5. False Accusations

On the same night of their divorce, the news spread like wildfire throughout the whole of Evermore about the end of the one-year marriage of Sophia Smith to Alexander Carter.

And none of the rumors was a good one, as they all had the same thought. Why would Sophia Smith do that to Alexander when he was the heir of the Carter's Group of Companies, he was bagged with wealth, a brilliant young CEO, and not to mention a lot of ladies were ready to throw themselves at him the moment they got the chance.

Everyone believes the failure of the marriage was Sophia's fault, failing to apprehend the fact that, for marriage to work out, the two parties should be involved wholly, something which Alex had failed.

Sophia had nowhere to go, she was uncertain of what her parents would think of her, and maybe they wouldn't believe her just like Alex, she had completely switched off her phone, not ready to pick up calls from anyone as her mind was in chaos. Despite her uncertainty, she held a glimmer of hope within her as she drove into the gates of her father's estate.

As she walked into the entrance doors of the house, her gaze fell on her parents who were sitting on a sofa in the living room late at night, Sophia swallowed the lump in her throat when she saw the grave and angry look on her father's face, while her mother looked worried.

They both raised their head to look up at her when they heard the footsteps of someone. Before she could utter a word, Mr Smith cut her off.

"You still dare to step into this house after the shame you've brought upon us?" he accuses, standing up from his seat and striding purposefully towards her, heightening the fear that grips Sophia's heart.

Mrs. Smith stands up and attempts to intervene, stretching out her hand to restrain her husband, but the sequence of events unfolds rapidly that Sophia was caught off guard, unable to anticipate her father's intention until it was too late.

His hand is raised with force, and upon impact, a searing jolt of pain shoots through her cheeks and radiates down her body. Sophia's eyes snap shut in response to the intense agony which landed her on the floor, her breath becomes rapid and shallow, a solitary tear escaping from her tightly closed eyes.

Her father, a highly respected and influential judge was a man of unwavering ethics and had always been committed to instilling strong values in his daughter, guiding her on the path of righteousness. Thus, when the news reached him, it struck him with a force he had never anticipated. A complete blow of disappointment and disbelief, which made him deliver a brutal slap without giving her the chance to explain herself.

"I was so engulfed with the thought that I have the most trained daughter that would never disappoint me, my image, and our family. But look what you've done, Sophia. And on top of all this, there are even pictures!" he turned and walked to the table in the center of the living room, returning with a file in his hands.

Mr. Smith brought out the collection of pictures in the file, he tore it into pieces and throws it at Sophia who sat down on the floor, unable to utter a word "Just look at what you've done, Sophia. You have brought complete shame to this family" he spouts, throwing the last piece of the torn picture at her.

"Honey, please calm down, let's hear her out first" Sophia heard her mom trying to convince her raging father. Sharon tries to touch her husband's shoulder to calm him down, but he throws a sharp glare at her.

"Don't you dare touch me, woman! Look at the shame your daughter has brought to us! After we spent years building an image, she uses her dirty actions to disrupt it, and you tell me to calm down?!" His eyes were bulging red and Sharon had to back down, completely aware that when her husband gets furious, then his actions become chaotic.

As Sophia sat down on the cold floor, whimpering at her situation, it pained her deeply that he didn't wait to hear her side of the story, to listen and consider the truth before accepting the words he heard from others.

She realized that more than anything, more than her father's principles, he cared more about his image.

Someone who had always preached fairness and open-mindedness, couldn't extend the same courtesy to his daughter.

"Father..." Sophia stammers in a low voice, her voice quivering as she raises her now tear-stroked eyes up to see her father who was fuming with rage before her.

A lump was stuck in her throat, and she hoped that if she tells her father about her pregnancy, then he might calm down and listen to her, all she needed were the ears to hear her part of the story.

"I'm pregnant. And Alex is the father" Sophia finally reveals, wiping her tears, and fastly reaching out for her bag and bringing out the pregnancy results from it.

The atmosphere turned cold as silence enveloped the room, she hands out the papers to her father and he takes them. Staring blankly at the file, his next actions came as a blow to Sophia who expected otherwise.

"What have you done?!" he says in a low voice. Sophia stands up, with hope in her eyes.

"Alex is the father of my unborn child," she announces again, thinking he might not have heard her well.

"How are you sure he is the one?" Mr. Smith asked.

"We slept in the same..." Before she could complete her words, her father raises his hand again.

"Jesus! Please don't slap her again!" Sophia heard her mother say in a sharp voice, as she quickly came in between them, leading to the slap falling on her face, instead of Sophia's.

Her father's actions caused her heart to pick up a fast beat and she immediately stepped back in surprise. Why would he attempt to slap her again?

"How do you expect us to believe this?! How do you expect us to believe it is Alex's child when you have been unfaithful in your married life!" He roars and tries to reach out for her again, but Sharon stops him as she held her husband tightly, falling to her knees at his front.

"Please spare our daughter. Please," she cried, Sophia's heart breaks into a million pieces as she realized the situation.

Unlike what she had expected, her father didn't believe her. And he wasn't giving her a chance to explain herself, he has blindly believed that she, his daughter, is a liar.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, "I am highly disappointed in you, for the fact that you are determined at sending both your parents to an early grave. I don't want to ever see you again! Get out of my house at this moment!" he ends his word with an order.

"Father..." Sophia stammers, her heart constricting in pain.

"Don't father me! Get out, Now!" his hand is pointed towards the same door she had walked in. Sophia's gaze lowers down to her mother, who was still on the floor, holding back her father, her low whimpers and the continuous shaking of her body made Sophia see through the pain her mother might be feeling, and she had no intention of making matters worse.

It's okay if no one believes her, and she would leave, Sophia squatted down to the floor, picking up her pregnancy result and handbag, before reaching out for her suitcase.

"I'm sorry, Father," she mutters, wiping the tears from her eyes. Believing his daughter was a choice, which her father had failed in and she couldn't blame him.

"Mom," her pain and anguish increase when she calls her mother's name "I'm leaving and I'm sorry." Sophia stammers.

Her mother turns, and seeing the tears in her eyes further ached Sophia's heart "I believe you" Sharon moved her lips as she mouthed.

Sophia gives her a bitter smile before turning around and leaving the house which she had grown up calling her home. A house that no longer belongs to her as her father had severed their ties.

She drives out of the house with resigned faith and an aching heart. Her eyes were bulging red as she drove around the streets of Evermore in the quiet night, her whimpers and painful sobs echoed through the car as she drove aimlessly. She pulls the car to a stop as she reaches the front of a motel. Crying out in a loud voice which died down inside the car.

Her pain, whimpers, and broken heart had shattered her completely.

How did things turn out like this? What was going on? She bit her finger and snuggled her knees to her chest.

Driven out of her husband's house and her father's house, this was her only option left. As Sophia turns on her phone, it rings with a blaring sound as soon as it was switched on. Checking the caller ID, Sophia hesitated to pick up the call.

The caller appeared hopeful to reach her, as he called continuously. On the fifth time, she picked up the phone with trembling hands and brought it to her ear.

"Sophia, I have no idea about what's going on and I can promise you that I don't even know what those pictures were. Please, please, can we talk? Tell me where you are, and I'll come to meet you." Finn's soft but urgent voice says from the other end.

"A motel" she answers

"Which motel?" he asks immediately and Sophia could hear the background noise as he picked up his car keys.

"Do you want to heighten the rumors, Finn? Why would you come to meet me? I can take care of myself and I need to stay alone." Sophia says, on the other end Finn pauses and halts on his steps.

"Staying at a motel isn't a good idea, and everyone is out for you, so someone might recognize you there. How about booking a flight ticket to Kentucky and staying away till the rumors die down?" he suggests.

That appears to be the only choice Sophia had left, so she agreed.

Finn helped her make plans for a place to stay when she leaves the city. As soon as the first rays of sunshine brightened the city, and without having an ounce of rest, Sophia flew out of Evermore after enduring a tumultuous divorce and unjust accusations of infidelity.

With a heavy heart and a growing life within her, she left the city.