Chapter 4
"I... I signed it myself. I thought..." Michael stammered.
"Who do you think you are?" Bella snapped.
Michael's legs buckled, and he grabbed the doorframe to steady himself.
Bella didn't spare him another glance. She called in her secretary from outside.
"Get a car ready. Take this child to the VIP ward at Union Hospital. Dr. Norris goes with him," Bella ordered.
"Yes."
I picked Charles up and followed Dr. Norris out.
When I passed Michael, I stopped for a beat.
He shrank back, not daring to look at me.
I didn't say a word.
No need for words.
I'd already said everything that needed to be said.
As I walked out of the office, everyone in the hallway stared at me.
Some looked shocked, some curious, and some looked like they were enjoying the drama.
I held Charles close, my back straight, not slowing down for a second.
Charles nestled against my shoulder, mumbling softly.
"Mommy, I'm so hot..."
"Hang in there, Charles. We're going to see the doctor soon," I murmured.
I kissed his burning forehead.
As I got to the elevator, someone called out behind me.
"Are you Sophia Lane?"
I turned around.
There was a man in his early thirties, wearing a suit, a sapphire tie clip, and holding a folder.
I had no idea who he was.
"And you are?" I asked.
"Chandler Miller," he said. "Ethan's cousin. I'm the vice president of the investment department."
He glanced at Charles in my arms, then back at me.
"I just came out of there. I heard everything," Chandler said.
He looked me, and then said something completely out of left field.
"Sophia, do you know why Ethan had you sign that secret marriage contract?" Chandler asked.
The elevator chimed.
The doors opened.
I stared at him, staying put.
"You know?" I asked.
Chandler didn't answer right away. He stepped in closer, dropping his voice.
"Did it ever cross your mind? It's not that he didn't want everyone to know about you," Chandler said.
"He just didn't want one person to find out your existence."
The elevator doors were closing.
Dr. Norris was inside, holding the button for me.
I stepped in with Charles in my arms, and just before the doors shut, I glanced back at Chandler.
He stood in the hallway, and I couldn't tell if his expression was sympathy or something else.
The doors slid shut.
The elevator went down.
Charles was burning up in my arms, letting out weak little whimpers.
Chandler's words kept echoing in my mind, looping again and again.
It's not that he didn't want everyone to know about you.
He just didn't want one person to find out your existence.
One person...
Who could it be?
Charles was taken to the VIP ward at Union Hospital, and the nurse hooked him up to an IV.
When the needle pierced his tiny hand, he flinched from the pain, but he was too weak to even cry. He just looked at me, his eyes watery and red.
"Mommy... it hurts..." Charles whimpered.
"You're the bravest, Charles," I said, holding his other hand as I crouched by his bed.
Once Dr. Norris finished updating the attending physician outside, he came over to me.
"Ms. Lane, Ms. Miller said she'll handle all the hospital bills herself. You don't need to worry about a thing," Dr. Norris told me.
I nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Norris."
He hesitated. "There's one more thing."
"Ms. Miller wants to know if you have Charles's regular check-up records. She'd like to see them," Dr. Norris said.
I was stunned for a moment.
'Check-up records?'
Every time Charles needed a check-up, I took him to the local clinic and always went for the cheapest option.
All the check-up reports were piled up at the very bottom of my drawer at home.
And in the "Guardian" section, my name was the only one ever listed. No one else, just me.
"Yes, I have them," I said. "I'll go home and bring them over."
Dr. Norris quietly left the room.
I stayed by Charles's side, only daring to check my phone once he finally fell asleep.
Twenty-seven missed calls.
All from my coworkers.
Three messages on WhatsApp.
The first one was from my direct supervisor, Victoria Smith, the design director.
[Sophia, have you lost your mind? What happened in the chairman's office is all over the company now.]
The second message was from Victoria again.
[HR just sent out a notice. Your suspension's been canceled, but the Riverside Project has been reassigned to Maisie. They said it's because you've been 'unstable lately and can't ensure the project's quality.']
The third message was from Maisie.
[Sophia, could you send me the files for the Riverside Project? Victoria asked me to put together a new proposal this week. I'm really sorry. This wasn't my idea.]
I stared at the screen for twenty seconds.
The Riverside Project.
I'd spent five months on that proposal.
Over seventy nights working late, eleven drafts rewritten.