“Are you really sure you’re going to do this, Carl?” Sophia asked anxiously.She had been restless inside the safe house for hours, ever since she learned what he was planning.All she wanted was freedom—from Richard—but through legal means.But for Carl, that kind of freedom was impossible. Especially when the man she was married to came from an influential family.Worse—he was a senator.“I don’t have a choice, Sophia. I need to do this so you can finally be free from him,” Carl explained.He was preparing the guns he planned to bring. Not that he truly needed them.He could overpower Richard anytime if he wanted to take him down. But he was a soldier—he had principles.Sophia let out a long breath. She knew stopping Carl now was impossible.Because, painfully, he was right.If they let the law take its course, it would be like waiting for a crow to turn white.“Fine,” she said softly. “Just… just be careful, Carl. Come back to me.”Carl tucked the gun into his waistband and walked

Sophia tried to act calm.Richard was gone, yet she still felt as though unseen eyes were watching her every move.She attempted to attend Richard’s burial, but the guards refused to let her in. It wasn’t that she wanted to be there. All she wanted was to fulfill her role as his wife—at least one last time.More than that, she wanted to observe.She wanted to see what this family would do next.Instead of the Lights, only her husband’s lawyer came forward to meet her.“Mrs. Light,” he said formally, “I am here to read your husband’s last will.”He hesitated before adding, “His family strongly opposed this. But for legal purposes, I am still required to read it to you.”Sophia let out a slow breath.“If his family doesn’t want it read,” she replied coolly, “why bother telling me? It’s not as if they’ll accept your ‘legal purposes’ excuse anyway.”The lawyer cleared his throat.“I understand your frustration, Mrs. Light. But I still have to proceed.”He opened his briefcase and took out

Sophia woke up to the relentless ringing of her cellphone.Still half-asleep, she groggily reached for it on the bedside table and answered without even checking the caller ID.“What?” she asked lazily, her voice rough with sleep.“Ms. Carson! You need to come here immediately!”Sophia instinctively pulled the phone slightly away from her ear.Her brows knitted tighter as she glanced at the screen.Lea. Jasmine’s secretary.“Lea? What is it?” she asked again.Her irritation doubled when she noticed the time—five in the morning.“Make sure this is worth it,” she added sharply. “You just woke me up.”“I’m sorry, Miss Carson, but this is important,” Lea said, clearly shaken. “You need to come to the site right now.”Sophia’s sleepiness vanished in an instant.“What’s happening there?” she asked, already sitting up.“There are people here again. They said they’re from the NDA.”Sophia froze.The NDA—short for the National Development Authority. The very government agency that had granted

“W-What? Why?!”Sophia turned to her grandfather.“This house is yours, Grandpa. Why would the bank take this from you?”Samuel let out a heavy breath and slowly shook his head.“I don’t know, Granddaughter. I have no idea.”Sophia clenched her fists. She looked at the people inside the mansion, already removing documents and sealing boxes.“Hey! Stop that!” Sophia shouted. “You can’t just take our things!”They paused for a moment. But after recognizing her, they simply resumed what they were doing. A man then stepped forward.“Ms. Carson?” he said.He pulled out a business card and handed it to her.“I’m Jimuel, head of the court enforcement officers. I manage the team currently confiscating your assets.”Sophia rolled her eyes.“Yes—and why are you even doing this? This is illegal!”The man shook his head calmly.“No, Ms. Carson. Everything here is legal.”He pulled out a document.“Mr. Eric Light has requested the seizure of his property.”Sophia’s mouth fell open. She read the pa

Sophia’s grip tightened around the steering wheel as she stared at the mansion looming in front of her.Her car had been parked there for a while now. So had her doubts. She had been sitting there, weighing her options, wondering if she truly had the courage to go through with what she was about to do.This was the mansion she had sworn never to return to—not even in her dreams.“I need to do this,” Sophia whispered.If she wanted to take everything back, she had no choice but to face them.She needed to face Eric Light again. To confront him. Once more.“I can do this,” she told herself, forcing strength into her voice.She started the engine. When she reached the gate, a guard immediately stepped in front of her car. But the moment he recognized who was driving, he quickly signaled the others to open the gate.The drive along the driveway felt endless.Still, Sophia refused to give in to the anxiety twisting inside her chest.She was forced to stop briefly when her phone rang. Frown