Chapter 189

"Yes!" Elizabeth sneered venomously. "I want Sophia dead! Only then will our Isabella find happiness!"

Her voice dripped with malice.

But I never expected that even after Isabella and Ethan had stepped into the wedding hall, Ethan would change his mind at the last moment!

I never saw that coming!"

Benjamin stared at Elizabeth with dark eyes. "I didn’t realize you could be so cruel."

Elizabeth fell silent.

Then, Benjamin suddenly laughed, a cold, dismissive sound. "Fine. Let her die. She should’ve died long ago—in prison, or when she was kidnapped. Even that night with Vincent Holloway should’ve been her end. She’s already lived a month longer than she deserved."

Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed with hope as she clutched Benjamin’s arm. "Sophia’s death is just the first step. But how do we escape after?"

"Don’t." Benjamin’s voice was icy. "We make sure the baby in Isabella’s womb is lost in an ‘accident.’ Then, we pin the blame on the servants and bodyguards here. Ethan won’t have any proof to hold against us."

He smirked. "And Isabella will still be his legal wife."

Elizabeth threw her arms around his neck, ecstatic. "Darling, you’re brilliant!"

"Daddy…" Isabella sobbed, her face streaked with tears, yet a twisted smile tugged at her lips.

The Thorntons placed all their hopes on the servants slipping up.

But after three days under house arrest, reality crushed them.

Ethan’s staff were impeccably trained—meticulous, cautious, and never giving the Thorntons an opening. The bodyguards outside were even more vigilant.

The Thornton residence had become a gilded cage.

Despair settled over them like a suffocating fog.

Meanwhile, Ethan was losing patience.

Three days.

Three days of searching Harborview City, and still no trace of Sophia.

When questioned, Alexander Kensington remained tight-lipped, only admitting he’d seen someone try to kill her.

Ethan ordered Nathan Carter to pull surveillance footage, but the heavy truck involved had avoided all cameras.

Sophia was gone.

And so was Noah Whitmore.

Three days later, Sophia and Noah arrived in a quiet southern town, following Noah’s prearranged escape route.

Noah had driven nonstop for two days and nights, his wounded hand untreated, blood crusted over the steering wheel. The moment they reached the town, he collapsed against it, burning with fever.

"Noah!" Sophia cried, shaking him desperately.

Stranded in an unfamiliar place, disoriented and without a phone, she fumbled with Noah’s locked device, her fingers trembling.

Then it rang.

Alexander’s name flashed on the screen.

She answered with a shaky breath. "A-Alexander…"

"Sophia?" His voice sharpened. "Why are you crying? Are you hurt? Where’s Noah? Why do you have his phone?"

"Noah—he’s unconscious," she choked out. "His wound is infected. I don’t know where to find a doctor. I don’t even know where we are!"

Her usual composure shattered into raw panic.

"Listen carefully," Alexander said, calm but urgent. "Find a payphone. Call emergency services—October 20th. Get Noah to a hospital immediately. Then wait there. I’ll call you back."

Sophia nodded, wiping her tears.

Alexander’s steady guidance cut through her fear. She knew what to do now.

"I’ll go now," she whispered.

"Good."

The line went dead.

Alexander exhaled in relief.

At least they were alive.

He didn’t tell Sophia that Ethan had men scouring the globe for her—that his fury could mean her death.

He understood, though.

To have a wedding destroyed at the altar?

No man like Ethan Blackwood would let that slide.

Thankfully, Alexander’s family name shielded him from repercussions. The Kensington legacy carried weight, and his grandfather’s influence in Harborview was unshakable.

But when he returned home, his grandfather made him kneel before the family ancestors in penance.

"Have you lost your mind?" William Thornton roared. "That woman—Sophia—what is she to you? You helped her ruin Ethan’s wedding! Do you want to drag the entire Kensington name through the mud?"

Alexander clenched his jaw. "Ethan didn’t touch me."

William kicked him. "Only because of me! You’ve disgraced this family!"

"Father?" A voice interrupted. "What’s happened?"

William turned to see his son and daughter-in-law, just returned from their three-month trip.

"Mom! Dad!" Alexander scrambled up. "Did you find any leads on Aunt Eleanor?"

His parents exchanged a glance.

They’d claimed to be traveling for their anniversary, but their real mission had been tracking down Alexander’s missing aunt.

Shu Qinggong’s expression darkened. "Alexander. Why is your grandfather furious this time?"

William pointed at his grandson, seething. "Ask him what he’s done!"