Chapter 1
On the day when all the elite families in Riverside City arranged marriages to consolidate their influence, the two remaining troublemakers were paired together.
Sophia Jameson, the willful heiress of the Jameson family, and Henry Harrington, the notorious playboy of the Harrington family, were forced by both families to tie the knot.
On their wedding night, Henry invited nine models to play poker on their marital bed. Sophia, not to be outdone, photoshopped his rear into a flyer: "Full Service, Best Rates."
The next morning, they argued all the way from the police station to the city hall and, in a fit of rage, got a divorce certificate.
But less than a day later, they were forced to remarry because of the terms in their prenuptial agreement.
Furious enough, Sophia "fought" with Henry that night, only for the fight to end up in bed. They understood each other perfectly, so neither mentioned what happened that night.
Soon after, photos of Henry and a third-rate celebrity surfaced online. Sophia pointed at his nose and called him a "stud," and the two divorced again.
But Henry knew full well that their families wouldn't let this chaos continue. He waited smugly for Sophia to come back to remarry him.
Yet, as he waited, what arrived instead was news of a funeral in the Jameson family.
Sophia's mother had died.
She was driven to her grave by her husband's cheating and his love child.
When Henry came to Sophia's home, he heard a harsh slap.
Without thinking, he rushed in and pulled Sophia behind him.
His glare swept over the room. "Sophia is my wife. Don't you dare lay a finger on her!"
Sophia's father sneered, "You two are divorced. It's my family business. Mr. Harrington, you're not welcome here."
"Divorced? We can get remarried any time!" Henry gripped Sophia's hand tightly, ignoring everyone trying to hold them back, and dragged her to the city hall.
On one knee, he pulled out the ring he'd chosen for her and looked at her seriously. "Sophia, we're made for each other. You're not alone now. You've got me."
It was their third marriage, and Henry meant business. He cut off all contact with any woman to convince Sophia of his loyalty.
Anyone who'd ever gossiped behind her back came to beg for her forgiveness the next day.
Whatever Sophia would take another look at, Henry would go through all the trouble to get it for her.
Three years into their remarriage, Sophia could really feel how much Henry loved her. But the one thing missing was a kid of their own.
They'd once had a baby, but because of some developmental issues, the baby didn't make it. Time couldn't heal this wound.
Over the years, Sophia tried everything, but nothing worked.
Henry felt sorry for her. He'd always pull her into his arms and say, "Maybe the timing just isn't right yet."
Sophia knew all the gossip about how her messy life wrecked her health, and people thought that was why she couldn't have kids.
But Henry was the only man she ever had in her life.
That day, Sophia went to a private hospital for a follow-up and hid it from Henry as usual. But since the doctor was tied up in surgery, she waited in the inpatient wing's back office.
As she walked past the VIP room, an excited shout stopped her in her tracks.
"This is incredible! Charlotte, I'm going to be a dad!" His voice was so loud.
Sophia froze at the door, and her mind went completely blank.
That voice...
It was Henry!
Before Sophia could react, the commotion in the room grew louder.
"You know what, Mrs. Miller? After you went into the delivery room, Henry kept pacing back and forth outside and mumbled, 'Will it hurt? Will she cry? I wish I could be the one in there.' It was so cringey we could barely take it!"
"Yeah. We've never seen Henry like this when he was with his own wife."
Right away, the whole room fell silent.
As the others stood there awkwardly, Charlotte Miller, on the hospital bed, finally spoke up.
"Henry, thank you for helping me fulfill your teacher's last wish. But... I know it's not fair to your wife, and I—" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Before she could finish, Henry held the child, clumsily but gently, and leaned in toward her. "Charlotte, look, this is our child."
He placed the baby beside her. His gaze was full of love.
"Charlotte, don't worry. My wife can't have children. This baby is not only your reason to live, but mine too. When he grows up, everything I have will be his." Henry tried to comfort her.
Sophia couldn't believe what she heard.
She staggered as if punched hard in the chest. Her face turned as pale as paper in an instant.
Henry's a dad?
He cheated, again!
The scene happening right before her was like a joke.
Henry, who had sworn at her mother's grave to love her for the rest of his life, was secretly having an affair with his teacher's widow?
The same Henry, who had held her and never cared whether she could have children, was exposing her biggest pain in front of everyone?
Sophia was so shocked that she couldn't move her body.
The door opened. Though Sophia had always been arrogant, her knees nearly gave out, and she hid around the corner.
She overheard more voices coming from inside.
"Henry, Mrs. Miller worried her coworkers would find out, so she wants you to look after the baby for two years. So what do you think?"
"When you learned she was checking sperm banks, you rushed to offer yourself. You persuaded her that natural conception was better than IVF, then slept with her for nearly a year. Now the baby's here.
"Look, bring the kid home and keep making sure Sophia doesn't get pregnant. With her temper, she couldn't raise a kid well. But Mrs. Miller is different. She deserves to have your child."
A loud buzzing filled Sophia's ears.
So it was never her problem. It was Henry who didn't want her to have his kids.
Sophia went weak all over, as if she could barely stand.
Then she heard Henry's voice.
"I'll fix this," Henry said.
The door stayed shut, and seconds felt like a century.
Her phone beeped in her pocket.
It was a message from Henry.
[Babe, how about we adopt a kid?]
Sophia let out a bitter laugh, and her tears fell onto the screen.
So that was how he fixed it.
Her laugh came out forced and her tears streamed down her face.
Sophia stood in the stairwell and smoked the last cigarette in the pack. Her hands were still shaking.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Henry who didn't receive her reply.
He was anxious.
A mocking smile twisted Sophia's pale face as she pushed open the heavy fire door and returned to that ward.
She kicked the door open without hesitation.
Sophia pressed on. "Adopt a kid?
"Whose kid? Is it your love child with this slut?"