing Ryan's hand, the bones cracking loudly.

Sophia’s heart sank to the floor.

That foot had shattered all her hopes.

She had endured Ryan’s behavior, never touching his hands, but this man had easily destroyed them.

The sound of Ryan’s scream and the crack of bone echoed in her ears.

Sophia snapped. She pushed Aaron away and screamed, "What did I do wrong for you to treat me like this? Don’t you know... he’s my only hope!"

With red-rimmed eyes, she pushed through the crowd and left.

Aaron narrowed his eyes, staring at her retreating figure, his face dark.

After dealing with Ryan, Julian had someone investigate, and they discovered that Sophia’s father needed heart surgery.

That’s why Sophia had sought out Ryan and tolerated him.

Aaron’s kick had ruined Ryan’s hand, and now Sophia’s father’s surgery...

"Even if Ryan’s hand heals, it can’t be used for surgery anymore. Your father-in-law’s situation doesn’t look good," Julian said, leaning against the Maybach, cigarette in hand. As the smoke curled up, he saw Aaron’s eyes darken even further.

"Do you need me to find a cardiologist?"

Aaron took a deep drag, but remained silent. After finishing his cigarette, he flicked the butt into a nearby ashtray, then opened the Maybach’s door and looked at Julian. "Find a doctor, have them contact Sophia directly."

He paused, then got into the driver’s seat and drove off.

...

After everything that had happened, Sophia was exhausted. She went back to the Dolces' house, slept for the night, and the next morning rushed to the hospital. There, she found Eleanor Grant, tearfully sitting next to a man.

Sophia paused, then walked over. "Aunt, when did you get back? You didn’t call me first so I could pick you up!"

"Sophia, with your father in such a serious condition, why didn’t you call me? If Arthur hadn’t told me, how much longer were you planning to keep this from me?" Eleanor wiped her tears and reached out to hold Sophia’s hand. "What did the doctors say?"