Chapter 8

“Miss, are you here to verify your family members' identities? My deepest condolences to you,” the staff member said politely, but Sophie finally lost it and burst into tears. She yelled, “Carry out a search and rescue! Add more manpower to look for them. It's possible they're still alive.”

She yanked the man’s collar firmly and shook him. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and she had already lost her sense of reason.

“Miss, we are already conducting search and rescue efforts, but sadly, there are no signs of life on the plane wreckage.”

Although the man wanted to push her away, she was clearly in mourning, so he simply sighed and allowed her to vent her grief.

An air crash was a rare accident, but when it did occur, it was catastrophic.

“That's impossible!”

She could barely breathe, and her heart had broken into a million pieces. She released her grip, squeezed the buttons on her chest, and squatted on the ground to take deep breaths.

How could they just leave like that when they had said that they would treat her to a big meal when they came back?

Cedric sat in the car in the distance. He frowned as he looked at the woman who was crying miserably at the entrance.

Sophie was clueless as to how she signed her name on the page confirming their demise. She felt as if she had lost her soul as she walked aimlessly along the road but could not get over her grief.

She sobered up slightly as the cold water soaked her shoes. She could not hold back her tears once more when she looked at the calm surface of the river.

“It was my fault! They died because of me!” she yelled frantically. If she hadn’t been so upset and taken reporters to the hotel with her to catch Cedric committing infidelity, he would not have been infuriated. Nothing would have happened then.

“I’m solely to blame! I caused your deaths over a man who doesn’t love me! I should be dead!”

She slumped down awkwardly in the sand as her knees gave way. She gave her face a firm smack, although she was not feeling any pain at all.

Sophie did not know how long she cried. The tears on her face were dried by the wind. The cold river water was up to her waist due to the high tide, and it was freezing cold.

She was about to stand up when a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her firmly.

“Miss, no matter what happens, you should not give up on your life.”

Sophie turned her head mechanically and beheld a face that bore a striking resemblance to Cedric’s. Her eyes flickered twice, and she was slightly disoriented.

“I hate you! Why are you treating me like this?! What did I do wrong? You killed my whole family!”

She believed the man to be Cedric. She used all the portions of her body that could potentially be used for assault as she swung her arms, fists, and feet at him. Her only desire was to murder him.

“Miss, you must have mistaken me for someone else.”

Austin Carlson, who was dressed in military uniform, frowned. He had the rare opportunity to come home to visit his relatives when he saw her trying to kill herself from a distance.

As a soldier, it was a crime for him not to rescue someone who was in danger.

“You jerk!”

Sophie lost consciousness. She opened her mouth wide and bit the arm that was holding her so hard that even his brows were twisted.

“What’s wrong with you? What are you doing? You should be thanking our commander for saving you, but you're biting him instead. You’re such an ungrateful person!”

Austin’s bodyguard, Simon Roche, who was next to him, could not stand it anymore. Austin stopped him as he attempted to drag her away. “You can stop dragging her away. She passed out from the shock.”

Simon was startled. Upon taking a closer look, he remarked, “Commander, this woman looks familiar. It seems like I've seen her before.”

Austin looked down at the pale face in his arms after Simon’s reminder. She did look familiar.

Simon patted his head and recalled, “Commander, I remember that you couldn’t attend Mr. Cedric’s wedding the last time, so I sent him a congratulatory gift on your behalf. This is Mr. Cedric’s wife.”

‘It’s her? Sophie from the Luxfords?’

Austin frowned. He was well aware of some of Cedric’s scandalous news, but why was she screaming that he had killed her whole family just now?

“Drive back to Carlson Mansion.”

He carried the unconscious woman in his arms and strode into the car parked by the river. He would only be able to get to find out the truth by going to Carlson Mansion to meet Cedric.