Chapter 1Is there anything worse than catching your husband cheating?
Yes, there is—hiring a divorce lawyer who turns out to be your ex-boyfriend.
Amazing!
---
At Manhattan's Stellar Law Firm, Sophia Reed sat in the conference room with her Hermès Himalaya Birkin beside her, exhaustion written across her delicate features.
She never imagined that after just one year of marriage, she'd be filing for divorce.
While she was lost in thought, the conference room door swung open, and a tall figure entered.
"Sorry I'm late," the man said, his voice cool and detached.
"Ms. Reed, I'm Ethan James, your divorce attorney for this case."
Sophia looked up at the distinguished man in his impeccable suit standing before her, feeling as if lightning had struck her.
How was this happening? Her highly-paid divorce lawyer was her ex-boyfriend? This soap opera twist had actually become her reality?
Sophia tightened her grip, struggling to maintain her composure. "Hello."
Ethan reviewed the file in front of him. "Two months ago, you caught your husband, Nathan Wade, cheating and recorded video evidence."
"You now suspect he's transferring assets and want him to leave the marriage with nothing. Is there anything else you'd like to add, Ms. Reed?"
His clinical tone felt like ice water being thrown over Sophia's head.
A bitter feeling rose in her chest, though her expression remained unchanged. She shook her head. "No."
Ethan placed the materials on the table and looked at Sophia with a purely professional demeanor.
"The secretly recorded video won't stand as evidence, but it supports grounds for divorce. However, obtaining the financial settlement you're seeking will be difficult."
Sophia frowned. "I researched this. The party at serious fault can leave a marriage with nothing."
Nathan wasn't just cheating—he was now trying to hide assets and leave her with nothing. She wasn't about to let that happen.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and gave her a cold look.
"You were also at fault once. Why didn't you leave with nothing then?"
All words died in Sophia's throat.
She and Ethan had once been everyone's dream couple. They were even planning to get married the day before they broke up.
But the night before their breakup, Ethan hadn't come home, sending only a photo of her holding hands with another man while visiting a coastal town, along with the message:
[We're done. I despise people who can't be faithful.]
Sophia wasn't one to beg. After calling Ethan 18 times with no answer, she had packed all her belongings and disappeared from his life without a trace.
Sophia looked straight at Ethan and spoke directly.
"Mr. James, we're discussing my divorce petition right now. Please keep your personal feelings out of this."
Ethan's expression instantly turned cold. His lips tightened as he returned his attention to the file.
"Think about whether you have anything else that might work in your favor. As things stand, taking this to court would be pointless."
Sophia hesitated for two seconds before asking, "Would my pregnancy count?"
Ethan's gaze sharpened as he frowned at her.
"Spousal infidelity during pregnancy gives you absolute advantage in court. You wouldn't even need a lawyer."
His expression was frigid, as if questioning why she was wasting everyone's time.
Sophia felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny and closed her eyes briefly in embarrassment.
"But I don't know if it's Nathan's."
The conference room became as silent as a tomb.
One second... two seconds...
Ethan suddenly laughed coldly: "You really haven't changed at all, have you?"
Sophia lowered her gaze, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her.
Ethan had always been sharp-tongued, and becoming a lawyer had only made it worse. He'd practically said "once a cheater, always a cheater" without mincing words.
His mocking gaze made Sophia's scalp tingle with discomfort.
Fortunately, Ethan didn't continue his verbal assault and instead asked, "Does your husband know about the pregnancy?"
Sophia shook her head again. "I haven't told him yet."
A sudden clap of thunder sounded outside, making Sophia flinch involuntarily, her face instantly paling.
Ethan waited for her to regain her composure before speaking slowly.
"Given that this fact could significantly impact the final outcome, I advise you to maintain complete silence about it."
His gaze lingered on her abdomen for a few seconds before he stood up.
"If you don't have any other evidence, we'll conclude for today. Feel free to provide any additional details later."
Sophia exhaled deeply and followed him out.
As they exited the conference room, Sophia heard staff members addressing Ethan as "Partner James," which made her pause.
She looked around the firm. The decor was modern yet sophisticated, perfectly matching Ethan's personality.
When Ethan turned to look at her, Sophia offered sincere congratulations.
"Congratulations on becoming a partner so quickly."
Ethan pushed open the main door, his smile not reaching his eyes. "I have you to thank for that motivation."
His thinly veiled barb stung Sophia's heart.
If she hadn't been so cruel back then, perhaps he wouldn't have thrown himself so completely into his career.
Was that what he meant?
At the firm's entrance, rain blown in by the wind fell in fine droplets on Sophia's face.
She casually brushed aside a strand of hair and said flatly, "If that's how you want to see it, Mr. James, I'll take the credit."
With that, she stepped forward to leave.
"Do you regret it?" Ethan suddenly asked.
Chapter 2
Sophia abruptly stopped and turned to look at Ethan, her expression perfectly composed. "What exactly should I regret?"
Regret breaking up with him? Or regret marrying Nathan?
At this point, did she even have the luxury of regret?
Ethan looked at her, his gaze colder than the raindrops falling on her.
He spoke icily. "I meant, if you hadn't cheated during your marriage and gotten pregnant, this case wouldn't be so complicated."
The mockery in his tone was painfully obvious, making Sophia feel humiliated all over again.
Then a wave of self-mockery washed over her. Had she actually thought Ethan was concerned about her?
After three years apart, now he was witnessing the ruins of her marriage.
Ethan probably couldn't stand the sight of her, let alone worry about her wellbeing.
Sophia looked away. "Stellar has a reputation for professionalism. I trust you won't disappoint me."
With that, she walked through the door Ethan held open and headed straight to her car.
Once inside, Sophia's red dress was half-soaked, clinging to her skin and sending chills through her body.
She turned on the heater, her right hand unconsciously resting on her abdomen as she stared absently at the rain outside.
A month ago, after a huge fight with Nathan, she'd gone to a bar to drink her sorrows away. When she woke up, she found herself in a hotel room.
As an adult, she naturally felt the physical discomfort. But what terrified her was that she had absolutely no memory of that night.
Lightning flashed across the sky, bringing Sophia back to reality.
She started the car and drove away.
The rain poured heavily, making it almost impossible for Sophia to see the road ahead.
Yet she couldn't stop Ethan's cutting words from echoing in her mind.
"You were also at fault once. Why didn't you leave with nothing then?"
"You really haven't changed at all, have you?"
Lost in thought, her car suddenly jolted violently. Sophia quickly hit the brakes.
She got out with an umbrella. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Let me call insurance…"
When she saw the man getting out of the car in front, her face instantly hardened.
Nathan Wade wore casual clothes that made him look younger. His brow furrowed as he asked, "Are you following me?"
Sophia's tone matched his hostility. "Don't flatter yourself. The road's slippery, that's all."
Nathan gave a cold laugh. "Rear-end collisions are always the fault of the car behind."
Sophia glanced at the young college-aged girl in his passenger seat and smiled sarcastically.
"'Wade Enterprises CEO Cheats with College Student'—how does that headline sound?"
Nathan's expression turned ugly as he gritted his teeth. "We're already getting divorced."
Sophia placed her hand on the door handle. "I have no intention of continuing either, but what's rightfully mine, I won't lose a penny of it."
"Sophia, you've been leeching off me for years and now you want to leave me with nothing? You…"
SLAM!
Sophia shut her car door, cutting off all the noise.
But Nathan's look of disgust still penetrated through the rain and stabbed at her heart.
Watching Nathan's taillights disappear in the distance, Sophia felt a lump in her throat that she couldn't swallow.
After a moment, she let out a bitter laugh.
The only two men she'd ever committed to both looked at her with the same disgust.
The rain hammered against her car, sounding like a tsunami.
Just then, her phone chimed.
Sophia unlocked the screen to see a friend request with a message:
[This is Ethan James. For work purposes, to facilitate future communication.]
When she saw Ethan's profile picture, her heart skipped violently.
It was "Binky," the parakeet they had raised together when they were dating.
Back then, after setting that picture, Ethan had said, "Binky is the witness to our love."
But Binky had died from illness even before they broke up, so why hadn't Ethan changed his profile picture?
After accepting the friend request, impulsively, Sophia clicked into Ethan's social feed.
She saw his only post—a lawn covered with flowers.
The caption read: [Proposal successful, moving to the next chapter]
The date was just two days ago, right when she had decided to seek a divorce lawyer.
Chapter 3
Looking at the beautiful proposal setting, Sophia unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone.
When she and Ethan were together, they had done so many things together—planning proposal scenes, decorating their future home, even visiting potential wedding venues...
Now it all seemed like a lifetime ago.
Sophia instinctively zoomed in on the photo, but caught herself immediately.
What was she doing? Creeping on her ex's social media?
Sophia jolted back to reality and tossed her phone aside.
Leaning back against the seat, watching the rain outside, Sophia's eyes flashed with self-mockery.
Even after all this time, anything related to Ethan still made her act unlike herself.
As she was finally gathering her emotions to leave, her phone rang again.
Seeing "Ryan Spencer" flash on the screen, Sophia immediately felt a headache coming on.
After hesitating for two seconds, she answered. "I told you not to call unless it's important."
There was a moment of silence before Ryan's flirtatious voice came through.
"In your heart, is there anything important besides sponsoring our basketball team?"
Ryan was the captain of Manhattan University's basketball team. By chance, he'd secured sponsorship from Sophia's design studio for the team.
But beneath his clean-cut appearance lurked a sugar-coated troublemaker.
Sophia took a deep breath. "Ryan, if you keep acting like this, I'll withdraw my sponsorship of the basketball team."
Ryan took the hint and quickly got to the point.
"Sophia, I just saw your husband with some woman looking at properties in Harborview Terrace."
Sophia didn't doubt his words, her mind racing quickly.
Nathan had just left after their collision, and now he was already looking at properties?
What was making him so desperate?
Realizing the call was still connected, Sophia spoke up. "Okay, I got it. Thanks for telling me."
With that, she hung up.
But immediately after, Ryan sent her a photo:
In the bright, spacious sales office, Nathan was holding his mistress's hand while signing an intent contract—the 3% deposit alone was a staggering $1.5 million!
Sophia gripped the steering wheel tightly. Seeing Nathan's smile in the photo made her chest tighten.
When they got married, Nathan had been attentive to her every need, giving her the best within his means.
For her work, he had bought the best apartment in Manhattan, specifically choosing the floor with the best view.
He had even prepared a spacious design studio for her at home.
Nathan's devotion back then would have melted even the coldest heart.
Just one year later, everything had changed.
Sophia closed her eyes briefly, then forwarded the photos to Ethan.
[Mr. James, this money is part of our marital assets. Can we recover it?]
Three minutes passed with no response.
Sophia tossed her phone aside and started the car.
By the time she reached home, her phone vibrated. It was Ryan again.
[Can you come to Lunar Lounge? I'm in a bit of trouble.]
Half an hour later, Sophia looked at Ryan sitting innocently across from her and laughed coldly.
"You've gotten bolder, lying to me so easily."
Ryan shrank his neck. "Would you have come to see me otherwise?"
Sophia noticed half-hidden flowers behind him and her eyes turned cold. "Ryan, please don't tell me you're planning to propose?"
Meeting her icy gaze, Ryan froze completely.
Then he nodded emphatically.
"Yes, I want to take care of you, I want to be your support, I…"
Sophia cut him off. "Impossible. I have someone I care about. Even after my divorce, you won't be my choice."
Ryan was only 19, young and impulsive.
He had no idea of the responsibility and commitment that came with marriage.
But Ryan suddenly dropped to his knees. "Sophia, I really do love you! I…"
Feeling the eyes turning toward them, Sophia's face turned cold as frost.
But the crowd's chanting grew louder:
"Say yes!"
"Say yes!"
Sophia was about to firmly refuse.
But then she caught sight of Ethan in the crowd, his face dark with suppressed anger.
