CHAPTER ONE.

The blood came first.

Sophie Myers stood frozen, her hands trembling as she stared down at the deep crimson pooling around her feet. The silk of her pale dress clung to her thighs, stained and ruined. She blinked, trying to focus, but the sounds of the party around her, the laughter, the music, and the clinking of champagne glasses—were all drowned out by the thundering of her heart.

No.

Her stomach twisted violently, a sharp pain shooting through her body. She sucked in a breath, barely able to stand. Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the marble table beside her, nails scraping against the surface.

“Edward.” Her voice was small, breaking under the weight of her panic. She found him a few steps away, his back to her, perfectly poised with his colleagues. “Edward, please…”

Her husband turned slowly, a glass of whiskey balanced between his fingers. His expression hardened the moment his gaze met hers, a flicker of irritation at the interruption, as though she were a child tugging at his sleeve.

“What is it, Sophie?” he asked. His voice was low, flat, laced with impatience.

“I’m bleeding,” she whispered, her words trembling on her lips. “Something’s wrong.”

Edward’s brows furrowed, his lips pressing into a thin line as he regarded her for a moment. Then he sighed. A heavy, exasperated sound. “Go to the bathroom. Fix yourself up.”

Her knees buckled. She reached for him, desperate for support, but he stepped back. “Edward—”

“For God’s sake, Sophie, not here.”

It happened all at once.

The sharp, searing pain surged through her abdomen, forcing the air from her lungs. The edges of her vision darkened as her body crumbled, the floor rushing up to meet her. The last thing she saw before everything went black was Edward’s polished shoes stepping out of her way.

♡♡♡

The first thing Sophie noticed when she woke was the cold.

The sterile smell of antiseptic burned her nose, and her body felt unnaturally heavy, pinned to the thin hospital bed. Her head throbbed. She tried to lift her arms, but they felt like lead.

“Mrs. Flynn?”

A nurse hovered beside her, adjusting the IV drip. Her expression was gentle, but her eyes were full of pity. Sophie opened her mouth to speak, but her voice came out hoarse.

“What…” Her throat burned. “What happened?”

The nurse hesitated. “You’ve had a miscarriage, ma’am.”

Miscarriage.

The word cut through Sophie like a blade, it was sharp and merciless. Her hand instinctively touched her stomach, fingers pressing against the flatness beneath the hospital gown.

Gone.

She closed her eyes as tears burned behind her lids. It was all too much, the pain, the emptiness, the silence pressing down on her.

“You’re awake.”

The voice was cold and indifferent. Sophie’s eyes fluttered open. Edward stood at the foot of the bed, dressed impeccably in his tailored suit. He looked out of place in the harsh hospital light, too perfect, too composed.

Her lips parted, but no words came.

Edward’s gaze flickered to the nurse. “Leave us.”

The woman gave Sophie one last glance before slipping out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her. The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

“You didn’t have to come,” Sophie managed, her voice sounding weak.

Edward raised an eyebrow, the faintest trace of amusement in his expression. “Don’t flatter yourself, Sophie. I needed to see you awake.”

She frowned, confusion clouding her features. “Why?”

Edward didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a file. He placed it on the small tray table beside her bed with a dull thud.

“What is that?”

“Divorce papers,” Edward said.

The words hung in the air like smoke, choking her. Sophie stared at the folder, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

“Divorce?” Her voice trembled. “Edward, you can’t be serious. Not… not now.”

Edward’s expression didn’t change. If anything, his gaze grew colder. “I’ve been serious for a while, Sophie. I wanted this before the party, but I waited. Now there’s no reason to delay.”

“No reason?” Her voice cracked, tears pooling in her eyes. “I just lost our child, Edward.”

“And I’m sorry for that,” he replied, though his tone said otherwise. “But this has nothing to do with it. It’s over, Sophie. It’s been over for a long time.”

Sophie stared at him, searching his face for something, regret, sadness, anything. But Edward Flynn was a man carved from stone. The husband she once loved, the man who had once whispered promises into her ear, was nowhere to be found.

“Why now?” she whispered.

Edward sighed, glancing at his watch. “I’m not here to argue. Just sign the papers, Sophie.”

He pushed the file closer to her, the pen resting neatly on top.

Sophie’s hands shook as she reached for it, her body still weak from everything she’d lost. The pain in her chest was unbearable, but not a single tear fell. She wouldn’t cry in front of him. Not now.

Edward watched her, clearly expecting resistance. He was ready for a fight, ready for her to beg, to plead. But she didn’t.

Sophie picked up the pen, steadying her grip.

“What happens to me after this?” she asked softly, not looking at him.

Edward’s voice was cold. “That’s not my concern.”

Her heart splintered, but her face remained blank. Without another word, she pressed the pen to the paper and signed her name, once, then again.

The scratching of the pen against the paper was the only sound in the room. When she finished, she set the pen down and pushed the file back toward him.

Edward blinked, clearly surprised. He hadn’t expected her to let go so easily.

“It’s done,” she said quietly, her voice was empty.

He stared at her for a moment, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. For the briefest of seconds, Sophie thought she saw regret. But it was gone just as quickly.

Edward picked up the file, tucking it neatly under his arm. “I’ll have someone collect the rest of your things from the house.”

He turned and walked toward the door, his polished shoes clicking against the hospital floor. At the threshold, he paused, looking back at her.

“Take care of yourself, Sophie.”

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Sophie alone in the cold, sterile room.

She lay back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling as silence filled the space around her.

She wasn’t Edward Flynn’s wife anymore.

Sophie Myers, the woman who once wore his name was now just another divorcee.

The tears came quietly, trailing down her cheeks, but she didn’t sob. She let them fall until there was nothing left.

And when the tears dried, something else settled deep inside her chest, something cold and unbreakable.

It was over.

But Sophie wasn’t.