The Worthless Son-in-law Is A Billionaire

Chapter 5

Sophia’s POV

The 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 rushed through the ballroom, pushing past guests who parted like I had a disease. 

“Sophia, wait!” someone called, but I didn’t stop. I took the grand stairs two at a time, my vision blurry with tears. By the time I reached the master bedroom, I was sobbing.

I slammed the door behind me and collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in the pillows. 

The scent of Ethan’s soap still lingered faintly from last night. 

Fresh pain ripped through me. “Ethan…” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The door burst open. Victoria stormed in, her sparkling black dress now wrinkled, her perfect makeup smeared. “Sophia! Darling, stop this crying right now. We need to think clearly.”

I sat up quickly, wiping tears from my cheeks. “Think clearly? Mother, you ruined everything! You smashed cake in his face! You humiliated him in front of the whole world and demanded I divorce him! And now he’s gone!”

Victoria waved her hands, trying to look calm. “It was just a little show for the guests. I didn’t know he was… that. How could I? He lived here like a poor janitor for five years!”

“You never gave him a chance!” I shouted, standing up. 

My hands trembled as I pointed at her. “Every day you called him a parasite, worthless, a failure. You made Jason pour water on him this morning! You pushed me to stay silent while you destroyed him. And now he’s the most powerful man in the world, and he wants a divorce because of you!”

Victoria stepped closer, her voice softening into that fake sweet tone she used when she wanted something. “Sophia, my love, you’re overreacting. This is good for us. Think about it… we’re connected to Blackstone Global now. We can fix the Titan Dynamics problem. Ethan will come back. He loves you.”

“Love me?” I laughed through my tears, but it sounded broken. “He pushed my hand away tonight, Mother. He looked at me like I was a stranger. Because I stayed quiet every time you attacked him. I failed him. And it’s all because of you and your obsession with status!”

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. 

Then Victoria’s phone started ringing. Once. Twice. Then nonstop. She pulled it out, her face tightening. “It’s Richard from the board. I have to take this.”

She answered, trying to sound confident. “Hi, Richard.” 

She paused, listening. “Yes darling, yes, it’s true. Ethan is Alexander Black’s son.” 

She shook her head…”No, no we had no idea… Yes, the news is spreading fast, but we can spin this positively for Carter Technologies…”

I turned away, fresh tears falling as I grabbed my own phone. My fingers shook as I opened our old chat. The last message from Ethan was from weeks ago—a simple “Goodnight” after another humiliating dinner. I typed quickly, my heart racing.

{Ethan, please. I can’t bear this. Divorce? I don’t want that. None of this was my fault. You hid who you really are for five years. How was I supposed to know? I stayed with you through everything. I love you. Please don’t do this to us.}

I hit send and waited. No reply. The message sat there, unread. I threw the phone on the bed and paced the room, my gown swishing around my legs.

Victoria ended her call and immediately another came in. 

She answered again, two minutes after answering, her voice rose. “Yes, this is Victoria Carter. What do you mean the stock is dropping? It’s just a family misunderstanding… No, we are not losing the company!”

She hung up and looked at me, frustration clear on her face. “See what you’ve done? Running up here crying like a child while the whole world is talking about us. We need to present a united front.”

“United?” I snapped, turning on her. “You caused this! You made me lose my husband. The only man who ever truly loved me, and you treated him like dirt. Now he’s gone, and I’m left with nothing but shame.”

Victoria tried to hug me, but I stepped back. “Sophia, you need to calm down. We will try all we can to fix this. And you need to eat… hold.” She left the room for a few minutes and returned with a tray—soup, bread, and tea. “Here, darling. Sit and eat. We’ll call him tomorrow. I don't believe he seriously meant to take up the divorce.”

I ignored the tray, sitting on the edge of the bed with my arms wrapped around myself. “I’m not hungry. Just leave me alone.”

She sat beside me anyway, her hand on my shoulder. “Sophia… please eat something ok? We’ll fix this.”

I shrugged her hand off. 

Her phone buzzed again. 

Victoria checked, muttering curses under her breath as another call came in. “This is getting out of control. The news is everywhere already.”

I picked up my phone, hoping. Still no reply from Ethan. My eyes burned with more tears as I typed another message.

{Ethan, please answer me. I know I failed you tonight. I should have spoken up when Mother demanded the divorce. But I was scared. Confused. 

I love you. The real you… the kind, patient man who stayed with me even when I didn’t deserve it. Hiding your identity hurts me too. We could have faced everything together. Please don’t divorce me. I can’t lose you.}

I sent it and stared at the screen, willing those three dots to appear. 

Nothing.

Victoria kept talking, her voice a constant noise in the background. “We’ll apologize publicly. Offer him anything he wants. Jason can work under him. This is our chance to rise higher than ever.”

“Stop it!” I snapped. “This isn’t about rising. This is about me losing the man I love because you couldn’t see past his clothes and his job. Get out, Mother. I need to be alone.”

“Fine… fine, I'll give you some space.”

She backed away, closing the door softly. 

I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying every humiliating moment Ethan had endured. The guest room. The insults. My silence. Guilt twisted in my stomach like a knife.

Minutes turned into an hour. My phone stayed silent.

A soft knock came. Victoria again, with a glass of water.  “Sophia, you’d need water after eating so, I thought to get you.”

I turned my face away. “I said leave me alone.”

She set the glass cup down without another word and walked away.

I stayed frozen, staring at the door long after it closed behind her. My phone lit up on the table, the sudden glow snapping me out of my thoughts. My heart kicked up at the sight of the name.

Ethan.

I opened the message quickly, breath tightening in my chest.

Ethan

{Sophia, I’m not divorcing you.}