Sophia was packing her things.
This was the scene Rocky walked in on.
Sigh. He sighed deeply in his heart. As expected, she had believed that rascal Kent's nonsense.
"Sophia, what are you doing?"
"Packing. Can't you tell?" She didn't look back, her tone betraying her sadness.
If she hadn't accidentally overheard Kent's words, she might never have known—never known that Rocky had another girlfriend who had just given birth to his child.
Given birth to his child… Sophia's hands trembled as she folded clothes, feeling as if her heart had cracked open, pain slowly spreading through her.
How could he!
Rocky walked over to her and grabbed her hands. "You're not leaving. You're staying right here."
She pulled her hands back. "Stay as your mistress?" Her heart was bleeding. Were his tenderness and deep affection all just an illusion?
Mistress! Rocky laughed helplessly. "This is a misunderstanding. You're my only wife."
She glared at him. "She's already given birth to your child. You should marry her." She took a deep breath, forcing down the heartache to speak. "I'll… bless your union."
Sophia resumed packing.
"There's no woman who gave birth to my child! This is all…" Rocky's words were cut off.
Sophia's eyes reddened with anger, tears welling up. "Are you still trying to keep me in the dark? If I hadn't overheard by chance, were you planning to hide this from me forever?" She spoke agitatedly, tears streaming down her face.
Her tears tugged at his heart, making it ache.
"Don't you believe me?" He tried desperately to convince her. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to bring up Shirley—not only would it be a long story, but it would also mean revealing embarrassing details.
"There's no smoke without fire. Kent had no reason to spread rumors!" she reasoned logically. "What good would it do him?"
Even though she knew he had deceived her feelings, she couldn't bring herself to hate him fiercely.
Staying under the same roof would only make her sadder, so it was better to leave.
She hastily stuffed some clothes into the suitcase, closed it, wiped her tears, and prepared to leave. "I'll come back for the rest of my things soon…" Her tears kept falling.
Rocky reached out to grab the suitcase from her. "Kent deliberately meant for you to misunderstand."
Sophia refused to let go. "Why would he do that?"
"To mess with me." Who asked me to mess with others before? What goes around comes around.
"How is that possible?" She didn't believe him and insisted on leaving.
No other choice! He had no option but to explain. "It was Shirley who gave birth. She had nine plump, healthy puppies." Ah, this is so hard to explain!
Wasn't Shirley that large white dog? "What does her giving birth have to do with you?" Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. "Could it be… she gave birth to your children?"
"Do you think that's possible?" He rolled his eyes skyward.
Well… no, it wasn't. "But why did Kent say you were the father of Shirley's pups?" She had another question.
See? He had to explain after all.
Resigned, Rocky explained the whole story from beginning to end—how Shirley had fallen for Kent at first sight, grown jealous of Jennifer, and then, at Kent's instigation, shifted her focus to him.
Then, the large room was filled only with Sophia's clear, melodious laughter—and nothing else.
Abruptly, the laughter ceased, swallowed by Rocky's passionate kiss.
Sophia's eyes slowly closed. When they opened again, they were hazy with emotion, gazing at the face that had taken root in her heart.
Ah! The man she loved.
"This one's nice." Rocky stood behind Sophia, pointing at a photo on the right.
In the photo, Sophia wore a lavender off-the-shoulder gown, leaning against Rocky, smiling brilliantly at him—a sweet, blissful atmosphere that was intoxicating.
"Really?" She picked up another one.
"This one's good too." He nodded repeatedly.
Good too? How were they supposed to select photos for the wedding album like this?
Rocky smiled. "Any photo with you and me in it is a good photo to me."
"But we're supposed to pick the ones we like best for the wedding album." A faint blush returned to her cheeks.
"We can just include all of them!" If he liked them, that was that.
Wedding photos were for looking back on fond memories together when they grew old.
"We don't need that many. They won't all fit." She'd have to rely on herself for this.
Rocky leaned down, turning her face toward his. "Then let's make two albums. That way, they'll all fit, right?" He loved seeing her happy by his side.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
A young maid entered. "Master Rocky, there's a guest here to see Miss Sophia."
"For me?" Who could it be?
"He said his name is Henry," the maid added.
Cousin? Sophia was taken aback. She thought he wouldn't come to see her again, so she hadn't invited him.
But since he was here, she ought to go down and meet him. "Please ask him to wait. I'll be right down."
A faint displeasure flickered in Rocky's green eyes. He pulled Sophia away from organizing the photos on the table. "I don't like you going to see him." Maybe Henry still hadn't given up.
"He's my cousin. I can't avoid him." She smiled softly. "Besides, I'm not going to see him alone."
Rocky raised an eyebrow.
She linked her arm with his. "My fiancé should come with me to see my cousin."
His displeasure vanished easily with her words and action, but he had to set boundaries first. "If he still doesn't give up and gets handsy, I will take actions."
"Yes, yes." She chuckled in agreement.
A jealous man is so adorable.
The footsteps on the stairs immediately made Henry look up. Even though he was prepared, seeing Rocky and Sophia coming down together, looking deeply in love, a flash of heartache still passed through his eyes.
"Cousin." She greeted him without reservation, smiling as if everything was in the past.
Rocky, meanwhile, subtly sized him up, his possessive hand still resting on Sophia's slender waist.
Henry spoke calmly, "I heard from Mary that you're getting married soon. When?"
"Won't you give me a chance to… best wishes to you both?"
Though he couldn't fully let go, though there was still pain, he was learning to give up. He didn't want to lose his cousin.
If they couldn't be lovers, they could at least be cousins. He hoped she would find happiness.
His gaze shifted to Rocky, and he offered a faint smile—one tinged with resignation. This man was the one who could give her happiness.
"Cousin…" Sophia was both surprised and touched. Mist clouded her eyes quietly. "I'll go get the invitation."
Rocky remained composed.
He could tell Henry still had feelings for Sophia. When you've loved sincerely, it's not easy to forget.
Henry looked directly at him. "I won't apologize for my past actions because I loved Sophia. But Sophia loves you. You're the only one who can make her happy. I hope you'll treat her well." He finally said these words as an older brother—how difficult it must have been.
"That goes without saying." Of course he would treat her well.
Sophia hurried down the stairs with a fiery red, gold-embossed wedding invitation, slightly out of breath, and handed it to Henry. "I hope… you and your family can come to my wedding."
"We will. Come visit my parents when you have time. They often mention you." Henry stood up. "I should go now. Congratulations!"
"Thank you!" Her nose tingled with emotion. She never thought she'd hear those words from her cousin, but…
He gently wiped the tears from her face. "Shouldn't you be happy? Why are you crying?"
She sniffled. "It's because I'm too happy!" The heavy weight on her heart finally lifted, and she felt instantly lighter.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked back. His other hand accidentally brushed against a small box in his coat pocket, reminding him of the perfume he'd bought for her but had forgotten to give.
He pulled it out and handed it to Sophia. "I thought it suited you, so I bought it."
"What is it?" Her gaze shifted from the exquisitely wrapped gift to his face.
Sophia took the beautifully wrapped gift and, urged by Rocky, unwrapped it. Inside was a bottle of perfume named Trésor.
"Wow! Our Rocky has learned to give gifts to make girls happy. No wonder he's getting married." Suddenly, a woman's voice sounded behind them.
A deep male voice replied, "Yeah! The last singleton in the Smith family is finally saying goodbye to single life. Truly worth celebrating, right?"
"Mhm, absolutely."
Rocky froze. That man and woman's voices… Uncle Walker and Aunt Rose!
"When did you get back?" He turned around abruptly and indeed saw Walker and Rose.
"How could we not come back for your wedding?"
Rose smiled, her eyes constantly drifting toward Sophia beside Rocky. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your fiancée? We came back specifically to meet your bride and attend the wedding."
"This is my bride-to-be, Sophia." Then he turned to Sophia. "Sophia, this is my uncle Walker and his wife, Rose."
"Hello, nice to meet you." She felt a bit shy.
Rocky had said they were like parents to him, making this feel like meeting the in-laws. Her heart was racing, and she wondered… what did they think of her?
"Good." Rose smiled warmly and patted Rocky's shoulder. "You've got quite an eye, picking such a beautiful girl—and a talented photographer too."
"Of course—wait, you know Sophia's a photographer?"
He paused, then laughed. "Susan must've already given you a detailed report."
"Exactly." Rose nodded with a smile. "And she said you couldn't wait for the wedding. Is that true?"
For once, Rocky blushed.
Sophia couldn't lift her head in embarrassment.
Rose chuckled and reached out to pull her closer. "Want to hear some stories about Rocky when he was little?"
"What stories?" Her attention was diverted.
"Rose…" Rocky couldn't help but groan.
Rose ignored his protest and pulled Sophia along as she walked and talked. "He's a seer of the werewolf clan—can foresee the marriages of the wolf king family. Years ago, to set up Lola and Leonard, he disguised himself as an old man and tricked Lola onto a boat to Moonlight Island. Afterward, he was punished…"
"Really? Haha…"
Their laughter grew fainter as they walked away.
Rocky slumped his shoulders helplessly. It's over, it's over!