CHAPTER 5

Before the door could fully swing open, adrenaline surged through my veins. I quickly dropped the heavy handles of the suitcases right in front of the door and bolted down the corridor, ducking into a dark corner just out of sight. My heart hammered against my ribs as I prayed Sophia hadn't heard me breathing.

The door finally opened.

"So this useless Anna left my boxes right here on the floor?" Sophia spat, her voice dripping with irritation. A second later, the door slammed shut with a loud, echoing bang.

I let out a shaky breath, slipped out of the hallway, and practically ran downstairs to the empty living room.

I couldn't shake the nagging voice in my head. Sophia is up to something. She hadn't just come here to steal my husband; she had a hidden agenda for stepping into this house. The terrifying part was that I couldn't even warn Dominic. He was so blinded by her pregnancy that he wouldn't listen to a single word out of my mouth. My only option was to catch Sophia in the act and uncover her real intentions right in front of him.

I sank onto the living room couch, restlessly biting my fingernails. It was a nervous habit I always fell back on whenever I felt cornered and terrified.

Suddenly, the sharp click of heels began descending the staircase. It was Sophia. I froze as she strutted into the living room, looking down at me like I was nothing more than a piece of trash.

"Don't tell me you're just sitting there when you haven't even brought the rest of my bags upstairs," she sneered, crossing her arms. "Am I not talking to you? Stand up and get to work!"

Anxious to avoid another dramatic blowout, I quickly stood up and picked up her remaining suitcase. Sophia rolled her eyes dramatically and turned toward the front door. I noticed she was fully dressed up.

"Where are you going, Sophia?" I asked, trying to sound casual as I looked her over.

"How is that any of your damn business?" she shouted angrily, turning on her heel to glare at me. "You better keep your nose out of my affairs and stick to doing your chores for the next two months!"

"I'm only asking for your own safety," I replied smoothly, forcing my voice to remain calm. "You know you're carrying Dominic's child. You shouldn't be stressing yourself."

I tried my best not to arouse any suspicion, but my intuition was screaming. Sophia wasn't just going out for a casual drive; she was going to meet her accomplice. If I followed her, I might finally get the answers I desperately needed.

"That's my own problem to worry about, loser," she snapped, dismissively turning away. But before she opened the door, she paused and looked back over her shoulder. "And don't forget to pack all your pathetic belongings out of Dominic’s bedroom before I get back."

I swallowed the lump of humiliation in my throat and simply nodded.

The moment she stepped outside, I hauled her remaining box upstairs, dropped it blindly in the hallway, and sprinted back downstairs.

I rushed out the front door. Sophia’s car was already pulling out of the driveway. Heart pounding, I waited a few seconds to keep a safe distance, then jumped into my own car and drove out after her. Wherever she was going, she was leading me straight to the truth.

I kept a few cars between us, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly. After a few minutes' drive, Sophia pulled up and stopped right in front of a luxury hotel.

I quickly parked a short distance away, keeping my engine idling as I watched her step out of her car. My eyes were glued to her every move.

Suddenly, a man dressed in a dark hoodie and a thick face mask emerged from the shadows and walked right up to her. Before my brain could even begin to process his height or features, a loud, aggressive blare of a car horn shattered the air right behind me.

"Excuse me! Park properly, I need to drive in!" a lady shouted angrily from the car blocked behind me.

Oh, fuck. In my panic to follow Sophia, I had completely stopped in the middle of the driveway.

"I'm so sorry!" I called out, my voice trembling.

I quickly shifted into gear, pulled the car into a proper parking space, and turned off the ignition. The entire process took less than thirty seconds, but when I whipped my head back around to look at the spot where Sophia and the masked man had been standing... they were gone.

The sidewalk was completely empty.

No, no, no! I can't lose them now!

Panic flared in my chest. I threw my car door open, scrambled out, and ran straight over to Sophia's parked car. It was locked and empty. They had vanished into thin air.

The realization hit me: they must have gone inside. I turned around, walked through the heavy glass doors of the hotel, and marched straight up to the reception desk, my breathing ragged.

"Please," I gasped out, leaning against the counter. "I need to know the room number of a lady who just walked in a minute ago. Her name is Sophia Adam."

The receptionist looked up from her computer screen, her expression professional but completely guarded. "Is she expecting you, ma'am?"

"Uh... not really," I stammered.

Frustration and anxiety boiled over inside me, and I ran my hands through my hair in despair. I was so close. I could feel the truth right at my fingertips, just steps away in one of these rooms.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you following me?" a cold, mocking voice purred from directly behind me.

The blood froze in my veins.

I slowly turned around, my breath catching in my throat.