Chapter 160

**Anna's POV**

I guided Sophie through the place's back exit, my arm wrapped protectively around her trembling shoulders. The cool night air hit us as we emerged into the dimly lit service alley where I'd parked my car.

"Just a few more steps," I whispered, trying to keep my voice gentle despite the urgency I felt. "My car's right over there."

Sophie stumbled, nearly collapsing against my side. "I can't... I feel like I'm going to be sick again."

As I helped Sophie into the passenger seat, I couldn't shakethe guilt gnawing at me. We had severely underestimated Charles Windsor's depravity, and now Sophie was paying the price.

Once inside the car, I turned to her. She sat huddled against the door,arms wrapped tightly around herself as if trying to disappear.

"Sophie, are you okay?" I asked, reaching over to touch her arm. She flinched. "If you're feeling unwell, you need to tell me."

Her head snapped up, eyes wild and desperate. "Pills. We need to go to a pharmacy.I need the morning-after pill! Right now!"

"Okay, okay," I nodded, starting the car. "We'll go to CVS. I'll get you whatever you need."

"I need to shower," she continued, her voice rising hysterically as she clawed at her arms. "Anna, I need to shower! I can feel them all over me.Their smell is everywhere!"

I grabbed her hands to stop her from scratching herself. "Alright, Sophie,calm down. I'll get you to CVS for the pills, then I'Il take you somewhere safe where you can shower.Just breathe,okay?"

"I can't go home," Sophie said, her voice breaking. "Absolutely not. If my parents find out what happened, they'll kill me! Anna, what am I going to do? Oh my God, what am I going to do!"

She collapsed against me, her body wracked with sobs. I awkwardly patted her back, trying to provide what little comfort I could.

"Why?" she wailed, pulling back to look at me with mascara streaming down her face. "Why would they do this to me?"

"Sophie, please try to calm down," I said, squeezing her hand. "We'll get your medication first, then I'll take you to a hotel. I'll stay with you the whole time. I won't leave you alone."

She clutched my arm desperately. "Anna, please don't leave me. You're all I have right now."

"I won't leave you," I promised,starting the car. "I swear."

In the lavish bathroom of the hotel we checked into, Sophie stood under the shower, scrubbing her skin raw. Steam filled the room as I waited anxiously outside.

"Sophie?" I called through the door. "Sophie, you've been in there for almost an hour. Are you okay?"

"Sophie! Stop!" I rushed forward, yanking open the shower door and reaching for the faucet. The water was scalding hot. "Jesus Christ!"

She fought me, trying to turn the water back on. "No! I'm not clean yet! I can still feel them!"

"Sophie, enough!" I grabbed her wrists, pulling her out of the shower. "You're hurting yourself! Look at your skin!"

She collapsed against me, sobbing uncontrollably as I wrapped her in a plush hotel bathrobe. "I just want to feel clean again," she whispered.

Back in the hotel room, I gently toweled Sophie's hair, careful not to make any sudden movements.

Suddenly, she grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. "Anna, this is all Victoria's fault! All of it! I was raped, your face was disfigured,and she gets to walk away unscathed? All because she's jealous of Summer and wanted revenge. Why are we paying the price for her war?"

My hand drifted unconsciously to the scars on my face, my expression darkening. "Victoria said she feels guilty too. She didn't expect things to turn out like this!"

Sophie let out a bitter laugh. "Guilty? Don't be ridiculous! Don't you remember how she reacted when security dragged you away at Manhattan Club? She didn't give a damn whether you lived or died! How could she possibly feel guilty? She's even disgusted that your face got ruined. If you hadn't reached out to her, she wouldn't have-"

She caught herself mid-sentence, seeing the hurt on my face. She quickly grabbed my hands. "I'm sorry, Anna, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," I said, wrapping my arms around her. "Don't worry about any

of that right now. Just rest. I'll stay with you."

"Anna, I can't accept this," Sophie whispered, her body still trembling. "I really can't. All these years of fighting between Victoria and Summer-what does it have to do with us? Why are we the ones suffering all the consequences?"

I stayed silent. I'd long seen through Victoria's self-serving nature. I was surprised, though, that Sophie's anger was directed at Victoria rather than Summer.

"Anna, don't you hate her?" Sophie pressed, pulling back to look at my scarred face. "Your face is like this because of her, you-"

"Sophie, stop," I interrupted firmly. "My face will heal eventually. Right now, what matters is you, and-"

"I'm going to report them!" she exclaimed, her eyes wild with sudden determination. "I'm going to have them arrested! I'm going to report them!"

Just as quickly, her resolve crumbled1. "No, I can't go to the police. If I do,everyone will know what happened. Anna, what am I going to do?"

I pulled her close, strøking her damp hair. "Sophie, calm down. Don't worry. Alexander has taken care of everything. Those people won't say anything. No one else will knowv about tonight. If you want to go to the police, I'll support you."

"No, no police," she said frantically. "Going to the police means everyone will find out. I can't handle that!"

She looked up at me, vulnerable, "Anna, do you think less of me now?"

"Of course not! I never would. None of this is your fault, Sophie. If you

don't want to go to the police, we won't. When I was taking you out,I asked Victoria. She said not to worry, that she'd handle everything and make it right for you."

Sophie's laugh was hollow, her eyes darkening. "Make it right? What could she possibly do to make this right? Will it restore my dignity?"

She gripped my hands tightly, her voice dropping to a vengeful whisper."T m not letting this go, Anna. Everything I suffered tonight-I'm going to make sure Victoria feels the same pain."

I wrapped my arms around her, gently guiding her to lie down. "Sophie,get some sleep. Don't think about anything right now. You'll feel better after some rest."

The following day, the bomb dropped.

Despite Victoria and Alexander's frantic efforts to contain the situation, the truth came out in the worst possible way. The paparazzi Victoria had hired to capture Summer's "scandal" had taken matters into their own hands.

The very next day, a blurred but recognizable video of the incident exploded online. Though faces were pixelated, internet sleuths quickly identified everyone involved.

I stared at my phone in disbelief before furiously dialing Victoria's number.

"Victoria, what the hell is going on?" I demanded. "You said all the videos were deleted! You promised nobody would talk about last night! What is this? Sophie's completely falling apart. I barely managed to calm her down yesterday, and now this? Do you have any idea what you've done? The paparazzi have already found our hotel. There are reporters everywhere!

Victoria, how could you do this?"