CHAPTER FOUR

DIVORCE?

Daniel couldn't believe what he just heard.

Those were the last words he expected to hear from Sophia.

He glanced at the papers in his hands, and sure enough, they were divorce documents and Sophia's resignation letter.

He shot Sophia a sharp look and demanded, “Are you throwing a fit over what happened earlier today? Is that why you've brought these papers to me?”

Sophia shook her head and answered, “That's not the reason. I've wanted to end this marriage for a long time. Now that Ivy has returned, you're free to be with the woman you love.”

Daniel let out a scornful laugh. He ripped the documents into two, leaving Sophia gasping in disbelief.

“Why would you do that? You don't love me, so why won't you grant me a divorce?” she shouted.

Even she could hear the desperation in her voice. Her heart throbbed painfully as it raced inside her chest.

The truth was that throughout their three years of marriage, Daniel had never loved her. He had never confided in her or shown her any genuine affection.

Sophia was deeply in love with him, which was why she had agreed to marry him, believing that if she remained devoted to him and loved him without conditions, he would eventually learn to love her too.

Sadly... three years had gone by, yet Daniel's heart remained frozen. No matter how hard she tried, Sophia couldn't make her husband develop feelings for her.

“Please, Daniel. Let me go so you can find your happiness,” Sophia pleaded quietly, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Absolutely not. Divorce? You want to divorce me?” Daniel scoffed. “After turning my life upside down, you think you can simply wake up one morning and demand a divorce? Keep dreaming, Sophia.”

“Why? Don't you want to be with Williams? Isn't that why you spent the entire night with her yesterday?”

Sophia couldn't hold back her anger as she shouted.

“Ah... so that's what this is about? This is not the time for baseless jealousy, Sophia. Nothing happened between us... Ivy fell ill after her welcome party, so I had to remain at the hospital with her. She was discharged this morning,” Daniel explained.

Sophia balled her hands into fists. “I don't want to hear your explanations. There's no affection between us, so we should put an end to this marriage.”

Daniel stepped closer to Sophia and grabbed her chin. He lifted her face up to look into her eyes,and she declared, “I'll be the one to decide when this marriage will end. Don't ever mention divorce to me again. Do you understand?”

“The woman you love is back, and it's obvious you'll never fall for me, so why keep postponing what is bound to happen?” Sophia asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Her chest throbbed with pain.

She felt as though an iron fist was crushing her heart.

Daniel did not love her, yet he refused to let her go. She couldn't understand what he truly wanted. He wanted to be with his mistress, didn't he? Wasn't that why he rushed to her side the moment she came back?

Daniel's expression softened when he noticed the tears slipping down Sophia's face. He gently held her cheeks and brushed the tears away with his thumbs before saying, “Neither of us is getting a divorce. Grandpa loves you very well. Let's not upset him with such trivial matters.”

Sophia was about to respond when a strong, unpleasant fragrance suddenly drifted from Daniel's suit. It was a woman's perfume, and she suspected it belonged to his mistress.

The scent made her stomach churn, and the thought of the woman it belonged to only made things worse. Sophia gagged and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

She pulled away from Daniel and hurried into the kitchen, which was the closest place she could reach.

At that moment, Daniel knitted his brows. He followed her and found her bent over the sink, vomiting uncontrollably.

“Are you alright?” he asked, moving closer and gathering her hair away from her face as she threw up.

After she finished, she rinsed the sink off.

Her pulse quickened... she wasn't sure whether Daniel had discovered that she was pregnant.

“What's the matter? Why have you suddenly started throwing up?” Daniel asked once more.

“Um... I ate some food that had gone bad earlier,” Sophia lied.

Daniel narrowed his eyes as he studied her.

“You're always cautious about what you eat, Sophia. Is there something you're keeping from me?”

Sophia's heart hammered against her ribs, and her stomach twisted into knots.

Has he figured it out? she wondered silently.

Daniel examined Sophia for a moment. He noticed how pale she looked and thought she seemed to have put on a little weight.

His brows furrowed as he began, “Wait-are you...

Sophia released a quiet breath of relief when Daniel's phone suddenly rang, cutting him off.

Daniel frowned and answered the call. 

"Hey-"

“Mr. Daniel, Miss Ivy is missing!” the caller announced.

Daniel's eyes widened in disbelief. “What? I'm on my way!”

He didn't even look in Sophia's direction before rushing out of the house, his face clouded with worry.

Sophia grinned at herself. And here I was, thinking he refused to divorce me because he had feelings for me. Foolish thinking.

The moment Daniel heard that something happened to Ivy Williams, he rushed out of the mansion as though his life depended on finding her.

Sophia couldn't help wondering whether he would wear the same worried expression if she were the one who was missing.

She walked out of the kitchen and was about to head upstairs to the master bedroom when a sudden, sharp blow struck the back of her head and plunged her into darkness.