Chapter 5: Pained

Sophie’s Point of View

I didn’t know what I expected as I pulled up outside Ethan’s gated mansion. Maybe some semblance of closure or an apology, though I doubted he was capable of either. But I hadn’t prepared for the heaviness in my chest, the weight of betrayal pressing down on me like a concrete block.

The house stood tall and cold, an intimidating fortress that once felt like home but now screamed hostility. My heart thudded as I approached the gate, fists clenched and palms sweaty.

“Ma’am, you can’t be here,” the security guard said flatly, stepping in front of me as I approached.

“I need to see Ethan,” I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of desperation and rage.

He shook his head, his posture rigid. “Mr. Ashford has given explicit order not to let you into the environment . You need to leave.”

“I’m not leaving until I see him!” My voice rose, and I could feel the tension coiling in my body like a spring. “You go tell Ethan, that I'm out here, and she’s not going anywhere until he comes out!”

The guard didn’t flinch. “Ma’am, if you don’t leave, I’ll have to call the police.”

“Oh, call them!” I spat, my voice breaking. “Call whoever the hell you want. I’m not leaving until I get answers!”

I paced in front of the gate, my arms flailing as my emotions spilled over. “Ethan! Ethan, get out here!” My voice echoed through the otherwise quiet street, loud enough to turn a few curious heads. I didn’t care. “You owe me the truth, you lying bastard!”

Minutes stretched on like hours, and just as I was about to shout again, the front door swung open. But it wasn’t Ethan who emerged.

It was Veronica.

She sauntered toward the gate with that smug, calculated grin plastered across her face, the kind that made my skin crawl. Dressed in a sleek designer outfit, she looked every bit the part of a woman who thought she’d won.

“What the hell are you doing here, Sophie?” she sneered, her voice dripping with disdain.

I took a step closer to the gate, my hands gripping the cold iron bars. “Where’s Ethan?” I hissed. “I need to talk to him.”

She crossed her arms and tilted her head, feigning amusement. “Oh, honey, Ethan’s busy. What could you possibly want from him? Haven’t you caused enough trouble?”

“Trouble?” I barked out a bitter laugh. “Are you serious right now? He fucking ruined my life, Veronica. He fed people wrong informations about me .” My voice cracked, but I refused to let her see the tears threatening to spill. “Tell him to get his ass out here, or I’ll make sure everyone knows exactly what kind of man he is.”

Veronica smirked, leaning against the gate. “Oh, you poor, pathetic thing. Still clinging to the idea that Ethan owes you something? He’s moved on, Sophie. So should you.”

“He needs to tell me where he got those fake fertility test results?” I demanded, my voice rising again. “The ones that said I couldn’t have kids? Where did he get them?”

Her eyes sparkled with a cruel sort of glee, like she’d been waiting for this moment. “Oh, sweetie,” she cooed mockingly. “Ethan didn’t ‘get’ them. He made them up.”

The air left my lungs in a whoosh, and I stumbled back, gripping the bars for support. “What?”

“You heard me,” she said, her tone sharp and unrelenting. “He fabricated everything. Those supplements he made you take? They weren’t vitamins, they were to mess with your chances of getting pregnant. Ethan didn’t want kids with you. He didn’t want you.”

Her words were a knife twisting in my chest, each revelation cutting deeper than the last. “Why would he do that?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

“Because he’s Ethan,” she said with a casual shrug. “And because I told him to.”

My head snapped up, and I stared at her in disbelief. “You what?”

Veronica’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted your life, Sophie? The rich, doting husband, the perfect career, the picture-perfect image of success? It was all yours, and you didn’t even appreciate it. You didn’t deserve it. So I took it.”

“You’re insane,” I spat, my voice trembling with fury.

“Maybe,” she said with a laugh. “But look around, sweetheart. Who’s standing behind the gate with everything? And who’s out here, screaming like a lunatic in the street?”

Her words stung, but they also ignited a fire in me, a blazing fury that refused to be extinguished. “You’re disgusting,” I said through gritted teeth. “And you’re going to regret everything you’ve done to me.”

Veronica laughed again, throwing her head back like this was all some grand joke. “Oh, please. Save the empty threats. You’re nothing now, Sophie. Go cry about it somewhere else.”

I stepped back, my fists trembling at my sides. “I want nothing to do with either of you,” I said, my voice breaking but firm. “Enjoy your little fantasy world while it lasts, Veronica. Because karma’s coming for you.”

As I turned to walk away, her voice called after me, laced with mockery. “If you hate us so much, why don’t you do everyone a favor and jump off a bridge? Save us the drama!”

I froze for a moment, her words hanging in the air like a noxious cloud. But I didn’t turn back. I didn’t give her the satisfaction.

I ran.

When I finally reached my apartment, I collapsed onto the floor, the sobs wracking my body before I even had a chance to catch my breath. Every wall I’d built, every shred of strength I’d mustered, came crumbling down in an instant.

I cried like I hadn’t in years, the kind of gut-wrenching, soul-crushing sobs that left me gasping for air. My chest ached, my throat burned, and my hands trembled as I clutched at my stomach.

This child…

It was the only thing I had left, the only light in the suffocating darkness Ethan and Veronica had created around me.

I placed a hand on my belly, the tears still streaming down my face. “You’re my second chance,” I whispered, my voice trembling but resolute. “I don’t care what they’ve done to me. I’m going to raise you. I’m going to love you. And I’m going to give you the life you deserve.”

My sobs quieted into hiccups, the weight of my determination settling over me like a warm blanket. I didn’t know how I’d do it, but I would.

My phone buzzed, picking it up I read the message silent and finally a small smile appeared on my face "The Universe ain't against us after all", I said placing a hand softly in my stomach

For the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of hope amidst the pain. And I clung to it with everything I had.