Chapter 5

❤️Sophie❤️

I’ve never seen my father as angry as this before in my twenty years.

Yet here he is, pacing the living room with fire blazing in his eyes.

While the rest of the family stares at me with their jaws on the floor—especially my mom, since I'm her only child—I can't imagine how disappointed she is right now.

I can't even look at them in the eyes; my head is hung low as I stare at my folded hands on my lap.

“You are a disappointment,” my father’s voice booms through the room, making me flinch a little.

Tears wet my lashes. This is a stupid mistake. I just wanted to prove something, and I ended up making the worst mistake of my life.

“You are not even out of college yet. What do you want people to say about me—about this family? That my daughter got pregnant without finishing her education?”

My throat burns. “I'm sorry.”

“Sorry?” Mom throws her hands up exasperatedly. “You need to be kidding.”

Words catch in my throat, so I watch silently as my life crumbles before my eyes at full speed.

“Call Sebastian right now! He needs to take full responsibility for this mess he’s created,” Dad growls.

My head snaps up. Sebastian? Oh my God.

“Yes,” my aunt says from across the room, “since he’s the father of the child, it’s only right if he marries her. We can't have you giving birth to a fatherless baby.”

“I need to see Sebastian here before nightfall,” Dad says.

“No,” the word escapes before I can stop it.

My father’s brow furrows. “No?”

“The baby,” my throat tightens, “the baby is not Sebastian’s.”

Everyone goes silent—the kind of silence where you can hear the little sound in the living room. It’s so quiet I can hear my father’s clock ticking.

He stares at me as if I’ve grown another head. “What did you say?” His voice is dangerously calm.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “I said, the baby is not Sebastian’s.”

My mother’s hand flies to her mouth. “What do you mean the baby is not his?” she whispers, barely containing her shock.

“I...” My lips tremble. “We broke up.”

Dad lets out a harsh laugh. “You broke up?” he repeats. “So you got pregnant by another man immediately after?”

“It's not like that.”

“Then explain it!” he roars.

I jump in my seat, every pair of eyes fixed on me—my uncle, my aunt, my cousins, my parents. I wish the floor would open and swallow me whole.

“I...” My mind desperately searches for an answer. “Sebastian and I ended things weeks ago.”

“Then whose child is this?” Uncle Richard asks.

The question hangs in the air—whose child?

A faceless stranger, a man whose name I don't even know—a man who disappeared before sunrise—a man... my brain screams.

I can't possibly tell them that. Dad would kill me. My entire family would despise me for ruining the family’s image. I would become a laughing stock among my friends.

The many worst-case scenarios flash through my head.

“Answer me!” my father snaps.

“I...” Think, Sophie. Fucking think. There has to be something. Just anything to say. “I have a new boyfriend,” the lie slips out so suddenly I almost believe it myself.

My mother’s eyes widen. “You have a... what?”

“A boyfriend,” I repeat, forcing confidence into my voice. “I’ve been seeing someone.”

“And you expect us to believe that?” my aunt says.

“I've been keeping it private.”

“For what reason?” my father asks coldly.

My confidence falters. What reason? I search my brain. “I... I wasn't ready to introduce him yet.”

My father folds his arms. “So this mysterious boyfriend got you pregnant.”

I nod weakly. “Yes.”

“And where has this boyfriend been while you’ve been vomiting every morning in my house?”

“I... he travels a lot.”

“What does he do?”

Another lie pops into my head. “He owns a company.”

“What company?”

I open my mouth—nothing comes out. I don't even know the stranger’s name.

How can I know what company he owns? I don't even know if he has a company. Is it possible for a twenty-three-year-old man to own a company?

Dad immediately notices my hesitation. “You are lying.”

“I'm not!” I shout. “I'm telling the truth.”

“Then give me his name.”

A name. Damn it. Any name. The stranger never told me. I never asked. God, I'm such an idiot.

“I call him Babe.”

My dad’s jaw drops. “Babe?”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “That’s his name. I mean, that’s what I call him.”

“Are you out of your mind? What’s his real name?”

Fuck!

“He...” I stammer. “He’s very private.”

Dad’s face hardens. “So private that his girlfriend doesn't even know his name?”

“He doesn't like publicity.”

“Enough!” my dad slams a hand on the living room table, making everyone jump.

His eyes lock onto mine. “I’ve tolerated enough of your nonsense today. If this man truly exists, he needs to come here. I need to see him.”

“Dad, he might be busy.”

“I don't care. You made your bed; now it’s time to lie in it.”

My pulse pounds loudly in my ears. “Dad...”

“I said I don't care!” The veins on his neck bulge with anger. “You’re carrying his child. He will take responsibility, marry you, and the wedding will happen soon.”

My stomach twists violently. Marry?

To a stranger? Someone I don't even know?

“I...”

“You have exactly forty-eight hours,” my father says, every word slow and deliberate. “Bring your boyfriend into this house.”

His voice turns deadly. “And if you fail, be prepared to pack your things and leave this house, with no rights to my property. Everything you have will be given to someone else.”

My hands clench.

My mother steps forward. “Honey, you need to calm down...”

“No. She plans to embarrass this family. If she doesn't do what’s right, she’ll learn her lesson.”

My vision blurs.

Forty-eight hours. A boyfriend willing to accept this pregnancy.

How am I supposed to find a man whose name I don't even know?