Chapter 2
The next day, I returned to our marital home. Joseph was on the living room couch, his face thunderous with rage.
Cigarette butts covered the coffee table, and the air was thick with unspoken tension.
Lily was nowhere to be seen.
The second he saw me, he shot to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.
"Sophia, who was that man last night?" he demanded sharply.
I ignored him and walked straight to the closet, pulling out the suitcase I'd already prepared.
He stormed over and grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight I thought he'd break my bones.
"I'm talking to you!" he snarled through gritted teeth. "Did you cheat on me?" His handsome features contorted with rage and wounded pride.
I finally lifted my gaze to meet his, calm and steady.
"Joseph, we've been married three years. When have you ever truly been with me?"
He froze.
"All you ever care about is Lily. You even brought her to our house on our wedding anniversary. And now you have the nerve to accuse me?" I retorted.
I wrenched my hand free, sneering. "You've gone too far. The least I can do is play the game."
Joseph paled, then turned ashen, as if I'd stabbed him right in the heart.
He'd clearly assumed I was hopelessly in love with him and would endure anything.
"That's different!" he insisted stubbornly. "Lily and I are purely platonic. She only thinks of me as a brother!"
"A brother?" I laughed, as if he'd told the most absurd joke. "A brother who stays with her all night just because she whines a little?"
Joseph's face flushed with embarrassment.
He took a deep breath, forcing his temper down, and switched to a negotiating tone.
"Sophia, let's put that aside. We need to fix Lily's problems first," he said.
Without even taking off his coat, he strode over and slammed a document on the table.
"This is a statement my lawyers drafted. Post it online. Say you misunderstood me and Lily, acted out of spite, abused your connections, and now you're publicly apologizing to Lily Quinn," he ordered.
I stared at the shameless, lie-ridden script and almost laughed out loud.
"Joseph, do you really take me for a fool?"
"This is the only way!" he snapped, unyielding. "You post the apology, I'll pull strings, and Lily's name will be cleared. You don't want this scandal to blow up, do you? Neither of our families can afford that."
He thought he had me trapped.
Too bad he had no idea what was really coming.
"What if I refuse?" I asked calmly, continuing to pack.
"Sophia!" Joseph exploded, raising his voice. "Don't push your luck! You think that man can protect you forever? You've burned bridges with the entire industry. What makes you so sure he'll escape unscathed?
"Swallow your pride and apologize to Lily, and this all goes away. Otherwise, I'll divorce you! You'll leave with nothing, and the Sterling family will never get another cent from me!"
He was clearly threatening.
Just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
Joseph frowned and opened the door. It was his mother, Margaret Lane.
She'd never liked me, and the moment she saw me packing, her face darkened.
"Sophia, what's this about? Why are you making a scene?" she sneered.
Behind her was someone I never expected to see.
Lily.
She wore a white dress, her makeup styled to look effortlessly natural, her eyes red and swollen—so fragile and pitiful that anyone would rush to defend her.
The second she saw me, she shrank behind Margaret, looking timid and fragile, and murmured softly, "Mrs. Lane, it's all my fault. Please don't blame Sophia."
What a spectacular show: Joseph and Margaret in cahoots, plus the scheming Lily rounding out the circus.
Margaret shielded Lily as if she were a precious treasure, her gaze cutting into me with pure contempt.
"Sophia, I warned you ages ago — you're from a nothing family, cheap and vulgar, and you don't belong in this world. Joseph was only trying to protect Lily, yet you twisted everything into a disaster. Now you're using your sad little family connections to ruin her? You're downright vicious."
Her perfectly maintained face twisted with malice.
"Apologize to Lily right now and fix this, or get out of the Lane house for good!"
Joseph stood to the side, silent but clearly on their side.
They had closed ranks against me, throwing me under the bus, someone they could blame and control whenever they wanted.
Lily stepped out from behind Margaret, tears pooling in her eyes the moment she turned to me.
"Sophia, I know you've misunderstood Joseph and me... but I really only think of him as my brother. All of this has hurt me so much. I'm begging you, please just leave me alone?"
As she spoke, she even bent as if to kneel in front of me.
Joseph caught her quickly, pulled her into his arms, and shot me a furious glare.
"Sophia, are you really going to drive her to this?" he snapped.
I watched their ridiculous act and felt only exhaustion.
Arguing with them was pointless—they were living in their own little bubble.
I zipped up my suitcase and didn't spare them another glance.
"Joseph, I'm done. Let's get a divorce."
The room fell dead silent.
Joseph's face went stiff.
Margaret's expression turned ugly.
"Divorce?" she shrieked. "Dream on! You think you can walk out scot-free after what you did to Lily and the trouble you've caused Joseph? Not unless you kneel and apologize to Lily, and bring that man of yours here to take the fall!"
Her logic was so absurd it made me want to laugh bitterly.
"This is your mess, not mine," I replied coldly.
I grabbed my suitcase, stepped around them, and headed for the door.
Joseph snapped out of his shock and blocked my path.
"Sophia, don't be like this," he said, his voice softer now, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "I know you're angry, but you can't just say divorce. Apologize to Lily, and let's talk about it later."
He still thought he could control everything.
He believed I was just throwing a tantrum, and that a little sweet-talking would make me back down like I always did.
"Move," I said, my voice icy.
"Sophia..." Lily began her pitiful act again. "Is it... is it because of what Joseph promised me? Is that why you're so upset?"
Her words made both Joseph and me freeze.
Joseph frowned. "Lily, stop."
"No, Joseph, I have to tell her!" Lily looked at me desperately. "Joseph was just going to buy the apartment next door for me, so we could keep an eye on each other more easily. That's all, I swear! I swear to you—there's nothing else between us!"
Margaret's face darkened instantly at her words.
It felt like a fist had clamped down on my heart, the pain so sharp I could barely breathe.