Chapter 464

"Sophia, I know you've been wanting to escape Ethan Roscente."

"Seattle is too close. He'll find you eventually."

"My parents own an estate in Switzerland. It's safe there."

"After you leave, I'll quit my job and come for you."

"We can start over, have a beautiful baby together..."

The messages popped up one after another, then vanished just as quickly.

Only one remained: "Sorry, drunk rambling. But the offer stands."

Followed by a flirty heart emoji.

Ethan's knuckles turned white. The phone screen cracked under his grip, spiderwebbing across the glass. Shadows carved deep lines across his sharp features as dangerous currents swirled in his eyes.

The bathroom door opened. Sophia stepped out, towel-drying her damp hair.

Her white shirt barely skimmed her thighs. Droplets trailed down her slender neck. When she saw the phone in Ethan's hand, her pupils shrank.

"Have you lost your mind?" She lunged for it.

He caught her wrist, squeezing hard enough to make her wince. "Guilty conscience?" His voice was glacial.

Sophia struggled uselessly, eyes burning with fury. "Who gave you the right to go through my phone?"

"Your husband did." He slammed her against the wall, breath hot against her ear. "Sebastian's proposal sounds tempting?"

Her collar gaped open during the struggle, revealing a fading love bite on her collarbone. Ethan's gaze darkened. He dragged his thumb roughly over the mark.

"What proposal?" Sophia gasped at the sting. "What are you talking about?"

With a cold laugh, he shoved the phone in her face. Only the retraction notices and that glaring heart remained.

Sophia froze. "What did Sebastian send?"

"Playing dumb?" He gripped her chin. "Quite the elaborate elopement plan."

Realization dawned. She trembled with rage. "You think I'm involved with Sebastian? Ethan, what kind of twisted fantasy is this?"

"Evidence." He released her, yanking open a drawer to fling photos across the floor. Shots of her with Sebastian in the lab—some angles suspiciously intimate.

Her breath hitched. "You had me followed?"

"How else would I uncover your lies?" His glare was venomous. "You're cut off from him starting tomorrow."

"You're insane!" She hurled a pillow at him. "He's just a colleague!"

Ethan caught it effortlessly, advancing like a predator. "Colleagues don't plan runaway schemes? Don't fantasize about having your children?"

"I never—" She stumbled back onto the bed.

He caged her in, shirt buttons straining. "Then prove it."

Outside, thunder shattered the night as the storm unleashed its fury.