“Sis, what were you thinking?”

“You're gone now, but Uncle and Auntie might get sent off to Yunnan just because of what you did!”

“Lucas, if I’d known things would turn out like this, I swear I never would've agreed to go with you. I'd have walked away and sent you back to Sophia!”

The room was a total mess. Sophia Carmichael lay limp in Fiona's arms, blood still dripping from her head.

Lucas Harrington cast a glance at Sophia, a flicker of guilt passing through him.

But the second he saw the tears spilling down Fiona’s face, he immediately crouched beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I regret it too.”

“But it’s done. No point crying over spilled milk. Once we get to the island, let’s just live a quiet life. We’ll do it for your sister.”

Fiona let out a soft whimper and slowly leaned her head on Lucas’s shoulder.

She felt Sophia twitch slightly in her embrace. A flash of something cruel flickered in her eyes.

Then, she slowly reached out and covered Sophia’s mouth and nose.

Just as Sophia was coming to, she caught her fiancé’s shameless words.

She hadn’t died yet—who needed these two traitors to live her life for her?!

Her head throbbed. Her limbs felt like jelly.

And once she realized Fiona was trying to smother her, scared that the wall hadn’t finished her off, she didn’t hesitate.

She opened her mouth and sank her teeth hard into Fiona’s hand.

“Agh!” Fiona screamed and instantly jerked back.

Sophia sucked in a deep breath before landing a loud slap across Fiona’s face.

Fiona’s cheek puffed up immediately.

Ignoring the pain, she stared wide-eyed at Sophia with disbelief. “That… that’s not possible. You were dead…”

Sophia rolled her eyes, propped herself up slowly, and said with a touch of sarcasm, “Well, guess you just weren’t that strong. I survived. Tough luck.”

“I didn’t cover your mouth!” Fiona stammered, eyes flicking nervously toward Lucas.

Sophia wasn’t about to waste breath arguing.

“I heard you just now,” she said bluntly. “Didn’t you say you’d give me back my fiancé? Great. I’ll take him. Go pack your things. You’re headed to the countryside.”

“No way!” Fiona and Lucas yelled in unison.

Sophia gave them a slow once-over.

Fiona cleared her throat, her voice suddenly sweet and soft. “Sis, Lucas never even liked you. Even if you forced yourself to go to the island with him, you two wouldn’t be happy.”

Sophia had always been pampered, proud, and couldn’t stand losing face. That’s probably why she’d lost it completely when Lucas announced he was marrying her, and bashed her head against the wall.

With a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, Fiona twisted the knife deeper, her words aiming straight at Sophia’s pride.

But Sophia smiled right back.

The old Sophia probably would've killed herself all over again after hearing that, just for the sake of pride.

But that Sophia had already died once.

And after floating around in the void a while, she learned a lot.

She realized Fiona had deliberately flaunted her relationship with Lucas in front of her, knowing how proud she was, all to manipulate her into self-destruction.

Then she ran to the revolutionary committee to accuse her of dodging labor through death, getting her whole family reassigned from Heilongjiang to harsh, brutal Yunnan.

They all died there.

Meanwhile, Fiona lived it up with Lucas by the sea, climbing the ranks like nothing happened.

Sophia saw them both freeze, thrown off by her sudden grin.

Then without warning, she turned and smacked Lucas across the face too, the sound sharp and clear.

“Feelings or not, what matters is we can sleep under the same blanket at night, right?”"What are you still standing there for? Go file that marriage application now! Or are you waiting to get slapped again?"

Sophia Carmichael hadn’t held back at all with that slap.

She rubbed her stinging palm as she looked at the stunned pair. "Not going? So all that stuff you said earlier was just a pile of lies?"

"You two go on about regret like you mean it, but in reality, you've been hoping I'd just die already so you can sneak around without guilt."

She clicked her tongue and shot Lucas Harrington a mocking glance. "Some soldier you are, huh."

Then she spat on the floor. "Shameless."

Lucas Harrington’s face kept shifting—first red, then pale. He'd never been humiliated like this before.

"Sophia, that’s enough. You think you’re still the privileged daughter of the Carmichael family?" he growled, clenching his fists and stepping forward.

Fiona Carmichael tugged on his sleeve and shook her head, whispering, "Lucas, let’s go outside for now. We can talk it over calmly."

Sophia didn’t even look their way as she said lazily, "And Fiona? Don’t just stand there, go make me some chicken soup."

Fiona’s eyes widened. "Why should I?"

Sophia raised her brows. "Well, if you hadn’t pushed me to that point, I wouldn’t have hit the wall. If you don’t make it, I’ll head straight to the Committee and stir the pot. You’re a Carmichael too. If our branch goes down, don’t think yours is safe."

"You…" Fiona gritted her teeth.

Then she forced a smile and said, "Fine. I’ll cook it. Rest up, sis."

Not long after Fiona and Lucas left, the Committee folks finally finished listing the looted items and carried the boxes out.

With no one blocking the way, the rest of the Carmichaels from their side of the family rushed into the room.

Alice Carmichael took one look at her daughter’s bloody face and the wound on her head, and her legs gave out from under her.

With a loud thud, she dropped to the floor, pounding it as she wailed, "My poor girl, how could you do something like that?!"

"You just closed your eyes and gave up. Did you even think about what your dad and I were supposed to do after you're gone?"

Thomas Carmichael quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his wife’s tears and snot, then handed it over to his daughter.

His voice was hoarse as he said, "Wipe the blood off your face. You look a mess. It's just... just that we’re being sent to the countryside for reeducation."

His voice wavered as he added, "As long as we’re all together, there’s nothing we can’t get through."

Sophia looked at the dirty handkerchief and didn’t use it.

She turned to her mom and said, "Mom, can you get the first-aid kit?"

The Committee had ransacked their home. The fine rosewood furniture was smashed to bits, and anything valuable had been taken away.

The first-aid kit—being worthless—was tossed aside.

Hearing that, Alice seemed to snap out of her daze a little and hurried off to find the kit.

Sophia watched her mom moving around, saw the worry in her dad’s eyes, and felt a sudden stab in her chest.

In her past life, after her death, her parents and brother never recovered. They worked in a logging camp in a daze, and in the end, they didn’t react fast enough and got crushed by a falling tree.

This time, no way. She’d never let them suffer like that again.

Thomas, seeing his daughter sitting silently on the bed, figured she was still upset over her fiancé dumping her for Fiona. He let out a sigh and tried to comfort her.

"What’s done is done. Don’t dwell on it. Even if we’re sent for reeducation, I’ll put my life on the line to protect you."

He’d lived a quiet, unimpressive life. The old man had called him a fool more than once. He knew he wasn’t smart or capable, but darn it, he’d give everything he had to keep his daughter safe out there.

Hearing this, Sophia gave her dad a look full of emotion.

Then she said, clear and firm, "I’m not going to the countryside."