Chapter 131

You're a pregnant woman carrying a child whose father remains a mystery.

And him? Shouldn't he be engaged to Isabella by now, preparing for their imminent wedding?

Sophia Montgomery, you can't keep clinging to him!

One quiet afternoon, Sophia sat alone in a dimly lit café, lost in thought.

The memory of Ethan Blackwood haunted her relentlessly.

Unbeknownst to her, Ethan sat just across the café, his icy gaze fixed on her, concealed behind a towering decorative pillar.

She had been smiling at Liam Sterling moments ago—a sight that made Ethan's hands clench and unclench, his knuckles whitening under the strain.

Tomorrow was the day they had agreed to finalize their divorce. Yet here he was, watching her share laughter with another man while she remained oblivious to his presence.

She lingered in the café all afternoon, unmoving. So did he.

As evening fell, Sophia finally left. Ethan followed suit, slipping into his car where Nathan Carter waited.

"Sir," Nathan ventured cautiously, "wasn't that Miss Montgomery who just walked out?"

He was certain it was her.

Ever since Victoria Blackwood's passing, Sophia had ignored Nathan completely, and he had long stopped expecting any acknowledgment.

When Nathan glanced back, Ethan's expression was thunderous, his jaw tight with suppressed fury.

Nathan barely stifled the thought: Did someone just cuckold the Fourth Master? But that couldn't be—Isabella Thornton was practically under house arrest, watched like a hawk.

Unless... seeing Sophia with Liam had triggered this reaction?

Nathan wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Drive," Ethan commanded, his voice dangerously low.

"Yes, sir."

Meanwhile, Sophia returned to her tiny rented room in the slums—a cramped ten-square-meter space she now called home.

It was small, but it was hers.

As she tidied up, a shadow darkened her doorway.

Isabella stood there, smirking.

"What do you want?" Sophia's patience was razor-thin.

The Thorntons were like leeches, impossible to shake off.

"I knew you'd still be here," Isabella gloated. "You could have run, but you didn’t. That makes finding you so much easier."

"Get to the point."

"Can’t I visit my sister?" Isabella sneered. "After all, you were once part of our family."

Sophia's patience snapped. "Spit it out!"

"Vincent Holloway is hunting you," Isabella hissed. "He couldn’t find you, so he came after us."

Sophia laughed bitterly. "And why should I care? Wasn’t it you who orchestrated that old bastard’s harassment? Should I call the police and remind them?"

Isabella’s smile faltered, then returned, sharper. "That’s not why I’m here. Tomorrow, Ethan and I are having our engagement banquet. I will be the future Mrs. Blackwood."

Sophia staggered back. "What?"

Isabella’s grin was vicious. "That’s right. Tomorrow, I’ll finally have what you stole from me. And you? You’re just a discarded fake, carrying some bastard’s child. Did you really think Ethan would ever claim it?"

Sophia forced herself to breathe. "Congratulations. As the Thorntons’ adopted daughter, I’ll be there to bless your union."

"You wouldn’t dare!"

"Try me," Sophia shot back. "I have nothing left to lose. Imagine the scandal when I announce my child is Ethan’s. Who will be humiliated then?"

Isabella’s face twisted. "You’re disgusting."

"Get out. Unless you want me to make good on that threat."

Isabella fled.

Alone, Sophia collapsed onto her bed, tears streaming. She gripped her phone, thumb hovering over Ethan’s contact.

She wanted to scream at him—Why do the Thorntons keep tormenting me? What did I ever do to deserve this?

But she deleted the draft. Involving Ethan would only drag Liam into the mess.

From now on, she would focus on building a life with Liam.

That night, her dreams were chaotic—jail cells, a faceless lover, fleeting warmth from Ethan, and Aunt Eleanor’s kindness.

Liam was absent from her dreams.

But that didn’t change her resolve.

The next morning, Sophia woke early and cleaned her tiny room obsessively.

A neighbor frowned. "Miss Montgomery, are you alright? You look heartbroken."

Sophia forced a smile. "A relative’s engagement is today. I can’t attend—it’s back home."

The neighbor nodded sympathetically.

All morning, Sophia agonized.

Is Isabella in a lavish gown right now, standing beside Ethan in some grand hotel?

But the reality was different.

Ethan and Isabella’s engagement was held in a modest venue, with barely four tables of guests.

Nothing like the fanfare Sophia had imagined.