All Chapters of Forced to Wear My Sister's Wedding Dress: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Breakfast had barely started when Beatrice's phone buzzed against the table. It was face-down, insistent.She flipped it over out of habit, glanced at the screen, and went very still."Beatrice?" Victor asked, noticing her stillness before anyone else did.She didn't answer. She was already opening the article, her thumb moving fast across the glass screen. The color drained from her face line by line."What is it?" Grandmother Isabella asked, setting down her tea with the careful, unhurried calm of someone who already knew.Beatrice turned the phone around without a word.The headline filled the screen right above a sharp, clear image. It showed Julian's hand closing tightly around Sophie's wrist, while her other hand was pressed flat to his chest. The camera angle twisted a harsh rejection into something it had never been.**JULIAN CASTELLAN'S HOTEL SECRET: THE BROTHER-IN-LAW WHO BETRAYED HIS WIFE WITH HER OWN SISTER.**Nobody at the table moved.Eva reached for her own phone, which

Sophie stood frozen in the middle of her living room. Her phone was still clutched in her trembling hand. She stared at the front door, terrified to move."Sophie Hart," the voice boomed again, firmer this time. "We have a warrant for your arrest. If you do not open this door in sixty seconds, we will force entry. This is your only warning."Her legs barely held her. She crossed the room slowly, each step feeling like it belonged to someone else. She pressed her palm flat against the cold wood before finally turning the lock.The door swung open. Two officers stood there. One was already reaching for the handcuffs at his belt."Sophie Hart?""Yes." Her voice came out small, barely a whisper."You are under arrest for extortion, defamation, and distribution of fabricated media intended to cause reputational and financial harm. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."Tears spilled before she could stop them. "Can I at le

Andrea didn't gasp. She clicked her pen shut, set it on the folder, and looked at Sophie evenly."Miss Hart, let's be clear about how this works. You cannot use a pregnancy to escape these charges. The jail will have you in a medical clinic by morning. They'll run tests. If you're lying to buy time, the prosecutor will use that lie to bury you in front of the judge."Sophie did not blink. She kept her chin high. "Let them run the tests."Andrea studied her for a long moment. She looked for a crack in her face but found nothing. Without another word, she closed the leather folder, stood up, and walked out of the room to phone the Castellan legal team.She pulled out her phone, found the number for the Castellan legal team, and pressed dial. It didn't ring twice before a man picked up."Charles Stone," a voice said on the other end."Charles. This is Andrea Whitfield. I am representing Sophie Hart."There was a short pause. "Ah, the public defender. I assume your client is signing the p

Sophie sat on the edge of her narrow cot. Her hands were clasped so tightly that her knuckles had gone completely white. She watched the hours tick past forty-eight with no word from anyone.She hadn't heard back from Shalom. She hadn't heard from anyone at all. For two days she'd turned the silence over in her mind a hundred different ways, unable to decide whether it meant the message had worked or had simply vanished into the same void every one of her messages had vanished into before.A guard appeared at her cell door a little after ten. "Miss Hart. Your lawyer is here."Andrea Whitfield was already seated when Sophie reached the visitation room. A single sheet of paper sat on the metal table in front of her. Her sharp face gave nothing away."The results is out," Andrea said.Sophie’s heart slammed once, hard against her ribs. She forced her hands to remain perfectly still in her lap. "And?""It is positive."Sophie did not trust her own face enough to risk a reaction. She simpl

The courtroom was smaller than Andrea expected for a case drawing this much press. The gallery was packed to the absolute doors. Reporters crowded the back benches, their notebooks open and fingers flying as the temperature in the room rose."Your Honor," Charles Stone said, rising smoothly. "The state maintains that Miss Hart poses a significant flight risk. She has access to substantial undisclosed funds, no fixed long-term residence, and a documented history of deception in this very case.""Your Honor," Andrea said, rising slowly and smoothing the front of her sharp suit. "My client is not a threat to society. More importantly, she is in the early stages of a high-risk pregnancy. Pretrial detention could pose serious risks to her pregnancy. The stress of confinement and the severe limitations on proper prenatal care are humanitarian concerns the court must consider."Andrea lifted a thin blue folder. "Miss Hart has local family ties and no prior criminal record. We are asking for