Chapter 189 Inconsiderate of His Own Wife!

Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Inconsiderate of His Own Wife!

Sophie Winslow didn’t even shy away from Julian Sterling’s gaze. The moment she finished speaking, she watched the man’s grip tighten around his lighter until his fingertips turned a stark white.

Julian seemed to find her words unbelievable, and Sophie caught the split-second contraction of his pupils.

She found it laughable.

So Julian Sterling was capable of being affected after all. So he could experience emotional ripples because of her. Only, she couldn’t decipher exactly what kind of emotion it was.

"You... What do you mean you had a child?" Madam Sterling’s hand, which had been pressing firmly down on Sophie’s shoulder, suddenly tightened its grip.

Julian didn’t say a word. But he, too, was waiting for an answer.

Sophie gave a faint smile, looking completely unfazed and indifferent. She nonchalantly let Mrs. Thorne continue checking her pulse. "I did have a child. I had a miscarriage, but I just never mentioned it to Julian."

In that instant, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. The casual, almost intimate way she said "Julian," juxtaposed with her failure to inform him of such a crucial matter, felt glaringly contradictory. It only made the situation all the more painfully ironic.

"When did this happen?! Child, why didn’t you tell the family the moment you found out you were pregnant? And how is having a miscarriage the same as actually giving birth?" Madam Sterling was equal parts anxious and furious. If Sophie had spoken up in time, the family could have taken proper care of her, and they might have saved the baby.

Sophie knew her claim would inevitably be questioned. She remained remarkably calm and didn’t spare another glance at the silent Julian across the room, even though she could feel his intense gaze fixed steadily upon her.

"Grandma Thorne should know," Sophie said, "that a miscarriage also severely damages a woman’s vitality and blood flow. The pulse is actually quite similar to that of someone who has given birth. I didn’t take proper care of my body back then, so the lingering effects are comparatively worse."

Mrs. Thorne nodded at this. "That’s not wrong; traditional medicine does state that. However, the depletion in your body is far too severe. Was your miscarriage accidental, or did you choose to terminate?"

This question seemed to shift the entire nature of the situation.

Sophie didn’t answer. In reality, she had suffered massive hemorrhaging when she gave birth to Lydia. Her condition had been so terrible that she was briefly issued a critical condition notice.

"That’s all there is to it," she said. "There’s no point in talking about the past."

Madam Sterling flared up, her fingers aggressively clicking through her Buddha Beads in agitation. "What kind of nonsense is that! Well, it proves that fertility isn’t the issue. You and Julian just need to put in the effort. Have Grandma Thorne prescribe you some medicine, and I’ll have someone brew it for you to drink right away."

Sophie hated taking medicine. She despised it with a passion. Growing up, it felt as though she had constantly been force-fed bitterness—whether it was physical and emotional suffering, or the literal bitterness lingering on her taste buds. But she clearly didn’t have a choice in the matter.

The Sterling Family had never given her the right to make her own decisions.

Julian hadn’t expressed a single opinion throughout, nor did Sophie look at him. Even though she could sense the exceptionally strained atmosphere, it was none of her concern. This was the bed they had made for themselves.

To keep Lydia hidden, she had been forced to invent a plausible excuse. If she adamantly denied ever having been pregnant, it would only arouse Julian’s suspicions. He wasn’t a man who was easily fooled, and he would definitely notice if things didn’t add up.

Madam Sterling’s emotions were on a rollercoaster today. She was furious and resentful that Sophie had hidden a pregnancy from them, but simultaneously relieved that, at the very least, Sophie was physically capable of conceiving. Thus, she hurriedly instructed the servants to fetch the prescription and brew the medicine.

Amidst this chaotic flurry of activity, Julian remained seated in his original spot, his eyes cast down as he thumbed the missing diamond on his lighter.

Disappointed but unsurprised by his impassive reaction, Madam Sterling chided, "You foolish boy! Your wife has suffered. You two could have had a crying baby in your arms by now, yet here you are, not even offering Sophie a word of comfort!"

The entire family knew that her eldest grandson had always been repulsed by Sophie. That was why he remained so callous even now. How could they expect Sophie to willingly bear an heir if he acted like this? All it would take was a single coaxing word, and she would gladly lay down her life for him again, wouldn’t she?

Julian, however, ignored Sophie completely and asked, "Have you taken your blood pressure medication yet, Grandmother?"

Madam Sterling knew he was changing the subject. She waved her hand dismissively—there was no point in saying more!

Sophie also clearly understood Julian’s attitude. He truly looked as if this had nothing to do with him. They didn’t exchange a single word, and in that moment, the distance between them felt even vaster than usual. Hearing that his wife had suffered a miscarriage, he didn’t step forward to offer an ounce of care or sympathy.

But Sophie no longer cared about such trivial details. Her only concern was whether the issue was safely resolved and the crisis averted.

Brooking no argument, Madam Sterling ordered them to stay the night at the ancestral home. She shooed them back to their room, dubbing it a "beautiful evening meant not to be wasted."

Madam Sterling personally escorted them to their door. As Sophie stepped inside first, she could hear the matriarch whispering to Julian behind her. "Sophie’s heart is feeling fragile and soft right now. Be gentle and affectionate with her tonight, and who knows, things might just go smoothly..."

The bedroom door clicked shut. In the ensuing silence, only the quiet sound of their steady breathing remained. This room wasn’t unfamiliar to them; they had spent a fair amount of time here in the past.

Sophie took a seat on her own, fully intending to let enough time pass before simply walking out. As it happened, the sofa she chose faced the tatami mat where Julian was standing. Suddenly, Sophie found herself locking eyes with his dark, glacial gaze.

Julian was staring at her with an expression she couldn’t decipher.

Sophie knew that no matter how little Julian cared about her, he would still put on a show by asking a question or two. It would probably be some superficial, insincere remark like, "You should have told me," or, "If it’s gone, it’s gone; it just wasn’t meant to be."

"How did you lose the baby?" Julian finally spoke. His voice was slightly hoarse, likely from the cigarette he had smoked earlier.

Sophie hadn’t expected that specific question. She hadn’t even concocted a lie for it yet.

"The second year of our marriage. You remember that time I went abroad to look for you, right?" Sophie said. "I was already pregnant when I went to see you, but you told me not to even consider using a child as an anchor to secure my footing in the Sterling Family."

Julian’s eyelashes fluttered upward, his gaze deep and quiet.

Sophie gave a small smile. "So, when I came back, I got an abortion."

She didn’t mince words, choosing instead to tear off the figurative band-aid right then and there. The boomerang from seven years ago had returned to strike him dead center between the eyes.

She would never forget the sheer devastation his words had caused her that day. She wanted to hurl that pain right back at him, but she was also painfully self-aware. Telling a man who didn’t love her, "I aborted our baby because of what you did," actually held absolutely no power over him. Yet, she had to get it off her chest.

It was a metaphor. This was one of the reasons she was so determined to keep Lydia a secret. She would never give him the chance to be a father to her daughter. It was the one and only thing in the Sterling Family that she could proactively, independently, and solely decide for herself.

Julian remembered that day. Likewise, he remembered exactly what he had said. He also remembered Sophie’s beaming face and the shallow dimples on her cheeks when she had flown halfway across the globe to stand in front of him. As it turned out, she had endured over a dozen hours of tedious flying to deliver happy news.

Meeting Sophie’s eyes now, and seeing the detached, outsider-like expression as she recounted the past, his own expression seemed to meld into the endless night sky behind him.

After a long time, Julian finally spoke. "Then that’s for the best."