28. Who is the new mother?
Sophia's POV:
It was lunchtime, but I wasn't in the mood to cook.
I had gotten completely engrossed in reading a book I found on June's bookshelf. It was about financial management, and the more I read, the more fascinated I became. It explained how, with the right investments and smart savings, a person could build a peaceful and secure life.
And honestly...
A peaceful life was all I wanted now.
A life where I could stand on my own feet... where I could be the best mother for Lily.
Of course, financially I was nowhere close to where Adrian stood. That's exactly why I wanted to learn. If I wanted to give Lily a comfortable future without depending on anyone, I had to start somewhere.
As for that manifestation diary...
I'm sure Adrian is never going to open my drawers. Someday, when I go to meet Lily at the mansion, I'll quietly take it back.
With that thought, I closed the book and looked at the clock.
Now, coming back to lunch...
I really didn't feel like cooking, so I decided to make cup noodles.
I boiled some water and took out a few vegetables to add to it. A tomato... a carrot...
Then my eyes landed on the broccoli.
The moment I saw it, I remembered Lily.
She absolutely hates broccoli... but she'd happily eat it if I distracted her with a story while feeding her.
A smile unknowingly appeared on my lips.
My cute little daughter...
I checked the time.
By now, she must've returned from school.
I picked up my phone and dialed her number.
The phone is switched off.
I chuckled softly.
"So Madam was reminding me in the morning to keep my phone charged... and now her own phone is dead."
Shaking my head, I dialed James' number instead.
He answered almost immediately.
"Good afternoon, Miss Bennet."
"Good afternoon, James," I replied. "Has Lily come back?"
There was a brief pause before he answered.
"No, ma'am. Miss Lily hasn't returned yet, and Mr. Whitmore has just gone out."
I frowned.
"Now?"
"Yes, ma'am."
I cut the call.
How could Adrian be so careless?
Did he seriously forget to pick Lily up from school?
Since Lily's phone was switched off, I immediately dialed her homeroom teacher.
"Hello, ma'am. This is Sophia Whi..." I stopped myself mid-sentence.
"...Sophia. Lily Whitmore's mother. Is Lily still at school?"
The teacher replied politely,
"No, ma'am. She has already been picked up. In fact, all the students have left. Otherwise, we would've informed you."
Then the teacher asked gently,
"Is everything alright, ma'am?"
"Yes," I replied with a small smile. "There must've been some confusion."
I then asked, "By the way... who picked her up?"
Her teacher replied apologetically, "Sorry, ma'am. I have no idea about that. I'll have to confirm with the guards."
A strange uneasiness settled in my chest.
"Okay... please let me know."
She hung up.
I stood there, absentmindedly staring at the cup of noodles on the kitchen counter.
A few moments later, my phone rang again.
It was Lily's teacher.
I answered immediately.
"Yes, ma'am?"
She sounded slightly confused.
"Ma'am... the guards are saying that you picked Lily up."
I frowned.
"What?"
"I mean..." she corrected herself, "they're saying Lily's mother picked her up."
For a second, I couldn't process her words.
Then panic hit me.
"No!" I said immediately. "I didn't pick Lily up."
"And how could they let someone take her just because she claimed to be Lily's mother?"
The teacher quickly replied,
"But, ma'am... the lady had the parent card."
I froze.
The...
Parent card?
How?
What just happened?
Without wasting another second, I cut the call and immediately dialed Adrian's number.
Anger boiled inside me.
How could he be so irresponsible?
---------------
Adrian's POV:
As soon as I found out that Vanessa had picked up Lily, I immediately dialed her number.
She didn't pick up.
I tried Lily's phone.
It was switched off.
Panic gripped me.
I rushed out of my room , got into my car, and sped towards Vanessa's apartment. Evan was on his way there too. I sent him the location.
While driving, my phone rang.
It was Sophia.
Since Lily's phone was switched off, she must have been trying to reach her through me.
I picked up the call and put it on speaker.
The moment I answered, Sophia asked, her voice filled with anger,
"Where is Lily, Adrian?"
I didn't know what to say.
Instead, I asked softly, "What happened, Sophia?"
She repeated, her voice rising,
"I asked where Lily is. Just answer that, Adrian."
I stayed silent.
She continued, her voice getting louder.
"Why? What happened? Now you won't say anything? Why don't you just admit that you forgot to pick her up?"
I quickly replied,
"No, Sophia. You're getting it wrong."
She cut me off immediately, her voice even higher now, making it crystal clear how furious she was.
"I called James. He told me you left to pick her up a few minutes ago. It has been almost half an hour since then. Then I called Lily's school, and that's when I was told that her mother picked her up."
She paused before saying slowly,
"But I didn't, Adrian."
"Then who picked her up, Adrian?"
"And that lady even had the parent card."
Her voice trembled at the end.
"Who picked her up, Adrian? Tell me... who is her mother?"
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
"Sophia... please calm down-"
She didn't let me finish.
"Always, Adrian! Always!"
"'Sophia, calm down.'"
"'Sophia, you're overreacting.'"
"'Sophia, you're overthinking.'"
"But now Sophia can't calm down because..."
Her voice broke.
"...because I just called my daughter's school, and I was told that my daughter was picked up by her mother."
"But her mother is sitting here at home."
"So who is the new mother, Adrian?"
"Who the hell has picked up my daughter claiming herself to be her mother?"
My throat went dry.
I wanted to explain.
I wanted to say something.
But no words came out.
Finally, I forced myself to speak.
"Vanessa..."
"Vanessa picked her up."
The call fell silent.
After a few long seconds, Sophia spoke again.
This time, her voice was dangerously calm.
"Adrian..."
"You can make her your wife..."
"...but not Lily's mother."
"Lily's mother was me... is me... and will always be me."
"So don't you dare do that to me."
"Because I am no longer your wife who silently endured everything."
"Now I will speak."
"And I will fight for myself."
Her every word hit me like a knife.
I immediately replied,
"Sophia, trust me. I will never try to make anyone else Lily's mother. I think the guards misunderstood."
She interrupted me again.
"Please, Adrian. I don't want to hear any explanations."
"Because the truth is that the whole world already thinks Vanessa is your wife."
"Leave it."
"I don't want to talk to you."
"I want to talk to Lily."
"Where is she? Is she nearby?"
I swallowed hard before answering.
"She's... with Vanessa."
"At... at her apartment, maybe."
Silence.
Then Sophia spoke again, much more quietly.
"Ohh.. then..."
"Could you please call up your mistress and ask her to put Lily's phone on charging so that I can talk to her as her phone is coming switched off?"
Her voice was calm...trying to be calm...
But that calmness hurt far more than her anger.
I answered helplessly,
"Vanessa isn't picking up my calls."
"What?"
There was clear panic in her voice.
"What's wrong? Is Lily fine, Adrian?"
By then I had already reached Vanessa's apartment building.
I parked the car abruptly and got out.
"Sophia, I didn't ask Vanessa to pick up Lily. In fact, I had a fight with her because of Lily."
"So honestly... I have no idea what's going on."
"And right now, I'm at Vanessa's apartment."
Before she could reply, I cut the call and rushed towards the elevator.
Evan had already reached. I had shared the location with him.
Together we ran upstairs.
When we reached Vanessa's apartment...
It was locked.
At that exact moment-
my phone rang again.
It was Sophia.