Chapter 4: Everything Falls Apart
861 Words
Sophia barely slept.
The hard hospital chair left her back aching, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan and Olivia together.
By sunrise, she felt exhausted.
Her father was still asleep when she quietly left his hospital room.
She needed fresh air.
She needed coffee.
Most importantly, she needed to figure out how she was going to save her family.
As she stepped outside the hospital, her phone rang.
The caller ID displayed her manager’s name.
A knot formed in her stomach.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Sophia.”
His tone sounded strange.
Cold.
Professional.
Not at all like the friendly manager she had worked for during the past three years.
“How’s your father?” he asked.
“Not good.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
There was a pause.
Then came the words that changed everything.
“We need to talk about your position.”
Sophia stopped walking.
“What do you mean?”
Another pause.
The silence itself felt dangerous.
“The board held an emergency meeting this morning.”
Her heart sank.
“What happened?”
“The wedding scandal has gone viral.”
Sophia felt sick.
“What does that have to do with my job?”
“Clients are calling.”
Her grip tightened on the phone.
“People are talking.”
The words felt like punches.
“We’re an architectural firm. Reputation matters.”
Sophia stared at the busy street.
Surely this couldn’t be happening.
Not after everything else.
“We’ve decided to terminate your employment.”
For several seconds, she couldn’t speak.
She thought she had heard wrong.
“I’m fired?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Sophia laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because it was the only thing keeping her from crying.
“You’re firing me because my fiancé cheated on me?”
“It isn’t personal.”
“It feels very personal.”
Her manager sighed.
“The decision is final.”
The call ended.
Just like that.
Three years of hard work.
Gone.
Sophia lowered the phone slowly.
The city moved around her as normal.
Cars drove past.
People hurried to work.
The world continued.
Yet hers had stopped.
First Ethan.
Then Olivia.
Then her father’s illness.
Now her job.
She felt as though someone was stripping away every part of her life one piece at a time.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time it was a news notification.
Curious, she opened it.
The headline made her stomach twist.
BRIDE DUMPED ON WEDDING DAY AFTER CATCHING GROOM WITH HER SISTER
Below the headline was a photograph.
Her photograph.
The comments were even worse.
Thousands of strangers discussing her life.
Judging her.
Laughing at her.
Sophia immediately turned off the screen.
Tears filled her eyes.
For the first time since the wedding, she allowed herself to cry.
Not quietly.
Not politely.
She cried because she was tired.
Because she was scared.
Because she had no idea what to do next.
⸻
Several hours later, Sophia sat beside her father’s hospital bed.
The surgery estimate lay folded in her bag.
Unpaid.
Impossible.
Her father opened his eyes.
“You should be home.”
Sophia forced a smile.
“I’ll go later.”
He studied her face.
“You’ve been crying.”
She looked away.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
His voice was weak but firm.
“Sophia.”
That single word nearly broke her.
Her father reached for her hand.
“You always try to carry everything yourself.”
Tears returned instantly.
“I don’t know what to do.”
The confession slipped out before she could stop it.
Her father squeezed her fingers.
“You’ll find a way.”
Sophia wished she had his confidence.
Because she felt completely lost.
⸻
That evening, she returned to her apartment.
The silence felt overwhelming.
No fiancé.
No wedding plans.
No future.
Just empty rooms.
She placed her handbag on the kitchen table.
Something slid out.
A black business card.
Alexander Blackwood.
His private number.
Sophia stared at it.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The card remained there.
Waiting.
Almost mocking her.
She knew calling him was a terrible idea.
She knew marrying a stranger was insane.
But what choice did she have?
Her father needed surgery.
She had no job.
No savings.
No one willing to help.
Her hand slowly reached for her phone.
She entered the number.
Then stopped.
Her finger hovered over the call button.
One press.
That was all it would take.
One press.
And her life would change forever.
Sophia closed her eyes.
Then she pressed Call.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Then a deep familiar voice answered.
“Good evening, Sophia.”
Her eyes widened.
He sounded unsurprised.
As if he had been expecting her call.
As if he’d been waiting.
“I need to see you,” she whispered.
A long silence followed.
Then Alexander said four words that sent a shiver down her spine.
“My driver is outside.”
End of Chapter 4
Next Chapter: Sophia discovers Alexander has been expecting her all along, and the billionaire reveals the true conditions of his marriage proposal.
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