The morning light filtered through the gaps in the hotel curtains, casting tiny spots of light on the bed sheets.
When Sophia woke up, there was a warm hand on her waist. Charles's breath gently fell on the back of her neck, with the familiar scent of cedar. This scent brought her back from the edge of losing control last night, but now it made her whole body tense.
She carefully moved Charles's hand away and stood up very quietly, but still woke him up.
Charles rubbed his eyes and sat up, his Adam's apple rolling as he spoke in a low, hoarse voice: "Don't you want to sleep a little longer?" He reached out to pull her, but just as his fingertips touched her sleeves, Sophia avoided them calmly.
"Hasn't your overseas project been completed yet?" Sophia lowered her head to straighten her messy collar, not daring to look him in the eye. "Yesterday was just an accident. You should go back and don't delay your work."
Charles paused, the sleepiness in his eyes instantly faded, and he looked more curious: "Sophia, are you hiding from me?" He remembered her crying and shaking in his arms last night, and the glass of drugged red wine on her. "Did Ethan do something to you? Tell me, I..."
"No!" Sophia suddenly raised her head and interrupted him, her voice trembling. "It's nothing, I just feel unwell. You should go back quickly. Didn't they say they are waiting for your signature?"
She deliberately brought up his work to change the subject.
She couldn't tell Charles that Ethan still had those private photos that could ruin her reputation, and she couldn't bring herself to involve him in this mess.
There are still seven days until the engagement party, and she needs to take care of everything and destroy those photos and videos in these seven days.
Charles stared at her red eyes, was silent for a few seconds, and finally did not ask any more questions.
He got up from the bed, dug out a thermos box and handed it to her: "It contains your favorite millet porridge. I asked the hotel to make it. I will finish my overseas affairs as soon as possible and will be back in a week at most. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. Don't carry it all by yourself."
Sophia took the insulated box, and her fingertips touched his hand, burning it so much that she quickly pulled it back. She lowered her head and hummed, not daring to raise it until she heard the hotel door close. Although the marriage had already been decided, she was still a little unsure how to face Charles when this happened suddenly.
When I returned to the house I shared with Ethan, the light in the entrance hall was still on, the same as when I left it yesterday. Ethan had not come back all night.
Sophia pushed open the door, and in the empty living room, only the ticking of the clock could be heard.
The phone lit up, it was a message from Lillian.
——"Sophia, Ethan slept at my place last night. He knew I was in a bad mood and brought me a gift to comfort me. I really envy you for having such a good boyfriend like Ethan."
The accompanying picture is a blue heart of the ocean gemstone necklace.
It was her birthday, but she only received a ring made of a can pull ring, while her adopted received a necklace worth tens of millions.
I used to think they just had a good relationship as siblings, and I was also nice to my , but it turns out they had been together for a long time.
I am so ridiculous.
Sophia glanced up at the couple's cup on the coffee table. It was a birthday gift from Ethan last year, with a photo of the two of them printed on it. She reached out and picked it up, throwing it straight into the trash can, along with the pillow on the sofa embroidered with their names. As her fingertips brushed against the soft fabric of the pillow, she paused for a second.
She had to find those photos before the engagement party in seven days.
The sound of the door lock turning startled Sophia awake. She sat up from the sofa and saw Ethan walk in. His black suit was stained with an unfamiliar perfume. It was not the gardenia scent she usually wore, but a sweeter rose scent.
"Sophia, why did you come back alone last night?" Ethan walked over and reached out to touch her face, but there was no worry in his eyes, only a subtle scrutiny. "I've been looking for you for a long time, thinking something had happened to you. Aren't these things your most precious? Why did you throw them all away?"
Sophia turned her head away from his hand and said in a calm voice, "If you don't like it, just throw it away. I felt a little uncomfortable last night, so I came back first." She gripped the sofa cover tightly with her fingers, waiting for his next words. She knew he would definitely ask about the wine last night.
Sure enough, Ethan sat down next to her and casually asked, "You didn't finish that glass of red wine last night, did you? Didn't it suit your taste? I wouldn't have poured it for you if I had known." His eyes swept over her face, as if to confirm something, "You didn't feel unwell again afterwards, did you?"
Sophia lowered her eyes, pretending not to hear his probing: "No, maybe I drank too fast, I'll be fine once I calm down."
Ethan stared at her for a few seconds, without asking any more questions, but a hint of an ambiguous smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "I'm glad you're okay. By the way, you didn't have a good birthday party. When I'm done with this, we can make up for it and open a few more bottles of red wine to celebrate properly."
The word "celebration" pierced Sophia's heart like a needle. She knew he was planning his next attack—he hadn't found any evidence of her cheating and wanted to try again.
Sophia clenched her palms, her nails digging into her flesh, but she forced a stiff smile on her face: "Okay, we'll talk about it later."
Ethan nodded with satisfaction, stood up and walked into the bedroom, leaving Sophia sitting alone on the sofa. Looking at the sky gradually brightening outside the window, he felt cold all over.
Seven days, she had to act. If she didn’t find that USB drive holding her photos, then once the engagement banquet arrived, she would be ruined.
