Rising from the ash

Chapter 1: The AnniversarySophia hummed a soft tune as she parked her car in the driveway, her hand instinctively going to her swollen belly. She looked over at the bags of groceries and gifts that lined the passenger seat. Today was her and Ryan's fifth wedding anniversary, and despite the growing discomfort of the pregnancy, she wanted everything to be perfect.The sweet fragrance of fresh flowers filled the air as Sophia stepped inside their cozy home, struggling to balance the bags. She placed them on the counter and admired the small setup she had planned: a bouquet of white roses, Ryan's favorite cake, and a heartfelt handwritten card she had poured her soul into.She rubbed her belly gently. "Your dad's going to love this," she whispered, smiling.But in that instant, her calm was broken at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. Ryan literally stormed into the kitchen, his face twisted with rage. He had a photo clutched in his hands, and his knuckles were white from the gri

Chapter 3: AGONYSophia froze, her heart sinking as she recognized Ryan's voice. She turned slowly, her tear-streaked face looking up at him."Ryan," she began, her voice shaking. "He's your son."Ryan's face twisted in rage as he threw forged paternity results at her feet. "Don't you dare lie to me, Sophia!" he yelled. "Lana showed me the proof. You're disgusting. Carrying another man's child and pretending it's mine?"Before Sophia could utter a word, Lana stepped forward, her expression perfectly masked with pity. "I never thought you'd stoop this low, Sophia," she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy.Grief became fury in an instant. "I know you did this, Lana!" she screamed, rising from her seat. "You forged those results. You're trying to destroy my life!"Lana scoffed, moving closer to Ryan. "Ryan, you see how delusional she is? She's trying to blame me for her mistakes."Ryan stared up at Sophia with boiling anger. "Enough of your lies, Sophia! You disgust me!"Before

Chapter 5"From the way this is quite much, I am sure the story behind it must be equally as much also, so begin talking, my sweet cousin," Sophia said immediately as they stepped away from their grandmother into the kitchen.It wasn't much, aside from it being a tardy compartment; it was just a separate room as cooking had to be done somewhere else to avoid any sort of fire outbreak. Still, they managed to make it work, just like they managed to do with everything. The kitchen had two gas stoves and some pots. It was all they needed, and they were satisfied with it."So come on now, cousin, start talking," Sophia pressed Justine further."Why are you in such a hurry to let me tell you everything? At least let us light up the stove first and begin cooking," Justine said to her, being hesitant.Sophia hurriedly grabbed the lighter, set the stove along with a pot and water, then turned to her cousin. "Now spill the beans.""Alright, tiger, you might want to slow down and reserve the ene

Chapter 7"Come on in!" a voice said softly from within.Sophia opened the door and stepped in. She found a pretty-looking lady whose face seemed to light up immediately upon seeing her sitting across the room. The lady looked like someone in her early forties. She had blonde hair styled into a bob and was wearing medicated glasses.Sophia guessed it had something to do with age.The table in front of the woman was covered with piles of files and books. Being a professor in this institution came with a lot of work."Good morning, Professor," Sophia greeted softly as she entered. "My name is—""Your name is Sophia Sullivan. Yes, I know. I am the one who invited you over, and I have also been expecting you," the woman interrupted Sophia without looking up from the pile of books on her table."I am sorry I kept you waiting, ma'am. I had—""It's okay, dear," the professor finally lifted her head from the table to face Sophia, interrupting her once more. "Come on, dear, have a seat."The w

Chapter 9 She didn’t see the need to push this further; she just wanted both of them out of her office.Reaching into her drawer, she pulled out a form and handed it over to Ryan without saying a word."Umm, sorry, what am I supposed to do with this?" Ryan asked, seemingly confused.The professor, in her head, was about to cook up the nastiest response to such a dumb question from Ryan."Well, you can read, can't you?" Eleanor interrupted, saving Helena from her misery. "It clearly states there that you should indicate the course you are willing to study.""Oh!" Ryan exclaimed as he looked down at the form handed to him and began filling it out, slightly embarrassed that he looked illiterate in front of these two women."You do know what you intend on studying, don’t you?" the professor added, further embarrassing Ryan."Yes, I do," he blurted out. "I intend on studying something related to business, just like my father, so I will be able to take over his business someday."The pr