Chapter 404

Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a warm glow over the dining table. Sophia Lowell stared blankly at the steaming bowl of chicken soup in front of her.

Even a city as vast as Seattle had no place for an unmarried pregnant woman. She needed to make plans—soon.

"Eat while it's hot." Sophia pushed the bowl of shredded chicken noodles toward Vivian Ashcroft.

Vivian swallowed hard. Her stomach growled with hunger, but she nudged the soup back. "You're the one who's sick. Take care of yourself first."

The kitchen door swung open. Ethan Roscente stepped out, carrying a fresh bowl of soup. He set it gently in front of Sophia.

"You made this?" Vivian's eyes widened, her chopsticks nearly slipping from her fingers. She turned to Sophia. "He let you cook in this condition?"

Ethan didn't even glance up. "The fish congee has astragalus. The soup has angelica root." He lifted a spoonful and blew on it. "Better than medicine."

Vivian eyed the golden broth warily. Since when did the Roscente heir know how to cook? Was it poisoned?

"Sick people need real medicine," she blurted. "What if it turns into pneumonia? You'd need IV drips—" She cut herself off, nearly biting her tongue.

Sophia's chopsticks clattered onto the table.

"I hate needles," Vivian laughed nervously, a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead. "Childhood trauma, right, Soph?"

Ethan placed a piece of fish in Sophia's bowl. "You always took your medicine when you had a cold before."

The dining room fell deathly silent.

Vivian slammed her palm on the table. "Because of what you did last time—" Her face flushed crimson. "You drove her to the hospital! Three days of IVs! She cried at the sight of pills!"

Sophia's ears burned scarlet.

Ethan paused. The memory of Sophia burning with fever last month darkened his gaze.

"Don't eat it if you don't want to." He ladled more congee into a bowl. "Tell me what you'd prefer."

Under the table, Vivian squeezed Sophia's icy fingers. They exchanged a knowing glance.

Sophia lowered her head over the soup, steam blurring her vision. She had to leave—before her pregnancy showed.