Chapter 6
Edward's POV
Three days later, one afternoon, Sophie saw Edward sitting on the couch, his face dark and brooding. She approached him cautiously.
"Edward, is something wrong?" she asked softly. "Are you waiting for someone's call?"
Her words snapped Edward out of his thoughts, and he set his phone down.
He hadn't even realized he'd been clutching his phone, waiting for a message from Claire, almost the whole day.
Three days had passed, and Claire still hadn't called or even sent a single message. Edward felt a restless frustration building inside him, and his eyes grew even darker.
But right then, Sophie just had to say it out loud. "Are you waiting for Claire's call?
"Do you regret picking me instead of Claire that day? Did you make her storm off because of it?"
"No!" Edward shot up, slamming his hand on the table before he even realized it.
Sophie flinched hard, her whole body shaking, and tears sprang to her eyes.
Edward came to his senses and gently pulled her into his arms, soothing her.
"I'm sorry, Sophie. I wasn't upset with you. It's just work getting to me," Edward said softly. "You're still carrying our baby. Please, get some rest, alright?"
Sophie just nodded obediently, keeping quiet.
Three more days slipped by.
That day, when Edward got home from work, he saw the servants gathered by the nursery door, whispering to each other.
As soon as they spotted him, they were about to say something, but Edward just put a finger to his lips and motioned for them to leave.
He walked quietly over to the nursery door and saw a woman inside, arranging things.
The way she folded the baby clothes was so familiar. It instantly brought back memories.
Edward stood in the doorway, took a deep breath, and cleared his throat before speaking. "I know you love kids, and I've told you before. Once you've recovered, we'll have another baby together.
"If you still want this room, we can keep it for you. I'll just—"
"Wait, what did you just say?" Sophie cut him off before he could finish.
It wasn't until Sophie spun around, her face full of surprise, that Edward realized the person in the nursery wasn't Claire at all.
Edward's thoughts scrambled, and he blurted out, "What are you doing here?"
Sophie's eyes brimmed with hurt. "This is the nursery for our baby. Can't I just arrange it?"
Her voice trembled as she spoke, barely holding back tears. "Edward, is it because Claire doesn't want me using this room? It's fine, I don't have to use it. I really don't want to compete for anything.
"Is she refusing to come back because I'm here? Then I'll move out with the baby. As long as Claire comes home, I'll go anywhere. It doesn't matter to us.
"We'll be okay. I really don't want to trouble you."
She said this and turned to go.
Edward reached out and pulled her into his arms, soothing her with gentle words.
Sophie quickly calmed down, then grabbed his hand and placed it over her baby bump. "Edward, do you feel the baby moving?" she asked softly.
Edward just mumbled something back, barely paying attention.
He didn't even know why, but right now, facing Sophie and the child she was carrying, he found himself strangely impatient.
After leaving the nursery, he headed straight for his study.
He checked his phone, looking at the messages he'd sent before, his frown deepened.
Still, not a single reply.
For a split second, anger flared up inside him.
But then he remembered the sight of Claire plunging into the freezing ocean that day. Gritting his teeth, he held himself back and sent another message.
[Claire, even if you want to make a scene, there's a limit.]
[The wedding is tomorrow. If you don't show up, you can forget about ever being Mrs. Foster.]