Ethan's POV“Eth… come here… don't keep me waiting.” Sophia’s voice was a soft whisper as I stepped out of the bathroom, still damp from the hot shower. She sat on the edge of our bed in that silk slip that always drove me crazy, her long dark hair falling over one shoulder. The dim golden lights painted her elegant features with a warmth I hadn’t seen in months, causing me unexplained pleasurable feelings.Five years of marriage, and tonight—on the eve of our anniversary—she was finally looking at me like I mattered again.I crossed the room in two strides, pulling her into my arms before she could say anything else. “Sophi,” I murmured against her hair, breathing in her soft peony and vanilla scent. “You sure you want this?”“Shhh...” Her fingers traced my bare chest, warm against my skin. “It’s our anniversary eve. For once, forget the company, forget my family… just be with me. The way we used to.” In a blur of motion, her lips found mine, tentative at first, then hungry. She

Ethan's POV Frosting smashed into my face with a wet, humiliating slap. The sweet cake exploded across my eyes, nose, and mouth, chunks sliding down my cheap suit. Laughter erupted from every corner of the ballroom. Cameras flashed like fireworks, while I stood frozen for a second, the cold cream dripping onto my shirt as the crowd roared with amusement.Victoria’s cruel laugh rang out loudest of all. “That’s what you get, parasite! A taste of the nothing you are!”I slowly wiped the frosting from my eyes with the back of my hand. The world came back into focus through my sticky lashes. Sophia sat there at the front table, face pale, staring at me with lips parted like she wanted to speak, but no words came. She finally lowered her gaze to the floor instead. The same silence that had hurt me for five years.My chest tightened as I felt something break inside me. Not anger at first, but disappointment so deep it felt like pain. I had stood by her, protected her, loved her, and endu

Sophia’s POVThe black limousine disappeared down the driveway, its red tail lights fading into the night. I stood there frozen, my red gown suddenly feeling too tight, too heavy. My mind drifted to the ring… our ring, Ethan had placed on the table, a small silver symbol of everything we had just lost.Then the whispers started.“Did you see how they treated him?” a woman in a silver dress said loudly enough for me to hear. “Smashing cake in his face? Demanding divorce like he was trash?”Her friend laughed bitterly. “And now he turns out to be the heir to Blackstone Global? The Carters are finished. No one will do business with them after this humiliation.”I gulped painfully. Jason stood beside me, still pale and muttering useless words. “Sophia, it’ll be fine. We can fix this.”But I couldn’t stay there. The stares, the judgment, the pitying looks from people who had laughed at Ethan just minutes ago was too much. I turned and ran.My heels clicked loudly on the marble as I rushe

Ethan’s POVJason paced nervously, while Sophia sat quietly on a bench farther back, looking exhausted in a simple elegant dress, her eyes red, obviously from crying.I started walking toward the exit, not wanting them to notice me. My head was lowered, my hands shoved deep into my pockets as I slipped through. Thankfully, no one stopped me. None of the Carters seemed to notice my departure, and I wasn't in the mood to exchange another word with any of them.I was just a few steps from the exit when someone suddenly collided with my shoulder."Sorry!" she blurted out, stumbling a step as the files in her arms and the small bag hanging from her shoulder nearly slipped from her grasp.I reached out instinctively and caught her arm, steadying her before she could fall."Ethan?" she gasped, looking up at me.I looked at her, and my heart skipped a beat as recognition struck. Those warm brown eyes, that familiar face—She hadn't changed much."Ethan?" she whispered, disbelief and excitement