In that moment, only one person stood staring into the distance, completely lost, unable to snap out of it. Conrad… he really had someone he loved?
“Ms. Clements, would you like to get out of the car?” the driver asked gently.
Sophie had been parked outside Hawthorne Hall for a while now. She’d stayed in the car, buried in work. She planned to handle every annoying detail before she walked inside. She wanted to show up at tonight’s dinner looking composed, not distracted by ringing phones or unfinished business. She hadn’t expected to look up after the fireworks and see what was happening on the third floor.
Her heart froze. She saw Conrad… getting down on one knee, proposing to another woman. Who was she? How could Sophie have missed even a hint of this? Conrad had proposed to someone else, and she hadn’t seen it coming at all. When the entire scene played out, Sophie’s face went ghostly pale. Pain pressed tight in her chest.
She loved Conrad. She had loved him, quietly and hopelessly, for years. Did he really not know? Was he truly that heartless? He had Korey to hand her an invitation, just so she’d have to see this with her own eyes.
Everyone in the family knew, even if she was called his cousin, she wasn’t related by blood to the Clements family. It was no secret that, before her uncle’s accident, she and Conrad had been so close… How did things change overnight, with him now treating her like she was poison?
She remembered the last time in the parking garage, when she knew his aunt had set him up, drugging him. She’d rushed over, thinking maybe it was finally her chance, maybe something could happen between them. But Conrad had chosen to smash both their cars and destroy her dignity, just to escape.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “Conrad, was this on purpose? Are you just trying to make me jealous, push me to fight for you one last time? Is this all some twisted game to you? What do you want from me?”
Tears streamed down Sophie’s cheeks. Fury and heartbreak tangled inside her, almost drowning her thoughts. She needed to see for herself what kind of woman he’d picked to spite her.
“Fine, I’m gonna get out.” Her voice was sharp with anger as she shoved open the car door. She stepped out, every eye drawn to her in that black mermaid gown that clung to her like a second skin. Even the guards by the entrance couldn’t help sneaking a look.
Head held high, Sophie marched toward the bright, bustling banquet hall, every step radiating heat and defiance.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Divorced and Pregnant My New Life with a Billionaire Drives My Ex Crazy