Having thought it through, he finally decided to reveal everything: "Before Sophie left, she told me that it was in the suicide note Sarah wrote to her that asked her to leave London—to leave this place full of trouble and strife."
"So Sophie decided to leave only after reading that letter?" Ned asked eagerly. "This is very important to me. I must know the answer."
"Well..." After hesitating for a long moment, Matthew finally replied, "I once promised Sophie that I would never mention anything about this letter to anyone. Even old Mr. Harrington doesn't know of its existence."
"It's been four years since Sophie left. Are you still unwilling to tell us the contents of that letter? Do you really want her never to come back?" Ned's voice grew heavier as he asked, "And why did she marry in such a hurry right before leaving? Do you know the reason for that?"
Matthew shook his head, his tone somewhat grave: "At present, only Sophie has read that suicide note." He paused before continuing, "Before she went to America, she entrusted the letter to me for safekeeping and specifically instructed that if she doesn't return, it must never be opened—otherwise, her mother in heaven would never forgive me!"
"So, have you read the contents of the letter?" Ned asked him seriously.
Matthew shook his head again. "The photos that Sophie didn't take with her, along with other important items, are all locked in the safe. Although I keep the key, apart from taking out those photos to show old Mr. Harrington, I haven't touched anything else. Because it was the last letter Sarah left her before she died, I never read it."
"I have one request—please, you must agree to it," Ned said, staring at Matthew.
"What is it? Just tell me."
"I want to see that letter." His request was indeed direct. "I'm not you—I won't be resented by Sarah, and she certainly won't refuse to forgive me forever. I want to know the truth. Everything started because of that letter, didn't it?"
Matthew held his breath for a moment. He didn't want to show it to him, yet at the same time he did—his heart was deeply conflicted.
"Please, you must agree. This is very important to me!" Ned pressed, almost aggressively.
At the airport, in the airline's VIP lounge, Ned was waiting for the 2 a.m. flight to San Francisco. He was going to the small American town of Austin where Sophie now lived, because a voice in his heart kept shouting, "Go find her—go find her now! The girl in your heart is her and only her, isn't it?"
Recently, due to restrictions on flight routes over the past half month, the already limited direct flights to Austin had all been canceled. So this plane would first fly eight hours to San Francisco, then transfer for another three-hour flight to Dallas, and finally take a small propeller plane for one more hour to Austin. The journey would be exhausting. But Ned was unwilling to wait another half month—the burning heat surging in his chest made him desperate to see Sophie as soon as possible.
Sitting in the VIP lounge, Ned's thoughts drifted back to that evening's conversation with Matthew in the hospital café:
"This, this..." Matthew kept hesitating, unable to make up his mind.
"This letter is extremely important. I need to know the reason Sophie left London four years ago. So I must see its contents." Ned's resolve was firm as he continued to pressure Matthew.
"But, but," Matthew gathered his courage and asked, "She's been gone for four years. Why is it now—of all times—that you want to know her whereabouts and the reason she left back then?" After a brief pause, he continued, "The news reports say you're about to get engaged to the daughter of that Japanese hotel magnate."
"That's exactly why I need to know the real reason even more!" Ned clenched his fists, lowered his head, and pleaded with Matthew sincerely and solemnly, "I'm begging you—please let me see the letter. You must agree to this!"
Ned's solemn and earnest demeanor left Matthew somewhat overwhelmed and flattered. He sat there stunned in his seat, at a loss for what to do.
"This... I really can't promise you that. I'm sorry, but I can't break the promise I made to that mother and daughter." He still refused to yield.
Ned raised his head and looked at Matthew, his gaze steady and heavy. "In that case, I have no choice but to tell you the secret I've kept buried in my heart for four years, along with the 'truth' I overheard last night. Once you hear this secret, I'm certain you won't refuse my request any longer!" he said with conviction.
Matthew looked at him in bewilderment, his brows furrowing in disbelief.
Then, Ned recounted everything in detail to Matthew—the DNA test from four years ago, and the words his mother had spoken that he overheard at the nurses' station the previous night...
Beep—beep—
Ned's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ringing of his phone.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Is your flight at two o'clock?" Archibald's voice came through the line.
"Yes."
"I've been thinking—Sophie moving this time probably means she intends never to contact us again, not even your father."
Ned didn't respond, but his expression grew grave.
"I'm not sure if she's already left. If you go to Austin and can't find her, head straight to Oklahoma to look for her. I asked a friend to help find a house for her there—she might not actually move in, but if she really doesn't go, then we'll truly never find her again."
As he listened, an image of Sophie's stubborn face appeared in Ned's mind. This was absolutely something she would do. "I understand. I will definitely find her," he replied in a low, resolute voice.
After that, only silence remained on the line. Ned waited patiently for the other man's response.
"Ned, promise me—you'll bring her back. You'll find her and bring her back, right?" After a long pause, Archibald finally found his voice again.
"Yes. I definitely will." Ned was silent for a long time before answering with certainty.
Archibald's voice turned almost servile over the phone, pleading in a humble tone: "When you find Sophie, remember to call me. I... I just want to know she's safe. I don't want her to disappear from our lives..."
Boarding time was approaching. The courtesy attendant in the VIP lounge began inviting passengers to board, and their call ended there.
Leaving the lounge, Ned walked toward the gate...
That letter had revealed the most shocking secret of all—yet Sophie had chosen to carry it alone, to leave with it, wronging herself in order to protect him!
But the secret was only half true. Their fates had indeed been swapped, but they were not half-siblings sharing the same father!
They had no blood relation at all!
This was the real, ultimate secret—one that, in the entire world, only he and his father knew. And they had known it for four years.
The moment he learned the truth, his father's infidelity and his mother's betrayal burned inside him like a fire, tormenting him, even driving him toward madness.
On the surface, he remained calm and composed—working, socializing, living as usual. But in reality, he was terrified that anyone would discover the truth of his identity as an illegitimate child.
He refused to acknowledge Sarah as his birth mother. He refused to visit her in the hospital or even hear updates about her condition.
He even began to resent Sophie—the girl whose life had been exchanged with his. He started picking faults with her constantly, hoping she would retreat and give up.
He knew full well that his mother, Victoria, would almost certainly go to the hospital again to cause trouble for Sarah, yet he stood by and did nothing, unwilling to warn Sophie in any way.
That day, he had an appointment to meet Sarah at the hospital—he deliberately arrived late, and even considered finding an excuse to cancel it altogether.
Because he could not bear the fact that he was an illegitimate son, he ended up witnessing his birth mother's horrific death with his own eyes! She hadn't left him a single word, spoken or written—she had simply jumped to her death right in front of him, cruelly and without explanation.
In the end, he lost the love of his life—Sophie!
After learning the truth about his origins, Sophie had even chosen to marry Archibald just to escape him, fleeing to America for four years and refusing to return to London. Wasn't this, in its own way, another act of sacrifice for his sake...
Sacrificing herself to preserve his vanity, his selfishness—and even his darkness!
In his selfishness, he had even convinced himself that Sophie didn't know the full truth. As long as he inherited the entire Harrington fortune and married an obedient, well-behaved woman from a suitable family, no one would ever question his identity. No one would dare call him an "illegitimate child"!
Why?
That was why he was traveling thousands of miles across the ocean. He only wanted to ask her : "Why?"