All Chapters of MARRIED BY MISTAKE: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

March 15, 2028The pyebaek ceremony was held at James's parents' home in San Francisco.Intimate. Twenty people. Immediate family only.Sophie wore the traditional hanbok—red and gold, beautiful and foreign and perfect.James wore a matching hanbok—deep blue and gold.They looked—right together.The ceremony was in Korean. Sophie didn't understand most of it. But she understood the meaning.Respect. Family. Joining two families into one.Bowing to James's parents. Accepting their blessings. Promising to honor them.Then the jujubes and chestnuts—thrown by James's mother, caught in Sophie's hanbok skirt. Symbolizing future children.Sophie caught seven. Good luck.She asked James in a whisper, "Seven kids?"To see how we feel, let's begin with one.They signed the marriage licence following the customary ceremonies.Official. Real and lawful.Sophie Mercer-Park was born Sophie Elena Mercer.Legally married at twenty-eight years old.The celebration afterward was small. Family dinner. St

September of 2028In September, Chen Designs came to a decision.Sophie reviewed expansion suggestions at a meeting with her board, which included Leon, Jessica, and two independent advisors. Jessica, who was five months pregnant and clearly pregnant, said, "We have three options." The first option is to establish flagship retail locations in significant cities. San Francisco, LA, and New York.Direct-to-consumer."Option two," Leon continued. Partner with established department stores. Expand distribution without capital expenditure for retail space."Option three," one of the advisors said. International expansion. London, Paris, Tokyo. Establish Chen Designs as a global brand."Sophie reviewed the financials for each option.Option one: High capital requirement. Complete control. Higher margins.Option two: Lower risk. Established customer base. But less control.Option three: Massive opportunity. Massive risk.A significant investment is needed. Sophie remarked, "I need time to th

January 2029Sophie was late.Five days late.Her cycle was always twenty-eight days. Predictable.Until now.She resisted the urge to panic as she checked the calendar. Not a pregnancy sign.It could be stress. Travel. London launch. Work chaos.But it could also mean pregnant.She bought three pregnancy tests. Took them all.Negative. Negative. Negative.Relief flooded through her—at first.But as the relief ebbed, something else crept in.Disappointment, sharp and unexpected, pricked at her. It wasn't the outcome—just the finality. She had liked the idea that something new and surprising could still happen to her.Why did she feel let down?She didn't want to be pregnant. She wasn't ready.They'd just talked about kids being someday.But seeing those negative results, she'd felt sad.Like she'd lost something she hadn't known she wanted.James found her sitting on the bathroom floor, surrounded by negative tests."Sophie? What's—oh." He saw the tests."Are you okay?" I'm not expect

July of 2029On a Thursday morning, Sophie took the pregnancy test.Positive.Clear. Undeniable. Real.Unable to believe it, she gazed at it.Pregnant.She was expecting a child.For four months, they had been "trying"—or rather, not preventing. She didn't think it would happen so quickly.But here it was.A baby. Growing inside her. Right now.She called James.He was on a business trip. The meetings in Boston.I am expecting a child.On the other end, there was silence.Then: "You're—what?""Pregnant. I took a test. Positive. Very positive.""Oh my God.Sophie, we're expecting a baby, my goodness."We're expecting a child." Sophie broke down in tears. "I'm terrified."I'm also afraid.But also—excited. We're having a baby."They talked for an hour. About timing. About work. About logistics.Sophie was four weeks along. Due March 2030.She'd be showing during the fall collection launch. Very pregnant during Fashion Week in February. Giving birth right as the spring season started.Perfe

March 15, 2030 - Due DateSophie's due date came and went.No baby."Typical," she muttered at her forty-week appointment."Even my daughter is stubborn." First babies are frequently delayed, according to her physician. "Give it a few more days. If nothing happens by forty-one weeks, we'll induce."Frustrated, Sophie returned home.She'd cleared her schedule. Delegated everything. Prepared.And the baby was—waiting. Taking her time."She's already like you," James teased. "Making her own timeline.refusing to be hurried. This is not amusing. I'm huge.Uncomfortable. Done being pregnant.""I know, love. Soon. She'll come soon."Sophie experienced contractions when she woke up at two in the morning three days later.Real ones. Regular. Intensifying."James.It's time."They hurried over to the hospital. sent the family a text. ready for mayhem.Labour was just as awful as everyone had predicted.Hours of pain. Exhaustion. Sophie cursing James's existence multiple times.She gasped, "I a