They Chose Her, I Chose Me

When Sophia Brown was alone at the hospital getting an IV drip, she received a message from an unknown number.

It was a video.

"Mommy, happy birthday!"

A small figure in a pink dress rushed into the frame and hugged the person filming tightly.

"I hope I can stay with Mommy forever."

Sophia's breath caught for a moment.

Then she saw a slender hand with defined knuckles gently ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Be careful, don't bump into Aunt Alice." The man's voice was deep, carrying an unprecedented tenderness.

Even through the screen, she could feel the warmth of that 'family of three' .

Sophia had an IV needle in the back of her hand, the medicine dripping down a drop at a time.

The video played on loop. As if punishing herself, she watched it repeatedly until her eyes stung.

That morning, before leaving, her daughter, Katya White, told her there was a birthday party for a kindergarten classmate tonight, and she wouldn't be home for dinner.

Her husband, Benjamin White, also said he had an international conference call that same evening.

So that was it.

Benjamin's international conference was being held at Alice Baker's house.

The birthday party Katya was attending was at Alice's house.

Her husband and daughter ignored her when she had a 104-degree Fahrenheit fever, choosing to celebrate Alice's birthday.

Sophia wanted to laugh, but found out she couldn't.

Alice was Benjamin's first love.

Alice had terminal lung cancer with only three months left to live.

Benjamin had told her this a month ago.

He said, "Alice is back, and she's not doing well. I want to take care of her more. You understand, right?"

She had wanted to say 'no' in that moment, but the words died on her lips.

Understand.

In these five years of marriage, understanding was what she'd learned most.

She understood he was busy with work, understood his cold personality, and understood there was always a part of his heart that belonged to someone else.

The medicine in the IV bag was almost empty.

Sophia pressed the call button. When the nurse came to remove the needle, she glanced at her. "Did you come alone? With such a high fever, it's better to have someone take you home."

"I'm fine."

Leaving the hospital, she hailed a cab home.

She opened her phone—no messages, no words of concern.

Sophia's heart ached with emptiness.

When she pushed open the front door, the living room lights were still on.

The table was covered with cardstock and glitter.

Katya was carefully attaching rhinestones while Benjamin steadied her shoulder with one hand and passed her scissors with the other.

"Dad, do you think Aunt Alice will like this color?" Katya asked softly.

"Yes," Benjamin said gently. "She'll love whatever you make."

Katya's eyes crinkled with her smile. Just as she was about to say something, she spotted Sophia at the door.

The smile on Katya's face froze.

"Mom?"

Benjamin also looked up. "Where were you?"

Sophia walked into the light.

"The hospital."

Benjamin's brow furrowed. "Do you still have a fever?"

Sophia didn't answer.

Katya seemed to think she was angry and tilted her little head. "Mom, Dad and I are making a birthday card for Aunt Alice. She only has three months left to live. You're not going to be that petty, are you?"

Sophia didn't answer Katya; instead noticing a red stain on Katya's collar.

"Did you eat a hamburger today?"

Katya instinctively covered her collar.

"I've told you many times, you have a weak constitution, you need to eat less fried food..."

"You're so annoying!"

Katya suddenly slammed the card onto the table, her expression turned furious. "All you do is nag me! Aunt Alice isn't like that! She lets me eat whatever I want and says the most important thing is for kids to be happy."

Sophia's chest felt like it was being squeezed by a wire, the pain making it hard to breathe.

When Katya was three, she had acute gastroenteritis. Since then, Sophia had been extra careful about Katya's diet.

She did everything by herself, making nutritious meals for Katya with different recipes every day.

But her five years of care couldn't compete with Alice's one month.

"That's enough." Benjamin pulled Katya behind him. "Katya, go take a bath and get ready for bed."

Katya glared at Sophia, grabbed the card, and ran upstairs.

Only Benjamin and Sophia remained in the living room.

Only then did Benjamin speak. "What's wrong? Why did you go to the hospital?"

Sophia's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Does it matter now that you're asking?"

Benjamin fell silent.

He was always like this.

Sophia stared intently at the face she'd loved since her school days.

Benjamin wore a black shirt and dress pants, his features sharp, his whole being radiating an air of noble aloofness.

No matter how she looked, he seemed nothing like the gentle man in the video.

She took a deep breath. Just as she was about to speak, Benjamin suddenly said, "Give your spot at Mr. Mitchell's concert next week to Alice."

Sophia thought she'd misheard.

Philip Mitchell was a titan in the violin world, her mentor from university.

This concert was held only once every three years, with no more than ten invitees.

She'd been happy for an entire day when she received the invitation. Now Benjamin was asking her to give up her spot?

"Mr. Mitchell must have sent you the invitation because of me. It would be wasted on you."

Benjamin's voice was cold. "But Alice is different. She plays violin very well, better suited to go than you."

Sophia's throat tightened.

Before marrying Benjamin, she was an international award-winning violinist.

But Benjamin didn't know that.

He didn't know how many concert halls wanted to sign her before marriage, he didn't know how excellent she used to be.

Because he wasn't interested in her past. He only had eyes for Alice.

In his eyes, she was just a housewife who revolved around her husband and child, capable of nothing but cooking and laundry.

Before, she was used to giving in, but today, she didn't want to anymore.

"Why should I?" Sophia stared at him. "She's dying—what does that have to do with me? Just because she's dying, does the whole world have to make way for her?"

"Sophia!" Benjamin's voice turned suddenly cold. "Why do you have to be so cruel to someone who's sick?"

"Am Icruel?"

Tears welled up in Sophia's eyes. "Benjamin, when I had a high fever, where were you and Katya? When I called you twelve times, and you didn't answer once, where were you?"

Benjamin froze.

He hadn't expected the usually docile Sophia to actually confront him.

His thin lips pressed tight, his eyes seeming to frost over. "You just had a fever. But she's different—she's dying."

That line again.

Sophia suddenly laughed.

"So what?"

She challenged him.

"So this past month, because she said she wanted to be close to you, you made her your personal secretary."

"Because she wanted to take a family photo, you took Katya to take family portraits with her."

"If she wanted to marry you, would you divorce me and choose her?"

"Sophia!" Benjamin's expression turned completely dark. "I don't want to fight with you. Go cool off."

With that, he strode upstairs on his long legs.

Sophia's clenched fists suddenly went limp.

See? Every time she tried to confront him, Benjamin chose to tell her to cool off.

She used to think his personality was just cold like that.

But after Alice appeared, she realized.

He could smile, too. He could be gentle, either.

She thought, if she hadn't saved Benjamin's grandfather, Paxton White, back then, if Paxton hadn't forced him to marry her.

She and Benjamin probably would never have crossed paths.

"Benjamin." Sophia was tired. She closed her eyes. "Let's get divorced."

She pulled a document from her bag and placed it on the table.

"I've already signed it. If there are no problems, you should sign it too."

Benjamin's cold eyes filled with frost.

Just as he was about to say something, a thud came from upstairs.

Both Benjamin and Sophia froze.

The next second, painful moaning came from Katya's room. "Dad... Mom... I can't breathe..."