Chapter 158

The hospital corridor stretched endlessly before Sophia, each step heavier than the last.

Her hands trembled as she clutched Liam’s medical report.

The words blurred—congenital heart defect, urgent surgery, high risk.

She pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a sob.

Liam was just a child.

Her child.

Ethan Blackwood’s voice cut through the sterile air. “We need to talk.”

Sophia turned, her vision swimming.

His jaw was set, his dark eyes unreadable.

She hated how he could still make her pulse race, even now.

“Not here,” she whispered.

The waiting room was empty, save for the hum of the vending machine.

Ethan leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “The surgery’s scheduled for tomorrow.”

Sophia’s breath hitched. “I know.”

“You’re not signing those papers.”

Her spine stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” His voice was low, dangerous. “I won’t let you gamble with his life.”

She laughed, the sound brittle. “You think I want this?”

His gaze flickered. “Then why insist on that surgeon?”

“Because he’s the best!”

“Or because he’s Daniel’s friend?”

The accusation hung between them.

Sophia’s nails dug into her palms. “This isn’t about Daniel.”

Ethan pushed off the wall, closing the distance between them. “Then prove it.”

Her heart hammered.

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed.

A message from Daniel: We need to talk. It’s urgent.

Ethan’s eyes dropped to the screen.

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“Go ahead,” he said coldly. “Answer it.”

Sophia swallowed hard.

The choice was clear—stay and fight, or walk away.

Again.

Outside, rain began to fall.

Inside, the storm was just beginning.

The second my parents appeared at my doorstep, I knew they'd seen that cursed article.

Scarlett had forwarded me the link moments after I arrived home. It infuriated me beyond measure. I wasn't ready for the world to know, yet those damn paparazzi had splashed it across every corner of the internet.

I wasn't concerned about strangers' reactions. My only fear was how Mom and Dad would take it. I hadn’t found the right moment to tell them about my pregnancy. And everything was infinitely more complicated because Daniel still refused to speak to them.

The article had mysteriously vanished just before my parents arrived. I had a strong hunch Ethan Blackwood was behind it.

Just thinking his name ignited a fury inside me. I shoved aside the memory of what happened in the changing room and focused on my parents, who were watching me with unspoken questions in their eyes.

"You saw the article, didn't you?" I asked, though the answer was obvious.

The house was eerily quiet, mostly because Liam wasn’t home from school yet.

"Yes," Dad answered, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

Mom's voice was soft, laced with hurt. "Sophia, we may not have spent as much time together as we'd like, but... why didn’t you tell us? A baby is a blessing. I thought we were past the point where you felt you couldn’t confide in us."

Her pain cut through me. They had been nothing but incredible parents—the kind I'd always dreamed of having. How could I explain that I wanted to tell them, but the words just wouldn’t come?

"You have to believe me—I tried to tell you so many times. I just... didn’t know how," I whispered, staring at my trembling hands.

Dad frowned. "Why would it be hard to tell us?" He was searching for a reason, but none of this made sense to him.

"Because of who the father is."

Mom inhaled sharply. "You mean Ethan isn’t the father?"

Why did everyone assume Ethan was the one who got me pregnant? We'd been divorced, for heaven's sake.

I shook my head, still avoiding their eyes. Back then, I hadn’t known the truth. But the fact remained—I’d slept with my adopted brother. And it was even worse because Daniel had known everything and still went through with it.

"Sophia, we would never judge you," Mom said gently, sensing my hesitation. "Whoever the father is, it doesn’t matter."

"Even if the father is Daniel?" The words tumbled out, raw and shaky.

It still felt like a sin. Daniel and I weren’t blood-related, but in every way that mattered, he was their son.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Both of them stared at me, stunned. Their lips parted, but no words came out.

Damn it. I knew this was a mistake. What if they hated me? What if they disowned Daniel? I exhaled slowly. But I couldn’t keep this secret forever.

"D-Daniel is the father?" Mom stammered, tears welling in her eyes.

"Yes," I admitted. "I didn’t know he was my adopted brother when we got involved."

"But he knew!" Dad roared, surging to his feet. His face was flushed with fury. "Is this why he’s avoiding us? I never thought he’d sink this low—seducing you when he damn well knew you were our daughter!"

I flinched. I’d never heard Dad swear before.

"He didn’t seduce me," I said firmly, my cheeks inexplicably warming. "I entered the relationship willingly."

Sure, if I’d known the truth, I never would have touched him. But he hadn’t manipulated me. Everything between us had been consensual.

"He deceived you, Sophia," Mom said quietly. "Your father’s right. Daniel knew the truth, and you didn’t. He took advantage of that. What he did was wrong."

"I know," I whispered, my stomach twisting. "And when I think about it, I feel sick. He won’t be in prison forever, and I did offer him the chance to know his child. But how do I explain this to our baby? How do I tell them their father is your son? Adopted or not, Daniel is still family."