Chapter 181

Sophia didn’t care about appearances anymore.

"Ethan, that stormy night—do you remember it? You were in that dark room, asking me with such pain in your voice if I was selling myself."

Her voice trembled.

"I cried and told you I wasn’t."

"You were shocked. You asked if it was my first time."

"Ethan, do you remember?"

At this moment, Sophia couldn’t afford to be embarrassed. She had to make Ethan see the truth. She couldn’t let her children lose their chance to know their father.

She wouldn’t let someone else steal what was rightfully hers.

"The Thorntons… They weren’t trying to save you. They wanted you dead. They were afraid the woman they hired wouldn’t keep her mouth shut, so they found me in prison. Benjamin never expected you to fight back."

Her words came fast, desperate.

"When he realized you were too strong, he made his daughter take my place. Isabella lied to you, claiming she was the one that night."

"While you thanked the Thorntons, you promised to marry her."

"Ethan, you’re sharp. You have to see through this."

Sophia, usually so quiet, spoke with startling clarity. Though her heart raced, her words were precise, methodical.

Behind her, Elizabeth and Isabella paled.

Elizabeth had hoped Sophia would arrive in hysterics, screaming and causing a scene. That would have given Ethan reason to silence her—permanently.

But Sophia wasn’t hysterical.

She was fighting.

And she was terrifyingly composed.

Now, it all depended on Ethan’s reaction.

Alexander Kensington, who had brought Sophia here, stood frozen outside the car. He had assumed Sophia’s desperation stemmed from love—or at least some past intimacy with Ethan.

But this?

This was a revelation.

No wonder she had been so frantic.

Yet, watching the scene unfold, Alexander feared for her life.

He pulled out his phone and sent a discreet message:

Where are you? Get here now. Sophia might not survive this.

The moment he hit send, two of William Thornton’s bodyguards seized him.

"What are you doing?" Alexander struggled.

"Master Kensington, please return to your car," one guard said flatly.

They dragged him away.

Nearby, Sophia’s belongings—two cheap duffel bags—had been tossed unceremoniously onto the sidewalk.

The contrast between those shabby bags and the opulent wedding venue was stark.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"Who does she think she is? Approaching Mr. Blackwood like this—she must have a death wish."

"Pathetic. She’s either delusional or shameless."

Sophia didn’t hear them.

"Throw her out," Ethan commanded coldly.

Elizabeth and Isabella exchanged glances.

He wasn’t ordering her execution? Just removal?

Four Blackwood bodyguards grabbed Sophia, lifting her like a ragdoll.

One sneered, "Try this again, and you won’t live to regret it."

Sophia didn’t feel despair.

She felt fury.

She kicked wildly, her desperation lending her strength. Two guards stumbled back, caught off guard.

They hesitated—Ethan had given strict orders not to harm her.

Who was this woman, to cause such a scene and still walk away unharmed?

Sophia sank her teeth into one guard’s arm.

He yelped, releasing her.

Like a cornered wolf, she broke free and sprinted toward Ethan.

Ten meters separated them.

"Ethan!" she screamed. "Do you want your son to suffer like you did? Have you forgotten how hard Aunt Grace fought for you? Ethan—!"

That finally broke his composure.

He wrenched his arm from Isabella’s grip and stormed toward Sophia.

They met beside her discarded bags.

Ethan loomed over her, his expression unreadable.

Sophia clutched her belongings, breathless but defiant.

"Ethan," she said, voice raw. "I’m the one who saved you. You have to marry me."

"Ridiculous!"

William Blackwood’s voice cut through the air.

The old man strode forward and kicked Sophia to the ground.

She landed hard, still gripping her bags, and looked up at him.

"You have no shame," William spat. "First you swear you’ll stay away, and now this? Look at you—dressed in rags, carrying trash, rolling in the dirt like some beggar."

His lip curled.

"Do you think my grandson would marry someone like you? This isn’t a flea market."

The crowd murmured agreement.

"Who does she think she is? A scavenger trying to catch a billionaire?"

"She’s insane. She won’t last the night."

"No, she’s calculated. She’s been with Ethan, then his cousin Julian, and even Daniel Whitmore. She’s playing the entire elite circle."

"Disgusting."

"And today’s bride is her foster sister. After being raised by the Thorntons, she betrays them like this?"

"Vile."

"She deserves to die."

The insults rained down, but Sophia didn’t flinch.

Her eyes stayed locked on Ethan’s.

Waiting.

Hoping.

Praying he would remember.