Chapter 2

Sophia’s POV

I sat in the dimly lit bathroom, staring at the pregnancy test in my hands. My vision blurred from the tears I was trying to hold back. Ethan was cheating without any remorse whatsoever and now, the woman he was with was now carrying his child.

I felt like such a fool for being so excited to see him earlier. I had come home to a marriage on the verge of a breakup.

I stripped and got into the large bathtub. The water was cold, but I barely noticed as I scrubbed my skin raw. I needed to rid myself of the filth and humiliation I had come through. No amount of washing could erase the fact that Ethan had never loved me.

I wouldn’t cry in front of him. If he thought that I was still blind, I was going to play along and use it to my advantage.

I finished bathing and came out to see that Ethan was out of the bedroom already. He was half-naked, covered in kiss marks and scratches. The woman followed him, just as bare, wearing the silk robe I had left on my vanity before I left for Germany.

I froze, forcing my face to remain blank.

Ethan smirked and approached me. "Sophia, you should change. The banquet is tonight." His voice was smooth, patronizing, as if I were a doll he could dress up for show.

The banquet. His grand birthday celebration.

He leaned in to peck me but I pulled away just in time and then asked softly, "Ethan, when are we announcing our engagement?"

His expression flickered. Just for a second. He hadn’t expected the question.

"I'm not ready yet," he lied, but I had already seen the truth—he had no intention of making our engagement public. Not now. Not ever.

I swallowed my disappointment and nodded. "I understand."

He ruffled my hair like I was some obedient pet before striding away, his mistress quietly sizing me up before she joined him.

***

The hall was grand, decorated in gold and white, filled with the city's elite. He had managed to outdo himself this year though it was the first time in three years that I wasn't happy attending it.

Ethan kept his distance, while his mistress(whose name I learned was Celeste), now in my emerald dress and diamond necklace, clung to his arm like she belonged there. My blood boiled as I watched them. That necklace had been a gift from my mother.

But I didn’t react.

Not when she made sly comments about my 'helplessness.' Not when she laughed about how "generous" Ethan was. I simply smiled.

That seemed to frustrate her.

Finally, unable to contain her excitement, she stepped forward and, with feigned innocence, announced, "I have something to share."

Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t stop her.

I already knew what was coming.

"I'm pregnant for Ethan," she declared, placing a delicate hand on her stomach. There was gasps across the room then applause broke out as everyone looked admiringly at the both of them. 

I took the opportunity to walk over to Ethan who was looking furiously at Celeste. Fortunately, our engagement had been secret so no one looked at me with pity. “We should break off the engagement.”

Ethan’s head snapped toward me, his eyes narrowing. "What?"

I tilted my head, pretending to think. "Well, we were never officially engaged. No one knew. So it shouldn’t be an issue, right?"

His fingers curled into fists and I could see the surprise in his eyes. He hadn’t expected me to surrender so easily.

“You don't believe her now, do you? She's lying” He said and I scoffed inwardly at his pitiful attempt to manipulate me. It was clear that I now had the upper hand and he was trying to salvage the situation.

“You are insulting my intelligence and I don't want to argue with you.”

He opened his mouth to give a comeback but just then, the grand doors of the hall opened and a figure stepped inside.

The air shifted and necks craned to see the newcomer. Whispers broke out but we were positioned a bit far from the door so it was some time before we could see him. I wondered who could cause this sort of reaction from the crowd but when he came into view, I understood their reaction.

It was Nikolai Volkov.

He moved slowly with an air of quiet authority as his piercing ice-blue eyes scanned the room with a detached boredom, as if everything around him was beneath his notice. 

The faintest shadow of stubble framed his jaw, and his jet-black hair, styled in a casual yet intentional mess, made him look all the more dangerously attractive.

Very little was known about him other than the fact that he was a ruthless billionaire that liked to play in his league and didn't socialise much. It made me wonder what he was doing here. Though Ethan was rich, he was a small fry compared to him and looking at his face, I could see that he was just as surprised to see him as I was.

The crowd parted instinctively as he strode forward. Even Ethan stiffened beside me, his confidence faltering.

Celeste, sensing the loss of attention, clicked her tongue and smirked. “It’s getting rather dull, don’t you think? Can't a pregnant woman get some fun nowadays,” she said loudly. Then, with feigned amusement, she turned to me. “Sophia, darling, why don’t you dance for us? We could use some entertainment.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Ethan, still seething, latched onto the idea. “That’s a brilliant idea,” he mused, a cruel smile playing on his lips, then he leaned in and whispered. “Since you enjoy playing the obedient fiancée, why not put on a show?”

My throat tightened as I felt my last shred of dignity crumbling. I knew that he was trying to put me in my place for his own amusement. The fact that he was doing it at the request of Celeste was what hurt me.

At that moment, a deep, smooth voice spoke up behind me. “I don’t mind dancing a duet. Shall we?”

I turned just in time to see Nikolai stepping closer. His gaze locked onto mine and he smiled encouragingly as he stretched out a hand waiting for my reaction.

I could see Celeste’s smirk vanish from her face and Ethan’s white knuckles as he gripped his wine glass tightly.

I hesitated as I felt the eyes of everyone in the room on me but then I placed my hand in his, letting him pull me onto the dance floor.

The music resumed, soft and slow. To his credit, he was patient with me as it took me some time to get my bearings on the dance floor as it had been a long time since I had danced. 

“I'm sorry,” I said for the fifth time after stepping on his foot. He waved my apologies away with one hand while his other hand rested against my waist.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” I whispered.

His lips curved slightly. “I do what I want.”

With a graceful spin, he guided me across the floor. I had quickly gotten back my bearings and we were now the center of attention. The audience around us was captivated and they whispered amongst themselves. Ethan’s glare burned into my back, but for the first time, I didn’t care.

My attention was drawn to Nikolai's blue eyes which were now focused on me and I was fighting hard to keep my thoughts pure and ignore what he was making me feel. 

I blocked out the rest of the room and I could see that he did the same thing because we were lost in each other's eyes. As the music reached its final note, he pulled me flush against him and tilted my chin up.

Before I or anyone else could react, he leaned in and kissed me deeply.