Help!

William Ashcroft froze.

He lowered his bleeding hand.

His gaze fell on Sophia Ashcroft's face.

Her eyes were clear and calm.

Any excuse would sound hollow.

He clenched his fists.

A bitter smile twisted his lips. "Sophia, I did all of this for you."

Sophia was on the verge of a breakdown. "For me? By trying to kill my daughter? William, you're insane!"

William suddenly lunged forward.

He pinned her hands down forcefully.

Weak from two days in a coma, Sophia was helpless.

She panicked. "What are you doing?"

"We've been married for twenty-two years, and you never let me touch you," William said, his voice low. "Today, I'm just exercising my rights as a husband."

He buried his face in her neck.

His body trembled with suppressed emotion.

Years of pent-up desire finally erupted.

He took a deep breath, a satisfied smile on his face.

Sophia struggled desperately. "Let me go! You're crazy!"

"I'm not crazy!" William's voice was pained. "Twenty-two years. Even a stone would have warmed by now. But your heart remains cold."

Sophia closed her eyes. "I made it clear from the beginning. I would never develop feelings for you."

William chuckled darkly. "At first, just being able to look at you was enough. But human hearts are greedy… Especially watching you carry Alexander's child… How I wished it was ours?"

A sudden realization dawned on Sophia. "You knew all along that Linda switched the babies?"

Every newborn has an identification band.

How could Linda have managed that alone back then?

William saw no reason to hide it anymore. "I hinted that I would only acknowledge your child. She came up with the idea herself. I just helped clean up the mess."

"Madman! You're a madman!" Tears streamed down Sophia's face.

She never imagined the man who had been by her side for twenty-two years could be so monstrous.

"You drove me to this," William said, starting to tear at her clothes.

A cold dread washed over Sophia.

She fought back with all her might, but it was useless.

William tormented her slowly.

He never went all the way.

Sophia just felt utterly cold.

William stared at her. "Over twenty years without intimacy. Do you even want it?"

Her gaze was clear. "I only feel disgust."

The word "disgust" stung William.

He jerked upright.

Sophia felt a moment of relief.

"Smack!"

A sharp slap landed on her face.

Her vision blurred, her ears rang.

William's voice sounded distant. "If gentleness doesn't work, we'll try another method. Remember Evelyn before she was fifteen? How obedient she was in the Ashcroft household…"

Images flashed in Sophia's mind.

Linda would frequently hit and scold Evelyn.

She often withheld food.

The servants said the abuse was worse in private.

There was even a whip specifically for her…

The little child curling up and begging for mercy…

Sophia clenched her fists. "William, you're a pervert!"

She struggled toward the door.

William yanked her back.

The hospital door was so close, yet out of reach.

Sophia screamed at the top of her lungs. "Help! Nurse, help!"

William laughed softly. "I told them you're mentally unstable from the shock. No one will come."

Sophia collapsed to the floor.

William looked down at her.

Finally, he had dragged her down from her pedestal.

A perverse sense of satisfaction surged within him.

A phone suddenly rang.

Sophia looked toward the bedside.

William grabbed the phone first.

A WhatsApp message from Alexander popped up:

[What kind of help?]

[Talk to me.]

[Are you okay?]

[I'm coming to the hospital!]

Alexander called directly.

William's pupils constricted. "You still have his contact!"

He ended the call harshly.

He pulled out his belt and swung it through the air.

"Crack!"

William's smile was manic. "Want to try the taste of the whip?"

Outside the hospital.

A screech of tires echoed.

Alexander burst out of the car and sprinted upstairs.