Chapter 278: Screaming for Oxygen

But she didn’t need to think about it too much, in the blink of an eye, the woman bent over and shoved Sophia’s head downward into the freezing water.

The water met with Sophia’s face, it closed over her ears, her nose, her eyes, her mouth.

Her lungs burned as she instinctively tried to inhale, only to choke on water instead.

Her hands clawed at the sides of the basin.

She kicked and struggled as her vision blurred and her chest convulsed.

She struggled as the woman pushed her head deeper into the water.

Then suddenly, her head was yanked back up.

She gasped violently, sucking in air, coughing as water poured out of her mouth.

Her lungs stung.

Her whole body shook badly.

She barely had time to breathe before the woman grabbed her face.

"Are you going to remain sick again?" she demanded.

Sophia sobbed. "No! No, I swear! I won’t! I’ll get better!"

The woman studied her face, eyes burning with something unstable.

"That’s what you said before," the woman spat out angrily.

Then she shoved her down again.

Water swallowed Sophia whole for the second time.

This time, it felt longer.

Her body began to weaken.

Her hands slipped against the smooth edges of the basin.

Her heart thundered in her chest.

A strange ringing filled her ears.

Her head bumped hard against the edge.

A dull pain radiated through her skull.

Her arms trembled.

Her surroundings faded.

But still, the woman held her there.

As if trying to erase her.

As if trying to make her disappear.

Sophia’s fingers went slack.

Her body stilled.

Then suddenly, there was air again.

She was dragged out again.

She collapsed halfway against the basin, choking, coughing so hard it hurt her chest. Her lungs screamed.

Tears streamed down her face as her vision doubled.

The woman still hadn’t let go of her hair.

"Maybe if you died, I’d finally get what I deserve," she muttered, her voice shaking with fury. "Maybe then all of this would end."

Sophia barely heard her.

"Please..." she whispered weakly. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry," she told the woman, struggling to get the words out.

The woman snapped, shoving her again. "Everything I planned is ruined because of you. I’ve become a laughing stock because you decided to get sick."

Sophia tried to shake her head, but her strength was fading.

"I didn’t choose this," she sobbed. "I swear it..."

"You’re stupid," the woman spat. "Stupid and selfish."

She forced Sophia deeper once more.

Sophia’s hands slipped completely now.

Her grip on the bowl loosened.

Her body trembled violently.

Her chest burned so badly it felt like fire.

Her thoughts scattered.

The edges of her vision darkened.

And then...

She was ripped out again.

This time, she collapsed fully to the floor.

Her body folded in on itself as she coughed uncontrollably, sucking in air between sharp sobs.

Her whole body seized.

Her hands clutched her chest.

"I won’t be sick anymore," she cried desperately. "I’ll get better! I promise!"

The woman looked down at her in disgust.

"You’ve been saying that for a week," she snapped. "And look at you. Still sick. Still useless."

She turned sharply away, like Sophia disgusted her.

Then her gaze shifted back.

Her eyes flicked to Sophia’s legs.

She stepped forward and pressed her heel into Sophia’s shin.

Sophia cried out, the pain sharp and immediate.

The woman pressed harder.

But then, she paused.

Her expression changed—calculating.

"Pain like this isn’t enough," she muttered.

She grabbed Sophia’s hair again and dragged her across the floor—toward the bed.

Sophia’s sobs grew erratic as she struggled to make the woman release the tight grip she had on her hair.

Her throat burned. Even breathing was a chore, her body felt heavier than usual, it was like she was back to the day when she first fell sick.

"P... please..." Sophia cried out.

The woman shoved her onto the mattress and immediately grabbed a pillow.

Sophia once more didn’t understand what the woman wanted to do with a pillow, but she didn’t have to wonder for long.

The pillow came down over her face.

Muffling everything.

Her breathing was cut off instantly.

She thrashed around the bed, her small hands beating weakly against the woman’s arms.

Her lungs screamed for oxygen.

Darkness crept into the corners of her vision.

Her fingertips brushed across something cold.

Metal.

The candle stand.

Her fingers wrapped around it instinctively.

With all the strength she had left, Sophia swung.

The metal connected with flesh immediately, and the pillow was ripped away as the woman released a groan, shock clouding her features.

Sophia sucked in air desperately, coughing and wheezing.

Her vision blurred.

Her body trembled.

She barely had time to react before—

The woman touched her brow.

Her fingers came away stained with blood.

Her face twisted immediately as rage took over her features. Bone-chilling rage. She let out a low, enraged sound and then lunged at Sophia, who had been trying to escape from the woman’s hold.

Her hand crashed across Sophia’s face.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

Again.

Each slap burning hotter than the last and even more painful than the last.

Sophia cried out, trying to shield herself with her arms.

"I’m sorry!" she sobbed. "I’m sorry—please!"

"You will never raise a hand at me again!" the woman shrieked. "You will never try to harm me in this life I’ve given you!"

The slaps came faster.

Fiercer.

Until Sophia’s head rang.

Her ears buzzed.

And everything blurred.

Slowly... the slaps stopped.

The woman stepped back.

Her chest heaving.

The room fell into silence, broken only by Sophia’s whispers and sobs.

Then, something shifted.

The anger drained from the woman’s face, replaced by... confusion, shock, and regret.

But if one looked closely, they would know that it was all pretense. She didn’t feel any regret. She wasn’t shocked at all. She didn’t care.

But Sophia was too young to notice this after all. And besides, she was covering herself, shielding herself from the woman.