Chapter 1 Pregnant

"One more round?" Easton Foster whispered, his lips brushing against Sophia Roth's ear, his voice low and taunting.



"Get off me..." Sophia winced at the sting between her thighs and pushed against his chest.



"Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Using Grandma to force me back so I'd play the dutiful husband? Fine. Let's keep going. They're all outside listening," Easton sneered.



"Easton, you're an asshole," Sophia shot back, her face flushed with both anger and shame.



"An asshole? Remember how this marriage even came about? Don't talk to me about fairness." Easton's voice was cold and mocking. Before Sophia could react, he crushed his lips to hers, hard and demanding.



The kiss sent heat spiraling through Sophia. Her mind blanked, every word he'd just said dissolving, and she forgot to resist.



Easton despised their marriage. Just one day after their wedding, he bailed on Jenston and jetted off to Menolia for business at the Foster Group branch. He was gone for ten whole months, and Sophia became the hottest joke among all of Jenston's elite families.



Everyone knew Sophia wasn't really Easton's wife in his eyes, and she was just there to fill the role, nothing more than a title with no meaning. Sophia knew the only reason he showed up this time was because his grandmother, Irene, faked an illness.



She'd daydreamed about their wedding night. But not once did she imagine it'd turn out like that—Easton's every move was harsh and fierce, fueled by bitterness, and her feelings didn't matter to him at all. She shut her eyes, tears streaming silently from the corners.



At the crack of dawn, the air in the bedroom was still thick with lingering traces of passion. Just as Easton started to get up, his phone began vibrating.



He glanced at the caller ID and his tone shifted, a trace of anxiety slipping in. "Stella, what's wrong? Don't cry. I'll be right there."



Sophia instantly knew who he was talking to. She let out a bitter, dry chuckle. 'Turns out Easton can care about someone—just not me,' she thought to herself.



As Easton moved away from her, Sophia desperately reached out and grabbed his hand. "Easton..." she whispered, her voice shaking. 'Please, don't leave,' she pleaded in her heart.



Easton didn't respond. Once he was fully dressed, he spat out a cold, cutting line. "Everyone might call you Mrs. Foster, but to me, you'll never be worthy." With that, he slammed the door and stormed out.



Watching Easton's cold back vanish from the room, Sophia gripped the sheets so hard that her knuckles went pale. Her heart felt like it had been wrung out and tossed in a corner.



She lay there, feeling like a used-up rag. Her eyes burned red, but she refused to let one tear drop.



She had been in love with Easton for as long as she could remember, hiding that secret ache in her heart year after year, eight in total.



When Foster Group hit troubled waters, the Roth family's alliance through marriage became the obvious solution. For Sophia, though, the dream of marrying Easton finally came true.



The day she slipped into her wedding dress, Sophia gazed at her reflection in the mirror, happiness glowing in her eyes. At that moment, she felt like she could reach out and hold the whole world. "Easton, I'm really marrying you," she whispered.



But soon enough, Sophia learned that Easton's heart had always belonged to someone else—Stella Weston. That was why he hated Sophia for forcing him into marriage with her. On their wedding night, he had already left her behind.



And right then, once again, she could only watch as he walked away for another woman.



'Easton, did you really forget those words you once told me? You swore you'd marry me, so why did you just erase it all from your heart?' Sophia's chest tightened with that bitter thought. After that night, she never laid eyes on Easton again.



\*\*\*\*\*



At Jenston General Hospital, the doctor smiled warmly at Sophia. "Ms. Roth, congratulations. You're pregnant, about five weeks along. Be sure to get plenty of rest and come back at twelve weeks so we can start your medical records and do a full check-up."



Sophia clutched the pregnancy test results in her hand, her heart pounding with a mix of excitement and anxiety. 'Will Easton even care about this baby?' she thought, uncertainty twisting inside her.



After she left the doctor's office, she found a quiet corner, ready to call Easton. Just then, two nurses happened to pass by.



"The director just sent Dr. Chapman to do a pregnancy check-up for Stella. Guess those rumors are spot-on—Stella's already two months pregnant with Mr. Foster's kid," one nurse whispered, all excited.



"Don't spread gossip. Isn't Mr. Foster already married?" the other nurse shot back.



"I'm telling you, it's totally true. I literally saw Mr. Foster upstairs with Stella like just now," the first nurse insisted.



"Wow, rich folks do live by their own rules. Getting married doesn't mean a thing to them. He's out there having a baby with another woman, all in the open. I seriously feel bad for the real Mrs. Foster," the second nurse muttered.



"Being married doesn't mean much when it's just a cold, loveless arrangement anyway. Honestly, with Stella expecting, you can bet a divorce is coming sooner or later," the first nurse said.



"That's for sure. Everyone knows Mr. Foster skipped town the day after the wedding. He acted like his new wife didn't even exist," the second nurse snorted.



Sophia lingered off to the side, overhearing their conversation. Her fingers clenched, gripping her phone until her fingertips turned white.



After the nurses finally walked away, she leaned weakly against the wall, as if all her strength had been drained away. She bit her lip—pale and bloodless—from holding back her emotions. Every word from earlier still jabbed like a knife straight into her heart.



Sophia cupped her belly with trembling hands, her voice soft and tinged with longing. "I hoped that with you on the way, maybe one day, he'll finally accept us."



She thought, 'But that's all just a fool's dream. Stella is already carrying Easton's child. How could he possibly care about me and the baby inside me?



'If I hadn't suddenly felt lightheaded and sick today, I would never have guessed I was pregnant. And now, fate has me hearing their "happy news" right here in the hospital.'



As Sophia stepped out of the hospital, a faint drizzle brushed against her face. She tilted her head up, almost hoping the rain might bring her a scrap of comfort, but all she got was more chill.



The gloomy, gray sky above seemed to press down on her chest, trapping every bit of warmth and leaving her heart even colder, even tighter than before.



Sophia hid the pregnancy test results deep in her purse, then got behind the wheel and drove off by herself. An hour later, she arrived at Silvermoon Bay—the house she and Easton were meant to call home after their wedding.



"Mrs. Foster, you're back," Grace, the housekeeper, greeted her warmly, coming over.



Sophia smiled and replied, "Yeah. I'm skipping dinner tonight. Just feeling a little wiped out. I want to head upstairs and rest for a bit."



Grace fussed, concern etched on her face. "Are you sure you're alright? Your hands feel chilly."



Sophia shook her head, giving Grace's hand a gentle pat. "No worries. I'm okay, really. Just don't mention it to Grandma Irene, alright? I'll go up now."



Once Sophia made it upstairs to the master bedroom, a wave of dizziness and nausea crashed over her again. She hurried into the bathroom, dropped down by the toilet, and retched helplessly.



After a moment, she came out of the bathroom and heard her phone ring. It was her best friend, May Young, calling. May's voice was full of mischief as she teased, "Sophia, I heard your so-called husband is back in the country."



Sophia massaged her temples, replying wearily, "Yeah, he came back about a month ago."



"Hurry up and check your phone. I sent you some news. I don't want you kept in the dark," May said.



Sophia had no idea why May was so anxious. After hanging up, she flopped onto the bed and clicked open the message May had sent her.



The headlines flashed glaringly before her eyes: \[Late-Night Meeting of Easton, Foster Group's CEO, with Finance News Anchor Stella\], \[Easton and Stella Spotted Heading Back to Their Shared Apartment\], \[Easton and Stella's Three-Month Getaway in Menolia\].



Beneath every headline were pictures of Easton and Stella out and about together and even snaps from their trip in Menolia. Sophia had never seen Easton look so gentle before. He was even smiling—a side of him she'd never witnessed.



Sophia zoomed in on each photo, staring at them again and again. A sharp, unspeakable ache surged in her chest. As she watched those blinding images, it finally sank in: the whole time he'd been back this month, he'd shared his life with Stella.



Sophia locked her phone, and a single tear slipped down her cheek, landing on the screen. She sat there in silence for a long time, her thoughts swirling.



'If this is how things are, maybe I should just let you two be together and give myself a break,' she finally told herself.



Chapter 2 Divorce Agreement

Sophia's life was simple. Ever since she got married, her days followed a predictable pattern. Aside from the occasional social event she couldn't avoid, she spent almost all her time holed up in her art studio, painting.



One morning, Sophia uploaded the pieces she'd created for the entrance exam to the Japoria Academy of Arts website. When she got the notification that her submission was accepted, she couldn't help but smile.



Then she picked up her phone and called May. "May, I need you to draft up a divorce agreement for me."



May was startled. "Sophia, are you really sure about this?"



But then May thought about those photos. Even she felt like destroying those two people after seeing the photos. And she knew Sophia was always decisive, never one to look back once she made up her mind.



"Yeah," Sophia replied.



Even though Sophia had spent the whole night going over the decision in her mind, saying it out loud still made her feel a pang of sadness. After all, she had been the one to ask for the marriage in the first place.



Sophia took a deep breath, her tone calm. "Once you finish drafting the agreement, send it to me as soon as possible. Dissolving the alliance between our families is bound to get dragged out, but I don't want to wait."



May agreed and hung up. Then, Sophia picked up her phone and called Edward, her uncle, and Julian, her cousin, bracing herself for the inevitable lecture.



A week later, May sent the first draft of the divorce agreement to Sophia's phone. Sophia read through every detail and called May. "The agreement looks fine. Print it out, and I'll swing by your office later to pick it up."



"Sure," May replied.



Later that afternoon, Sophia showed up at May's law firm, picked up the freshly printed divorce agreement, and didn't linger at all.



She immediately got in her car and drove straight to Foster Group. It was her first time setting foot in the building, and deep down, she knew it might also be her last.



"Mrs. Foster, what brings you here at this time of day?" Gordon Lowell, Easton's secretary, looked genuinely surprised as Sophia showed up unexpectedly and called him.



Gordon escorted Sophia into Easton's office. Without a single unnecessary word, Sophia placed the divorce agreement on his desk. "Let's get divorced," she said, her voice calm and resolute.



Easton didn't bother to look up or take her words seriously. He kept flipping through the documents, his voice cold and sharp. "Sophia, mind games like this won't work on me. And stop trying to hold Grandma's illness over my head."



Sophia laid out the agreement, signing her name with swift, decisive strokes right in front of him. "Take a look when you get a chance," she said, all composure. "If you're fine with it, just sign."



Easton finally glanced up, his face darkening, voice edged with irritation. "Enough with the drama. Get out and go home."



"She's back—the Mrs. Foster everyone thinks she should be. I'm just the stand-in and never really belong here," Sophia said, her voice cool and detached.



Easton's brows drew together. "Do you even know what you're saying?"



Sophia stayed perfectly composed. "I know exactly what I'm saying, Easton. It's time to end a marriage you can't stand, and I bet that's a relief for you."



Easton's gaze brimmed with disdain. "The Roth family has fallen from grace. You're choosing to leave me now? Without Foster Group's support, do you actually think your family could weather this storm?



"Well, maybe it's time for you and your family to get a real taste of what it feels like to be left with nowhere to run."



About two weeks ago, Crestview Group was suddenly thrown into turmoil when the tax authorities launched a surprise audit out of nowhere. As soon as Sophia got word of it, she had people start digging around to find out what was really going on.



Sophia eyed the man across from her, his air of superiority almost suffocating, and a mocking smile tugging at her lips.



She said, "Crestview Group is our family business and has weathered every storm for decades. Yet soon after Stella returned, the tax bureau came knocking. I'd bet my last dollar, Mr. Foster, you know exactly why better than I do."



Easton's gaze was intense, unwavering as he stared straight at her. "This whole mess isn't on Stella. Your uncle botched the figures, and Stella only reported what actually happened. She's not at fault here.



"But I can't blame you for suspecting her. After all, you were the one who snatched her marriage away, weren't you?"



Sophia felt like she'd just heard the biggest joke in the world, but she had no intention of arguing with Easton any longer.



"I've already signed the divorce agreement," she said, her voice frosty. "Look it over. If everything's in order, sign it and let me know. I'll send my lawyer to collect it."



Outside, night had settled over the city, neon lights casting their glow in the chill of early winter. Sophia's heart was ice cold. After leaving that final line hanging in the air, she turned and walked out of Easton's office without a glance back.