CHAPTER FOUR

Sunlight streamed over the ivory bedsheets like melted honey, its golden glow soft against the cool air inside the Hudson mansion.

Declan stirred, shifting closer until his arms found Sophia.

He pulled her into his embrace, one arm resting around her waist as she moved her hands around his neck. The closeness between them felt like something they had finally earned. No more rushed encounters in hotel rooms. No more secretive phone calls. Tessa was out of their lives.

“Good morning, Mrs. Hudson,” he whispered into her ear.

They had secretly married two years earlier in a private ceremony overseas, followed by a peaceful honeymoon in the USA.

Legally, Declan was still married to Tessa. He had postponed, delayed, and avoided completing the final legal formalities for too long. Now, with Sophia pregnant with his child, he no longer cared about what people might think. The private vows they had exchanged were enough for him. The rest of the world could find out whenever it wanted.

“Good morning, Declan,” Sophia replied, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his bare chest.

“Did you sleep well?”

Their fingers intertwined naturally, without a second thought. His free hand moved lower, resting on the slight curve of her stomach. It wasn’t very noticeable yet, but it was enough to remind him of the child growing inside her. The thought stirred something deep inside him. She was giving him the family he had always dreamed of.

“I did,” she replied. “Having you beside me brings me so much joy. It’s nothing like when you still had to return home to that barren woman.”

The bitterness in her voice made him smile against her skin.

“She’s gone,” he said. “It’s just the two of us now.”

He kissed her again, more passionately this time. She responded with a quiet moan, drawing him closer. His hand moved up to cup her breast, his thumb gently grazing her nipple until she arched toward him. For a long hour, the rest of the world didn’t matter.

His phone began ringing on the nightstand, but neither of them noticed it.

The screen lit up with the contact name MOM, followed by a row of heart emojis.

Iris Hudson called again, her jaw clenched. She had seen the pictures Sophia posted the previous night, including a short video of Sophia kissing Declan with the caption, We are back together legally.

Declan was still married to Tessa. How could this be legal? Her son couldn’t just abandon the woman who had helped keep him grounded.

Iris had witnessed the transformation herself. Before Tessa came along, Declan had behaved like a spoiled boy who never thought he would have to face the consequences of his actions.

Drinking. Parties. Careless spending.

Somehow, Tessa had taught him to care about things beyond his own enjoyment. Sophia had never been able to do that. Declan had once been crazy about Sophia, but the real change in him had only begun after Tessa came into his life.

When he didn’t pick up, Iris placed the phone down and called her driver.

“Please get the car. I’m going to see my son.”

She had meetings lined up, but she would cancel every one of them.

In the bedroom, Declan finally pulled away with a low groan, still trying to catch his breath.

“Your phone,” Sophia murmured.

He looked at the screen. “Mom.”

Sophia smiled slightly. She had always known Iris despised her. By now, the video must have reached her.

Declan pulled Sophia back against his chest while returning the call. Her fingers wandered over his skin, drawing idle patterns as a private smile rested on her lips.

“It’s too late now, Iris,” she whispered against him. “He’s mine. Nothing you say can change that.”

Richard’s Apartment

Tessa slowly opened her eyes.

Soft sheets. An unfamiliar ceiling. Warmth.

For a moment, she remained still, trying to figure out where she was. Then her eyes settled on the man standing beside the bed.

Steel-grey eyes. Dark hair. A neatly trimmed beard. A black shirt stretched across a strong frame.

There was something familiar about him.

“You…” Her voice came out hoarse.

His expression immediately softened. “You remember me?”

Memories returned in fragments. Five years earlier, before she married Declan, her closest friend, Jarvis, had accused this man of rape.

She had him arrested.

Tessa had never believed the accusation. She collected the evidence herself, including Jarvis’s recorded confession, and used it to help clear the man’s name. He thanked her, promised to repay her kindness someday, and then left the city.

The previous night, he had seen her standing in the rain and brought her here without asking any questions.

“I do,” she murmured.

He carefully sat down on the edge of the bed.

When she attempted to sit up, he adjusted the pillows behind her.

“What happened to you?” he asked. His question carried both concern and the curiosity he had kept to himself since bringing her inside.

Tessa felt her throat tighten. “It’s a long story.”

He gently wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of his hand.

“I have time. You can tell me.”

She narrated everything to him, including her pregnancy.

She told him about the moment she realized Declan had never truly chosen her and how she had gradually come to understand that she had only been convenient to him while his heart still belonged to her sister.

Richard listened without saying a word. When she finished, he held her hand.

“Can I say something, Tessa?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Your world may have turned against you, but I’m here for you and your baby.”

His words struck her deeply. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She leaned against his chest, and he held her close until she finished crying, remaining calm and silent throughout.

When she finally pulled away, her eyes were red.

“Tessa,” he said gently, “I know the child isn’t mine biologically, but I would like to be the father. I want to be there for both of you, if you’ll allow me.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “You would do that?”

“You once risked your friendship to save me. Let me stand by you this time.”

She studied his face and saw no pity in his eyes, only determination.

“I don’t want you to do this just because you feel indebted to me.”

“That’s not why I’m doing it.” His voice remained calm. “I’m doing it because you deserve someone who will protect you. You deserve better than being thrown away.”

“We hardly know each other.”

“You don’t need to make a decision today. Just give it some thought.”

He began to stand, giving her space, but she caught him by the wrist.

“Richard, please don’t leave. Stay.”

He sat back down, and she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. The betrayal had left her heart aching, but for the first time in a while, she felt she was no longer alone.

A phone vibrated in his pocket.

He pulled it out and handed it to her. It was her phone. An unknown number had sent her a message. With one tap, she opened it and saw a picture.

It loaded within seconds. The sight hurt even more.

Declan stood in a formal suit. Beside him was Sophia, dressed in a pink lace gown. Beneath the photograph was a single line of text:

You were just a practice run. I’m the real wife.

Tessa’s entire body stiffened. A strangled sound escaped her throat.

Richard noticed immediately. “Tessa?”

With trembling hands, she turned the phone toward him.

His gaze moved from the picture to the caption.

“What the heck?”

“He married her,” she murmured.

Then she raised her voice, clutching his shirt as she cried, “He married her, Richard. My husband just married my twin sister.”

The phone buzzed again. Declan’s name appeared on the screen. Richard answered before Tessa could pick it up.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“Who the heck are you?” Declan barked through the speaker.

“Her new beginning,” Richard shot back. “So stay away, and don’t you dare call this number again!”