All Chapters of BEYOND THE CONTRACT : Chapter 71 - Chapter 77

Sophia barely touched her breakfast that morning. The sun was bright, pouring through the glass walls of the kitchen, but her world felt gray and uncertain. The night before had been long — endless hours of her lying awake, staring at the ceiling, thoughts crashing over each other like restless waves.Julian had already left for the office. The twins were with Emma in the nursery, their soft giggles echoing faintly through the house. Normally, that sound brought her peace. But today, her heart was anything but peaceful.She sat at the dining table, staring at her untouched cup of tea. On her phone screen was the Brooks Industries website she had been scrolling through for the past hour. Every time she saw that name, a strange chill ran through her. Brooks. Her surname.Her mother had always told her that her father had no family — that he’d died alone, leaving nothing behind but memories. So why did this company exist? Why did it carry her name?She whispered under her breath, “It can

The house felt too quiet that evening. The twins were asleep, their soft breathing echoing faintly through the baby monitor. The hum of the refrigerator, the ticking of the wall clock—every sound seemed louder than usual, pressing into Sophia’s chest.She sat by the window, hugging her knees, watching the night lights flicker across the city. Julian had gone to take a late call, his voice calm but distant as always. She didn’t know when things had started to feel this heavy—maybe since the message from Brooks Industries, or maybe even before that, when everything began to fall apart piece by piece.Her thoughts wandered back to the first time she met Julian—the contract, the reasons, the promises. It was supposed to be business. A way for both of them to get what they wanted. But now, it didn’t feel that way anymore. Somewhere between pretending and protecting, she’d fallen for him.And now, she couldn’t stop thinking that maybe she was ruining everything.The phone buzzed on the tabl

Mrs. Cooper sat on the old porch rail, the wood creaking beneath her. Her wrinkled hands twisted together as if she was trying to squeeze the words out.Sophia stood frozen by the gate, the word dead still echoing in her ears.“Mrs. Cooper…” her voice trembled. “What did you just say?”The older woman sighed, a tired sound that seemed to carry the whole weight of the neighborhood. “It’s true, honey. Tina’s gone. It happened two nights ago.”Sophia’s breath caught. “Two nights ago?” she repeated softly. Her eyes blinked rapidly as if she could shake the truth away. “But that’s impossible. I…”.Mrs. Cooper gave a slow nod. “That’s what made it so sudden for everyone. Folks around here still don’t know what really happened. But the word going around…” She paused, glancing toward the dusty road as if someone might overhear them. “They say Alex had something to do with it.”Sophia’s eyes widened. “Alex?”Mrs. Cooper hesitated before meeting her gaze. “Yeah. People say he was the last perso

Sophia barely noticed the way the sun melted into the horizon or how the trees leaned against the fading light. Her mind was too loud — too full of Tina’s voice, Tina’s laughter, Tina’s eyes when she used to dream about the future. Sophia found herself thinking about just the good times with her.She pressed her forehead against the window glass, cold air brushing her skin. How could life turn so fast? Just yesterday, they were both talking about their plans — how Tina would open a beauty shop and name it “Glow by T,” how they’d travel to Italy one day. Sophia could still remember how Tina giggled while trying to pronounce “Ciao” properly. And now she is gone — pregnant and dead.A tear slipped down Sophia’s cheek before she could stop it. She quickly wiped it off, as if hiding her pain from the evening shadows.When the car finally stopped at the gate, she took a long, shaky breath. The house looked calm, too calm. The warm lights glowed from inside, but she didn’t feel comforted. S