Chapter 1

Sophia's POV

1 AM. I was lying in bed, scrolling through my phone.

Suddenly, my screen exploded with a notification—trending #1: Alexander Blackwood spotted with mystery woman.

I clicked on it. A paparazzi shot. Alexander had his arm around a woman with long hair, the two of them walking side by side outside some Michelin-starred restaurant. He was leaning down, whispering something in her ear. She was looking up at him with a tender smile.

I knew that face.

Elaine.

His first love. The woman who'd left for abroad four years ago.

The comments section was going absolutely insane.

[OMG! The goddess is back!]

[THIS is our real sister-in-law! They were perfect together back then!]

[Elaine finally came back? My ship is ALIVE!]

I scrolled down with zero expression on my face. Found the blogger's reply: [Oh stop it, we're just friends~] with a blushing emoji after it.

Then Alexander's comment, right at the top—pinned: [More than friends.]

The comment section detonated.

[AHHHHH IS THIS AN ANNOUNCEMENT?!]

[What about his mate though?]

[Please, it was a forced mating. Everyone knows Alexander's always loved Elaine]

[About time that Sophia lapdog got lost]

I stared at that last comment for a long time.

"Lapdog."

They weren't wrong. All these years, that's exactly what I'd been. He said east, I didn't dare go west. He wanted a drink at 3 AM, I'd drive three blocks to get his favorite brand. He brought women home, I slept in the study.

Never raised my voice. Never fought. Never even said a harsh word.

I closed my phone and got up, went out to the balcony to water my flowers.

The lilies were blooming beautifully. I carefully trimmed the dead leaves, my movements gentle. I'd planted this pot the day I moved in. Four years. Alexander had never looked at it once.

After watering, I took a shower and crawled back into bed.

Sleep came fast. Within minutes, I was out.

It was the middle of the night when the bedroom light suddenly blazed on.

Someone roughly shook me awake. I opened my eyes to see Alexander standing beside the bed, his face twisted with rage, looking absolutely menacing.

"How the hell can you sleep right now?" His voice was low and seething with obvious fury.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes. "Why wouldn't I be able to sleep?"

"Haven't you seen what's all over the internet?" He practically spat out the words through gritted teeth.

I sat up, running my fingers through my messy hair. "I saw it. So what?"

Alexander's expression instantly turned ice-cold, the kind of chill that seemed to drop the temperature in the entire room by several degrees. "So what?" he repeated my words, his voice carrying a dangerous calm.

But when he saw that I still maintained that indifferent expression, that composure began to crumble.

"Is this really who you are, Sophia?" His voice started trembling. "Nothing matters to you?"

"What should I care about?" My tone remained steady. "That you and Elaine got back together? Or that you told the whole world she's more than just a friend to you?"

That sentence completely set him off. Alexander suddenly exploded, slamming his fist hard into the nightstand. The wood made a dull thudding sound.

"Damn it!" he roared. "How can you be so calm? Why do you always act like nothing fucking matters to you?!"

His breathing became rapid, his chest heaving violently, like a wild animal backed into a corner.

I honestly didn't get Alexander at all. All those years, I was nothing but compliant and never minded when he saw other women.

I kept the house running like clockwork. But he became more and more paranoid, vicious, and quick to anger.

"Alexander," I cut him off. "It's 3 AM. I have a hospital appointment tomorrow. If you want to fight, can we please wait until I'm awake?"

He looked like my words had only pissed him off more, chest heaving. "Hospital? What's wrong with you now?"

"Nothing much," I said softly, settling back down and gently pulling the covers up. "Just some headaches lately. Goodnight."

"You're faking it," he sneered. "Playing the sympathy card. Sophia, that shit doesn't work on me."

I closed my eyes. Didn't say another word.

After a few seconds of silence, the door exploded shut behind him, the thunderous crash reverberating through the walls and rattling the windows in their frames.

I opened my eyes, stared at the ceiling. That spot in my chest—it hurt like someone was carving into it with a dull knife.

But I still closed my eyes, forced myself back to sleep.

No choice. Doctor said I needed to get my rest.

4:30 AM. My phone rang.

Thought it was my alarm. Half-asleep, I tried to turn it off, then realized it was a call.

Unknown number.

I answered with a frown. A woman's coy voice came through. "Hey there, Alexander's drunk. Think you could come check on him?"

The background was loud—music, people whooping, men laughing.

I was wide awake instantly, head pounding. "Where is he?"

"Oh honey," she laughed, dripping with smugness, "you're tracking him anyway, right? Shouldn't be hard to find him."

She hung up.

I stared at the phone for a few seconds. Then I kicked off the covers, ran into my closet and threw on a jacket, grabbed my keys and bolted.

In the garage, I started the car, fingers trembling as I opened the phone's tracking app.

Alexander's location showed up at a club on the west side—"Pulse."

I floored it.

The elevated highway was empty at this hour. The engine roared through the night. I was driving way too fast. Streetlights flew past my window like a countdown.

I knew I was running out of time.

My hands were shaking on the wheel.

Not from fear. From pain.

Everything hurt.

If Alexander knew, would he be even a little nicer to me?

I laughed bitterly.

No. He wouldn't.

He hated me. Hated that I'd destroyed his love story with Elaine. Four years ago, my father had used the Blackwood family's business crisis to force him to marry me.

Time was running out.

I pressed harder on the gas. Hit 120.

I thought I still had to go find him.