Chapter 8

Despite being humiliated by Robert yet again, Sophia felt considerably lighter. Once the party was over, she could finally end this nightmare.

To find a job as quickly as possible, Sophia sent out over a dozen resumes and used her weekends for interviews. But she never expected to run into that man from the bar again—the one she'd mistaken for someone else.

Right now, he was wearing a tailored suit and frameless glasses, sitting seriously in his office chair. When Sophia walked in, he broke into a warm smile. "Do you remember me?"

Sophia bit her lip awkwardly. She honestly wished she could forget.

"I'm so sorry. I mistook you for someone else and caused you trouble. I apologize."

The man laughed it off easily. "No big deal. By the way, let me introduce myself. I'm Henry, and I'll be your interviewer today."

Though he seemed sunny and cheerful, Sophia worried he might hold a grudge about that night and answered his questions very carefully.

"Ms. Windsor, your resume shows you graduated from a top university with a major in biochemistry. Why didn't you pursue work in that field?"

Just as the interview was wrapping up, Henry's question made Sophia freeze. Why she hadn't pursued her major—that was literally the biggest sore spot of her entire life.

Her sadness affected Henry across the desk. He immediately raised his hand apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It's just that a friend of mine has a biochemistry team that needs people, and your resume looks like a great fit. I was wondering if you'd still be interested in working in your field?"

This stopped Sophia's spiral of grief in its tracks. She'd never imagined she could return to biochemistry, the field she loved most.

"Could I really? But I haven't worked in it for three years..."

Before she could finish, Henry cut her off with a smile. "Ms. Windsor, if I may be frank—biochemistry develops fast, but a three-year gap isn't impossible to bridge. As long as you're willing, catching up is totally doable!"

Sophia's heart started racing. But reason quickly kicked in. This man was essentially a stranger she'd met once. She couldn't let him lead her around by the nose.

"Mr. Smith, thank you for the suggestion. I'll seriously consider it. And I hope you'll seriously consider my application for this position."

Henry was direct. "You're great. If you decide not to go to my friend's place, I'll definitely hire you."

His wording was blunt, but his tone was sincere—no weird undertones whatsoever. Sophia was caught off guard again. During her three years at the Howard Group, she'd handled trivial tasks, and even when she'd tackled complex work, she'd never gotten any praise.

Henry's high praise left her feeling a bit lost. She stood up somewhat flustered. "I should get going. I'll wait for your official notice!"

To her surprise, the moment she walked out of the office, Henry came after her. "Ms. Windsor, could I take you to dinner?"

Sophia's instinct was to refuse. Sensing her intention, Henry beat her to it. "Or maybe you could treat me? After all, you did throw up all over me at the bar last time and ruined a brand new jacket."

That left Sophia with no room to refuse. "Alright then. Consider it my way of making amends, Mr. Smith."

They chose a newly opened private restaurant that supposedly had a great reputation. Since they hadn't made a reservation, they grabbed a window seat on the first floor.

Henry's appearance and demeanor were pretty cool and serious, but when he chatted, he was witty and funny. Before long, he and Sophia were getting along great. After the meal, they exchanged contact info, and Henry even drove Sophia to her apartment complex.

Since Margaret's "death," Sophia had barely had any normal social interactions, let alone with men. She didn't have any particular feelings for Henry—she just found the experience really pleasant, like the beginning of a fresh new life.

However, her excitement came to a screeching halt when she saw Robert waiting at her door. For a moment, Sophia even had the impulse to turn around and run.

He had a dark expression on his face that looked downright scary. Gradually calming down, Sophia slowly walked up to Robert and asked in a businesslike tone, "Mr. Howard, what can I do for you?"

Robert jerked his chin toward the door. "Not going to invite me in?"

His tone was calm, but it felt like the calm before a storm. Sophia reluctantly opened the door. The first thing she saw was the pregnancy test report on the coffee table!

After reading it before, she'd just left it there without putting it away. In that instant, Sophia's blood ran cold. In such an obvious spot, Robert was bound to see it! And once he did, how would he treat her?

Sophia didn't know. Didn't dare to imagine.

Just as she stood there panicking and at a loss, Robert opened his arms and wrapped them tightly around her from behind. His large hand landed on her waist, kneading it with just the right pressure, his voice taking on a hint of desire. "Sophia, you're getting bolder and bolder. Dating other men behind my back?"

That one sentence deepened Sophia's fear. How did he know about this? Was he monitoring her constantly?

The realization made her shudder. But Robert took her earlobe into his mouth and pushed her toward the bedroom.

"Looks like I haven't been satisfying you lately, giving you the energy to go looking for fun elsewhere."

Sophia felt humiliated. He always made her sound so cheap. She'd put up with it before, but now—she wasn't willing to anymore.

Sophia's struggle only made Robert angrier. Without a word, he pressed her against the wall and kissed her lips hard.

"Sophia, you don't have the right to say no to me!"

Robert wouldn't admit it, but when he'd seen the photos in that anonymous email, he'd actually felt jealous. So Sophia could smile that brightly and happily—just for another man.

The realization made his anger flare. So he'd come straight to her new address to confront her. No matter what she said today, he was taking what he wanted!

When her clothes were torn open, Sophia completely panicked. Robert was wild in bed. She usually passed out, and several times she'd even bled.

If she actually slept with him, the baby in her belly would be in danger.

"Robert, please don't do this. I really don't feel well today!"

The more she resisted, the rougher he got. His hand was already sliding between her thighs.

"You'll feel good soon." The desire in his voice was impossible to suppress.

Sophia made up her mind and used all her strength to say, "I'm pregnant."