For years, Sophia Lark has been married to Lucas Anderson but their marriage is a sham. On the outside, they appear like a perfect couple but behind closed doors, their union is a prison to her. Suffocated by Lucas’s cruelty and indifference, Sophia had spent years fading into the background and enduring his coldness.Everything changes when Lucas’s company is taken over by a new CEO—Julian Gray who is known for his ruthless business mind. Julian and Sophia cross paths during a charity gala. Unlike her husband, his gaze lingers, seeing through the mask she’s forced to wear. She can’t deny the sizzling attraction between them.With his quiet confidence, Julian challenges Lucas for Sophia’s affection. He offers her a glimpse of something she thought was lost—desire, freedom, and a chance to be seen. But stepping into Julian’s world of wealth and influence comes with risks. He’s got secrets of his own and a toxic supermodel ex who is hellbent on winning him back.Then there’s Lucas too, who refuses to let her go without a fight. Sophia finds herself trapped between two powerful men. She must decide if she’s willing to risk everything for a chance at escape—or if she’s only trading one cage for another.
View MoreSophia's POV
The sight in front of me causes tears to prick from the corner of eyes. My entire body shivers in horror as I gaze at a lady dressed in a red skimpy skirt sitting on the laps of my husband, Lucas while making googly faces at him.My heart shatters into pieces the same way the food box in my hand falls to the floor and shatters, spilling the content on the tiled floor and attracting the attention of the both of them to me.Just a few seconds ago, Lucas was smiling excitedly at the lady but the moment he noticed my presence, his smile disappeared."Sophia." Lucas calls out my name and jerks off the chair. He rushes towards me with a confused look plastered on his face whereas the lady just stands by the corner of the office, adjusting the hems of her skirt. "What are you doing here?" Lucas raises a brow at me. "Lu-Lu..." I stutter, I try to construct my sentence perfectly but I am too shocked to even call out my husband's name perfectly. I gulp a lump down my throat as a frown grows on Lucas' face. "I asked you a question! I said what are you doing here?" He growls angrily. My entire body shivers in fear at the harshness of his tone. I should be the one to be angry, I just caught him cheating on me on our fifth year marriage anniversary! "How can you ask me that?" I feel anger fuel in me. I scoff and wipe the tears off my eyes. "How can you ask me that Lucas? Do you not remember our anniversary at all?" I yell at him."So what?" Lucas yells back. "I warned you never to visit me at the office." Lucas did warn me never to visit him at the office, was this the reason why? Because he did not want me to find out that he is cheating on me? "I came to give you lunch like a normal wife would do to her husband.." I trail off shaking my head in disdain. "But what do I get in return?" I raise a brow at him. "A cheating and lying husband!" I yell angrily, my voice echoes loudly, very loud enough to attract the attention of other people at the company. "Sophia, you are causing a scene here, I need to leave my office this moment." Lucas says through gritted teeth. I ignore him and walk towards the lady, she looks so fearless and confident, nonchalant too."You home wrecker. Do you enjoy wrecking people's home?" I yell at her, pausing to run a hand through my hair in frustration. I feel my whole world slowly collapsing, my entire heart breaks knowing that all the memories I shared with Lucas in the past means nothing to him. "I do not understand what you are talking about Ma'am but this is clearly a misunderstanding " the lady says in a defensive tone. I roll my eyes at her and fight back the urge to pull her by the ear and spit in her face."You must think I am stupid, did I not see you sitting on husband's laps and making cute faces at him?" I snap at her. Lucas on the other hand paces the room and tells me in a low yet cold tone. "Leave the office now that I am asking nicely Sophia."I ignore him and avert my attention back to the lady, regardless of the fact that I know the consequences of my actions will come back to bite me in the ass."For the last time Ma'am, this is clearly some sort of misunderstanding. I am only Mr Lucas' secretary." She says eyeing me with what looks like disgust. "A secretary that sits on his laps? Wow, what a new discovery." I choke out a bitter laughter. Surprisingly this lady does not hold back. She pours out what she has been holding back all these while, revealing her true colors. "I do not appreciate the manner you use to address me. I have told you I am nothing more than a mere secretary. If you and your husband have issues then fix it! Do not involve me in your paranoid marriage!" I gasp at her sudden outburst. Without wasting anymore time, I raise my hand to slap her in the face but surprisingly, Lucas grabs me by the wrist causing my hands to hang in the air. "WE ARE GOING HOME THIS MOMENT!" Lucas pulls me by the wrist, dragging me out of his office like I am some sort of intruder. The people around his office whisper harsh words about me to themselves which is all Lucas' fault because he has just stylishly taken his secretary's side by dragging me out of the office, making me appear as a paranoid wife.Lucas and I arrive home and I begin to regret my actions when he throws me on the floor. Lucas yells at me and accuses me of embarrassing him. He promises to make me suffer for the consequences which he later ends up fulfilling his promise. Lucas locks me in our store room for two days and feeds me only bread and water.This is not the first time such is happening and unfortunately it will not be the last. He eventually releases me in the morning and that same day, he arrives home from work as late as 11pm, drunk and wasted.He messed up the entire living room and I am left to tend to it with tears in my eyes. I help him lay in bed and just as i slowly begin to doubt myself, maybe I misunderstood things between him and his secretary, a text pops on the screen of Lucas' phone."Thanks for making it up to me tonight. I had fun with you baby and I hope you divorce your wife soon, she's a paranoid loser."At that moment, I suddenly realize that my marriage with Lucas is absolutely nothing but a mere prison, one that I don't think I can ever escape.
Julian’s POVThe creak from the hallway sends a jolt through me, my instincts kicking into overdrive. Sophia’s trembling in my arms, her wide hazel eyes locked on mine, reflecting the same dread that’s clawing at my chest. The photo on her phone,her silhouette in my car, the chilling message burns in my mind. Someone’s watching us, and they’re close. Too close. I pull her tighter against me, my hand cupping the back of her neck, trying to anchor her to me, to this moment, even as the world threatens to unravel.“Stay here,” I whisper, my voice low and steady despite the storm brewing inside me. I ease her onto the couch, her bare skin still flushed from our earlier intensity, and grab my discarded shirt, pulling it on as I move toward the door. My pulse hammers, but I keep my movements deliberate, controlled. Whoever’s out there, they’re not getting past me. Not to her. Not to our child.The safehouse is supposed to be untraceable off the grid, known only to me and a handful of truste
Sophia’s POVThe safehouse is a sleek, modern penthouse tucked away in a quiet corner of Manhattan, its floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of the city skyline. The lights of New York twinkle like stars against the night, but inside, the air is thick with tension and unspoken desire. Julian closes the door behind us, the soft click echoing in the dimly lit space. My heart pounds not just from the fear of Lucas’s text, but from the way Julian’s presence fills the room, commanding and electric.He turns to me, his piercing blue eyes catching the faint glow of the city lights. “You’re safe here,” he says, his voice low, almost a growl. “No one knows about this place. Not Lucas, not your family.”I nod, but my body is trembling, caught between the terror of being discovered and the pull of something far more dangerous Julian. He steps closer, and I can feel the heat radiating from him, his tailored suit hugging his broad shoulders and lean frame. The memory of our night
Sophia’s POVThe air in the house feels heavier now, as if the walls themselves are closing in. Lucas’s paranoia has turned our home into a gilded cage,cameras at every corner, security guards lingering like silent sentinels. I clutch my phone, the screen dim, hiding Julian’s latest message: “Meet me tonight. We need to plan.” My thumb hovers over the reply button, but fear paralyzes me. What if Lucas finds out? What if he sees through my lies?The pregnancy test result burns in my mind, a secret that could unravel everything. I’m carrying Julian’s child, and every day I hide it feels like a betrayal not just to Lucas, but to myself. I want to tell Julian everything, to lean into his strength, but the risk is too great. Lucas’s temper has grown erratic since Julian took over as CEO. He’s not just controlling now; he’s dangerous.I hear the front door slam, and my heart lurches. Lucas storms into the living room, his gray eyes glinting with suspicion. “Where were you today?” he demands
Sophia’s POVThe stick drops from my hand and clatters onto the tiled floor, the sound echoing in my ears like a siren. I stare at it, frozen in place, my chest rising and falling rapidly. Two pink lines. Bold. Unforgiving. Undeniable.Pregnant.And I already know… Lucas isn’t the father.I sit slowly on the edge of the bed, gripping the bedsheet with trembling hands. My whole world spins like a cruel joke. How did it get to this? How did I allow myself to fall this far? The memories crash in quickly: the charity gala, the clumsy fall, the soft kiss, Julian’s comforting arms, the alcohol, the vulnerability. And the truth.One night. One mistake. One moment of weakness… and now this.My hands instinctively press against my flat stomach. There’s a life growing inside of me. A heartbeat. A future. I feel the first tear slip down my cheek.What have I done?I barely sleep that night. My body tosses, turns, coils in fear and guilt. By morning, I feel like a shell of myself. My phone vibrat
Sophia's POV"Hello? Who is this?" I press my phone close to my ears while taking out time to arrange Lucas' clothes carefully into his wardrobe."Julian Gray." The familiar deep voice replies. His voice sends chills down my spine causing the clothes in my hands to fall right to the floor. I gulp a lump down my throat as my heart begins to race extremely fast. I suddenly recall the night of the charity gala, the night I had sex with Julian.I mutter a cuss under my breath as I recall how one kiss with him had led to sex between us, worse of it all is that the next morning, I woke up in his room, on his bed. I had successfully sneaked out of his mansion and i thought I had gotten rid of him."Sophia, are you still there?" Something about the way he calls my name flutters my heart. I hastily snap out of my thoughts and respond in a cold tone. "How did you get my number?" I snap at him.I hear him laugh over the phone. "I have my ways but that does not matter, does it?" I imagine him raising
Julian's POVThe shuffling noises coming from the room cause me to slowly flutter my eyes open, I watch her fidget, her entire body shivers and her face is disorientated.I can not help but pretend to be asleep while I watch her hastily change into her clothes and pack up her things. She gazes at me and I immediately shut my eyes close, pretending to be fast asleep. I hear her sigh in relief, she jerks off the bed and scurries out of my room. Once I hear her slam the door, I snap my eyes open and sit upright. The memories of last night slowly flood in my head, last night is a night that I would love to relieve over and over again. From the way she poured out her feelings to me, to the soft passionate kiss we shared, to having her by my side. Every single action from last night makes my heart flutter.That woman deserves better, she deserves someone better than that stupid man. My eyes dart to the wall clock, I gaze at the time and realize I am a few minutes late for work, just as I was
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