Chapter 1

Sophia’s POV

I descended the marble staircase, my bare feet making barely a sound against the cool stone. The soft red silk of my nightdress skimmed my thighs and clung to my curves with every step.

Evan looked up. His light-brown eyes found mine almost immediately, and the moment they did, they stayed there.

I caught the faintest curve of his lips as I approached. His gaze traveled over me before returning to my face, and for a second, he seemed to forget whatever he had been doing.

I smiled. When I reached him, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to each of his cheeks.

“Good morning, babe.”

His smile deepened. “Morning.”

I pulled out the chair across from him and settled into it, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. The familiar smell of coffee and toasted bread filled the room, wrapping around me in the quiet comfort of our usual morning routine.

I reached for a slice of bread and spread margarine over it. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. I took a bite, chewing slowly as my eyes remained on him.

Then I frowned. He was dressed in a sharply tailored black suit. My gaze traveled from the neat knot of his tie to the crisp lines of his jacket before settling on his face.

“Why…” I swallowed the bite in my mouth. “Why are you dressed for work?”

Evan glanced down at himself as though he had forgotten what he was wearing. “Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Babe, I didn’t want to wake you. I just got an emergency email from the office this morning. I need to get everything sorted.”

I lowered the bread. “Did somebody die at work?” His eyebrows shot up. “Or get into an accident?”

“No, nothing like…”

“Then why are you rushing out this morning?” I cut in, my voice rising despite my effort to keep it steady. “You promised me you’d take a break and spend time with me.” 

Evan’s expression changed. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes searching my face. “Babe, it’s that contract.”

I sighed and looked away.

He continued. “You know how important it is and how far I’ve come with it,” he continued. “One mistake now could jeopardize everything, so I need to be there. I promise you…”

I raised my palm. “Enough with the promises!”

He fell silent. My fingers curled tightly around the edge of the table. “Contract this, contract that!” My voice trembled. “Babe, we’re in the third year of our marriage, and you still don’t want us to have children. All you ever talk about is work!”

I felt the familiar ache in my chest as the words left my mouth. “It’s not like taking a break is going to make us poor and suffer!”

“Sophia…”

“Don’t Sophia me.”

He exhaled heavily and dragged a hand through his brown, wavy hair. “Babe, you know I’ve been telling you how big this contract is and how important it is to me.”

I stared at him, waiting.

His shoulders sagged. “I promise you, after this, our children will come. I want to have enough time to spend with you…” His voice softened. “And with them.”

He pushed his chair back and stood. Then he took a hesitant step toward me.“Please.” His voice cracked slightly. “Can you be patient with me just this once?”

I stared at him. For a moment, the anger inside me fought against the softness creeping into my chest.

Evan was a billionaire business tycoon, known for the architectural empire that dotted skylines around the world. His charm and dashing looks had made him every girl’s dream in California, long before I became his wife. Now, while he remained untouchable, all eyes were on me. Every post I made was dissected. Every outfit scrutinized. Every photograph analyzed by hordes of fans searching for a reason I wasn’t worthy of being Evan Parker’s wife.

And yet, none of them knew what it was like to sit across from him and beg for something as simple as his time.

I drew in a slow breath. “Fine.”

His shoulders relaxed.

“After all, I married a workaholic.” I forced a humorless smile. “How foolish of me to think I could change you.”

“Thank you.”

Before I could respond, he bent down and pressed a quick kiss against my cheek. Then he was gone.

I watched him stride through the front door and disappear toward his car. A few seconds later, the engine roared to life.

I remained seated, staring blankly at the untouched bread in my hand. The sound of the car gradually faded into the distance. Only then did I look down.

My palm drifted slowly to my stomach. I rubbed my belly, my lips pressing into a thin line.

“I’m surprised Mum hasn’t pressured me for grandkids yet.” A small, bitter chuckle escaped me.

Then, a ping sound broke the moment. My phone vibrated against the table. I picked it up to see a message from an unknown number.

My smile disappeared as I opened it.

‘You barren witch! Why don’t you move aside and let a real woman take care of him… Oh! Wait, I’m on my way to fill that vacancy. You just wait a little. Sanya.’

My breath caught. I read it once, then again. My fingers slowly tightened around the phone. My eyes widened.

I’d received plenty of online hate before. Comments calling me names. Strangers questioning why Evan had married me. Women telling me I wasn’t beautiful enough, sophisticated enough, or worthy enough to stand beside him.

But never this. Never a direct message. And then there was the name, Sanya. My throat tightened. That was the name my grandmother used to call me when I was a child.

A name I had never shared publicly. Not on my social media. Not in interviews. Nowhere since my grandmother died.

My hands went cold. “How…”

The word barely left my lips. My mind raced through every possibility, but none made sense. Who sent it?. How did she know that name? And what did she mean by I’m on my way?

My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I tried to formulate a response. Before I could type a single word, my phone rang.

My secretary called and i answered immediately.

“Hello?”

Her voice came through beneath a chaotic mixture of raised voices and hurried footsteps. “Ma’am, there’s a lady here insisting on seeing you. She refuses to calm down.”

I straightened in my chair. “See me personally for what?”

My brows pulled together. 

Before my secretary could answer, a woman’s furious voice exploded through the phone. “Mrs. Parker!”

I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear.

“If you still value your business, you’d better come down here now because I’m not leaving without a fight!”

I blinked.

“I’ll drag you online if I have to! If you’re not ready for business, then shut it down! I mean, your husband is a billionaire anyway!”

Her rant continued, each word louder than the last. I closed my eyes briefly and pinched the bridge of my nose.

I drew in a slow breath, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Make sure she doesn’t leave. I’ll be there right away.”

I ended the call. My gaze immediately returned to the message. I stared at it. The words seemed to burn themselves into my mind.

I swallowed hard before locking my phone. Whatever this was, I couldn’t let a single text send me into a panic.

I headed upstairs to shower. But even beneath the hot water, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong and something was coming. And somehow, I suspected it had everything to do with Evan.

By the time I got into my car and pulled out of the driveway, my thoughts had become a tangled mess. Evan had rushed back to work because of an emergency. A stranger had sent me a message threatening to take my husband. And now a furious customer was waiting for me at the plaza.

I tightened my grip around the steering wheel. Of everything that had happened that morning, it was the message that unsettled me most.

An uneasy knot settled in my chest as I pulled into the plaza.