Chapters
1116 Words
"How did you…" I started, but Natalie cut me off with a laugh.
"Find out? Please, Sophie. I have eyes everywhere." She pushed off my car and walked closer. "The question is, what are you planning to do about it?"
"That's none of your business."
"Oh, but it is." Her smile turned cruel. "You see, Marcus and I are getting married next month. We're going to have the perfect life, the perfect family. Your little secret could ruin everything."
"It's not a secret. It's my child."
"His child too," she corrected. "Which is why you're going to leave New York. Tonight."
I stared at her in disbelief. "You're insane if you think…"
"I'm being generous," she interrupted. "I'm offering you five million dollars to disappear. Take your baby and start fresh somewhere else. Marcus never has to know."
"You want to buy my silence?"
"I want to buy your absence." She corrected as she pulled out her phone and showed me a bank transfer screen. "Five million, Sophie. That's more than enough to raise a child comfortably."
My hands shook with anger. "My baby isn't for sale."
"Everything has a price." Her eyes narrowed. "Besides, do you really think Marcus wants that baby? He chose me, remember? He threw you away like trash."
Each word cut deep, but I kept my face neutral.
"He has a right to know," I said quietly.
Natalie laughed. "Rights? You want to talk about rights? Fine. Tell him. Watch him accuse you of trying to trap him. Watch him demand a paternity test. Watch him fight you for custody just to hand the baby over to nannies while we live our perfect life."
The parking garage suddenly felt too small, too hot.
"Or," she continued, "take the money. Leave tonight. Save yourself and your baby from all that pain."
"Why?" I asked. "Why go through all this trouble?"
"Because I've waited ten years to get Marcus back. Ten years! I'm not letting anyone, especially not his rebound wife, ruin it for me."
Rebound wife. The words hit harder than a slap.
My phone rang. Marcus's name flashed on the screen.
"Answer it," Natalie challenged. "Tell him. See what happens."
I declined the call.
"Smart girl." She stepped back. "You have until midnight to decide. After that, I tell Marcus myself, and trust me, my version of the story won't be kind to you."
"I need time to think," I said.
"You have twenty-four hours," Natalie replied, standing up. "After that, I go public with the pregnancy, spin it however I want, and destroy what's left of your reputation. Marcus will get full custody, billionaires always do, and you'll never see your child again."
She dropped a business card on the table. "My lawyer's number. Call him when you're ready to be reasonable."
She started to walk away, then turned back. "Oh, and Sophie? That blouse isn't fooling anyone. You should really invest in better maternity wear. Although I suppose after tomorrow, you'll be able to afford it."
She walked away, her heels clicking against the concrete. I stood there, frozen, and confused on what next to do.
I drove, not home, but to the one place I felt safe. My best friend Emma's apartment.
"Sophie!" Emma opened the door, took one look at my face, and pulled me inside. "What happened?"
I told her everything. About the meeting, Marcus, Natalie's threat. Emma listened, her face growing angrier with each word.
"That witch!" she exclaimed. "How dare she?"
"What do I do, Em?"
"You fight back. You tell Marcus the truth."
"And then what? Natalie's right. He'll think I'm trying to trap him. He already hates me."
"He doesn't hate you, Sophie."
"He asked for a divorce two weeks after she came back to town. He definitely hates me."
Emma pulled me into a hug. "What about your father? He could help."
I shook my head. "Dad's company needs this merger. If I cause problems now, it could ruin everything."
"So you're considering taking the money?"
"I don't know!" I pulled away, pacing the small living room. "Maybe it would be better. Start fresh. Raise my baby without all this drama."
"Sophie, you can't let her win."
"She already won. She has Marcus."
My phone buzzed. Another unknown number. I answered it without thinking.
"Sophie Reed?" A man's voice, professional and cold.
"Yes?"
"Mrs. Chen, thank God. There's been an accident. Mr. Chen is at Mount Sinai Hospital. You're still listed as his emergency contact."
The phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering on the floor.
"Sophie?" Emma caught me as my knees buckled. "What is it?"
"Marcus," I whispered. "There was an accident. Marcus was in an accident.”
I don't remember the taxi ride to the hospital. One moment I was in Emma's apartment, the next I was running through the emergency room doors, my coat flying behind me.
The hospital smelled like disinfectant and fear. I ran through the halls, Emma right behind me, until I found the ICU.
"Marcus Chen," I gasped to the nurse. "I'm his... I'm Sophie Reed. I got a call."
"He's in surgery," she said gently. "The doctor will update you soon."
I collapsed into a waiting room chair. Despite everything, I couldn't lose him. Not like this.
"Sophie?"
I looked up to see Marcus's mother, Patricia, rushing toward me. She pulled me into a tight hug.
"Thank God you're here," she whispered. "He was calling your name when they brought him in."
My name? Not Natalie's?
"What happened?" I asked.
"He was driving to your apartment. Too fast, they said. Ran a red light and..." She broke off, tears streaming down her face.
He was coming to see me?
"Where's Natalie?" I asked, noticing her absence.
Patricia's face darkened. "I didn't call her."
Before I could respond, the doctor appeared. "Family of Marcus Chen?"
We stood up together.
"He's stable," the doctor said, and I nearly collapsed with relief. "But he has a severe head injury that's caused some... complications. He's conscious but experiencing significant memory disruption."
"What kind of disruption?" Patricia asked.
"He seems to have lost approximately six months of recent memory. He's quite agitated, keeps asking for his wife.”
Patricia grabbed my hand. "That's you, dear."
"We're divorced," I started to say, but Patricia squeezed my hand hard.
"Not yet," she said firmly. "The papers aren't signed. You're still his wife."
The doctor nodded. "He's agitated. Seeing you might help."
I followed him down the hall, my heart pounding. Marcus lay in the hospital bed,
bandages around his head, machines beeping around him.
His eyes opened when I entered. "Sophie?" His voice was weak but clear.
"I'm here."
- Writer
