Chapter 298 Climbing the Wall
After Vincent left, Sophia took a shower and lay in bed, then sent a message to Caroline.
Caroline replied quickly: [I'm at the orphanage, don't worry. How are you?]
Sophia: [The trial is over, waiting for the results.]
Caroline: [Relax and get some good sleep.]
Sophia: [Okay, good night.]
She put down her phone, swallowed the entire pill Vincent had brought her with some water, and lay back down. Despite this, she just couldn't fall asleep.
She had been suffering from insomnia for over a month now, anxiety haunting her daily. Even on the rare occasions when she managed to drift off, a nightmare would jolt her awake within thirty minutes.
She was tormented by these relentless emotions.
Today she had no choice but to ask Vincent to bring her some sleeping pills.
Half an hour later, the medication took effect, and Sophia finally fell asleep.
But after just four hours, she was awake again.
It was reminiscent of her struggles during a bout of depression, compounded by pregnancy which meant she couldn't take any medication. She had to endure it all without any medical relief.
Caroline hadn't come home to sleep for many days, and Sophia was starting to worry. The next day, she drove to the orphanage to look for Caroline.
A volunteer at the orphanage told her the news.
"The matron fell ill and was admitted to the hospital, Caroline has gone to take care of her," they said.
Sophia then went to the hospital.
They stood outside the hospital room.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Sophia was a bit upset.
"I didn't want to distract you, and I can handle things here," Caroline replied.
"What can you handle? Can you handle the finances?" Sophia was frustrated, pulling out her cellphone, "I've got some money left, I'll transfer it to you to use."
Caroline pressed her hand down.
"Sophia, you need to save for the legal battle ahead, keep the money for those expenses," Caroline insisted.
"What about the director's illness?" Sophia asked, deeply concerned.
"The doctors have said that surgery isn't an option right now; they need to treat her with medication for a while. I should be able to raise the money during that time," Caroline said, trying to be strong in front of her friend.
Sophia insisted on giving her the money. Although it was only a drop in the bucket compared to the steep surgical and treatment fees, it could alleviate the immediate financial pressure.
But Caroline, concerned it would affect Sophia's fight for custody, adamantly refused to accept it.
Sophia hugged Caroline.
"You must tell me if you're facing any difficulties," she urged her.
"Mhm," Caroline murmured, her head buried in Sophia's shoulder.
With nothing else to occupy her, Sophia stayed in the hospital with Caroline.
That afternoon, three kids at Grassland Kindergarten were visibly dejected while Josie seemed quite cheerful.
She realized that her dad wasn't so bad after all, and she wasn't as scared of him as she used to be.
It was just that her mom seemed very unhappy.
"Emma, what's wrong?" Josie, noticing her friend's mood, tugged at her sleeve to ask.
"I haven't seen my mommy in a long time." Emma pouted, on the verge of tears.
"Why?" Josie asked.
"Daddy says mommy is busy with a competition," Emma explained.
She couldn't believe that her mommy would be so preoccupied with a competition that she'd neglect them.
Something must have happened to her mommy.
"Oh?" Josie didn't know how to comfort Emma.
"It's okay, I'll wait for Mommy to finish her business and come get me," Emma quickly mustered her resilience.
Ethan reassured them that Mommy would come to pick them up, insisting they be patient and that they shouldn't cry or make a fuss, as it would deeply upset Mommy if she found out.
Finally, Sophia had managed to climb to the top of the wall. What usually seemed like a short barrier turned out to be quite a challenge to scale. Sophia lay flat on it, peering into the preschool yard.
Playtime was now in full swing, kids scampering about while teachers vigilantly kept watch, never taking their eyes off the children for a second.
She scanned for the three little ones. But they were nowhere in sight. Could Gabriel have decided not to send them to school today?
Just then, Ethan and Sam came out of their classroom. Ethan looked up and spotted Sophia on the wall, excitement surging through him immediately. Sam saw her too, his eyes lighting up, and both wanted to dash over.
Quickly, Sophia gestured for them to be quiet with a shushing motion. The two boys stopped in their tracks. From afar, Sophia watched them, feeling a sharp, dense ache, as if something was filling her up, ready to spill out into tears.
From his distance, Ethan looked back at Mommy, eyes brimming with tears that blurred his vision. He wiped them away with his sleeve, then fixed his gaze steadily on his mother. Longing washed over them like a tide.
Sam's eyes were also moist with tears. He thought Mommy had abandoned him again, that she didn't want him, Ethan, or Emma anymore.
With her lips, Sophia silently conveyed, "Be good, take care of Emma, Mommy will come for you soon."
Ethan understood, but Sam was only partly able to grasp it. "Teacher, there's someone over there," a child suddenly exclaimed, causing Sophia to startle and slip, falling backward.
She didn't dare to scream, afraid of being discovered by a teacher inside. As Sophia fell, Gabriel's heart clenched with worry. He wanted to rush to her aid, but the distance was too great, and all he could do was watch from his car as Sophia fell with a thud onto her behind.
Sophia winced in pain, covering her backside as she stood up, nearly falling over again due to the discomfort. Leaning against the wall, she bent over, touching her backside gingerly.
Reluctantly, she glanced at the wall one last time before walking away. The pain persisted as she drove off, never realizing Gabriel's car had been nearby the whole time.
He had just happened to drive by the preschool, planning to pick up the three kids early when he noticed Sophia sneaking around and decided to watch what she was up to. It surprised him to see her climbing walls.
The school's security worried Gabriel, if the wall was low enough for Sophia to climb over, what's to stop someone with bad intentions?
That evening, Sam knocked on the door of the study. "Come in," came the response.
Sam entered, then shut the door, his little face etched with seriousness.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow, his voice gentle, "What's wrong?"
Sam gestured, "I want to see Mommy."
"You'll be able to see her once the court's decision is out," he replied.
Sam furrowed his brows and continued to gesture.
"Don't bully Mommy."
"As long as she behaves, I won't bully her," he remarked.
With that, Sam turned and left.
Hmm?
Was that all the little guy, had to say to him?
Gabriel rubbed his temples, finished up his work, and went downstairs to check on his grandmother.
His grandmother had caught a cold and was feeling under the weather. Today, she had suddenly come down with a high fever.
Betty was in the room taking care of Madam.
Gabriel walked in.
"Has Grandma's fever gone down?" he asked.
Betty replied, "It has."
Madam opened her eyes weakly and said, "I heard you're not letting the kids see Sophia?"
Gabriel explained, "It's a critical time right now. It's better if they don't meet."
Madam closed her eyes with a sense of resignation.
"Gabriel, you will regret this," she remarked.
A sour feeling flashed through Gabriel's heart.
"Grandma, please get some rest."
Madam closed her eyes and ignored him.
Sophia's backside hurt all night long; even medication didn't help her sleep.
The next day she wanted to visit the kindergarten to check on the kids, but she saw workers raising the height of the wall!
Did the kindergarten discover her climbing over the wall yesterday?
She passed by the workers, hearing them chatter as they worked.
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