Chapter 7
"As for your marriage to Ethan, until he comes forward himself, this stays under wraps. Just go back to the design department and carry on like usual.
"I'll take care of the rumors around here."
"But, Sophia," Bella said.
She paused.
"There's something I need you to do."
"What for?" I asked.
"From now on, the Miller family will cover all of Charles's expenses. In return, I need you to agree to a paternity test for Charles."
Silence settled over the room.
Ryan and Michael didn't dare look at me.
I slowly stood up.
"So, Ms. Miller, you mean you don't believe Charles is Ethan's kid?" I asked.
"I didn't say I don't believe it," Bella replied, her face completely blank. "I just need confirmation. It's just protocol, nothing personal."
"Protocol."
I turned the word over in my head.
My son had a fever of 104°F and almost ended up in real trouble.
I was standing right in front of her with a copy of my marriage certificate.
She was the one who gave Ethan the gold locket herself.
None of it mattered.
And she still wanted a DNA test to "make sure."
I gave a short, bitter laugh.
"Fine.
"Go ahead. Whenever you want."
Bella looked at me for a second, then nodded.
"Tomorrow, I'll have Tyler Norris come to the hospital to collect the samples," she said.
"Fine," I said, turning to leave.
But just as I reached the door, I stopped.
"Ms. Miller," I said.
She looked up.
"When the results come out, I want Ethan to be there in person," I said.
"If he doesn't show up this time, I'll make sure the next scene isn't confined to this office."
I didn't stick around for her reply. I walked straight out.
Some employees passed me in the hallway. The moment they saw me, they looked away and hurried off.
I walked to the elevator and pressed the down button.
Just as I was waiting for the elevator, a voice called out behind me.
"Sophia."
I turned around.
It was Chandler Miller.
He was leaning against the wall, holding a cup of coffee, like he'd been waiting for a while.
"I spent all night thinking about what you asked me yesterday," I said, looking at him.
"You said it's not that he doesn't want people to know about me. It's that he doesn't want someone in particular to find out."
"Who?" I asked.
Chandler took a sip of his coffee.
"You've met Josie, right?" Chandler asked.
"She went to the hospital last night."
"Then you should have your answer," he said.
He sounded almost too calm.
Like he was talking about the weather, not my marriage.
"So, you mean he's keeping me a secret because of Josie?" I asked.
Chandler set his coffee cup down.
"Not entirely," he said.
"Josie's dad, Alex Stone, is the biggest external shareholder in the Miller Group. Three years ago, when the Miller Group was expanding into Rheinsville City, the Stone family financed the entire project.
"As one of the conditions, Alex Stone made a request," Chandler said.
I looked at him.
"What did he want?" I asked.
"He wanted Ethan to marry Josie."
The elevator arrived and the doors opened.
I didn't move.
"Is he officially engaged to Josie?" I asked.
"No," Chandler said. "But he hasn't said no either."
"For three years, he hasn't said yes or no."
"Keeping you and Charles in the shadows bought him three extra years."
The elevator doors closed again.
I stood in the hallway, gripping my bag strap so hard my knuckles turned white.
Three years.
I thought he was just distant.
That he just didn't love me.
Turns out, that's not it.
He's using me and Charles as pawns in his game with the Stone family.
I'm just another piece in his game.
Charles's just another piece, too.
To him, our existence only mattered as long as nobody knew about us.
"Sophia," Chandler called out again.
I looked at him.
"Ms. Miller doesn't know about this," Chandler said.
"She has no idea about the Stone family's terms, or that Ethan's even married.
"When she agreed to the Stone family's investment three years ago, Ethan hadn't married you yet.
"He only made it official after the investment deal was signed."
All the pieces of the puzzle finally came together.
He signed the investment deal first.
Then he married me.
Then he signed the confidentiality agreement.
The sequence had to be exact.
If he'd married me before the investment deal was signed, the Stone family would never have invested.
If he hadn't signed the confidentiality agreement, the Stone family would have known he was already married.
Everything was meticulously planned out.
As meticulous as a business proposal.
And I was just another variable in his equation.
Just another variable he could control, kept neatly within his margin of error.