Chapter 87
SOPHIA’S POV
I stared at Zade with shock. What?
What did he mean by that?
My wolf was alert now. I had so much confusion in my head. Zade was about to say something else until a voice interrupted us.
“Sophia!” “Get out of that car now p>
I looked up and saw my brother standing at the gate of Sky Manor. His face twisted with anger. His wolf was right at the surface – I could see it in the way his eyes glowed in the darkness.
“We’re not done talking.” Zade said, grabbing my arm.
“Yes, we are,” I said, pulling my arm free and reaching for the door handle but the locks were engaged. “Let me out, Zade p>
“Sophia p>
“Let her out!” Marco roared.
Even though Zade was an alpha, Marco’s protective rage made his command powerful enough that Zade’s driver automatically hit the unlock button.
I scrambled out of the car and practically ran to my brother. Behind me, I heard Zade’s car door open.
“This isn’t over,” Zade called out. “We will talk about this, Sophia, about us p>
What the hell was he talking about? I felt even more confused.
“There is no us!” I shouted back, but Marco had already grabbed my arm and was pulling me through the gate.
The moment we were inside the house, Marco faced me with anger in his eyes.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded. “First, I hear you’re running around with some doctor, then I see you getting pulled into another man’s car! Are you out of your mind p>
The accusation hurt me worse than I expected. “It’s not what it looked like p>
“Not what it looked like?” Marco shrieked. “You were in Zade Morrison’s car, Sophia. Zade Morrison. Do you have any idea what people are going to say when they find out p>
“I didn’t ask to be pulled into his car! He grabbed me p>
“And the doctor? What’s your excuse for him p>
My throat tightened. “Lance is my friend. That’s all p>
“You’re still married, Sophia, still mated to Damien, even if he’s a worthless piece of p>
“I know what I am!” The words exploded out of me. Marco’s words made my blood boil with anger “I know I’m trapped in a marriage to a man who doesn’t want me! I know everyone in this pack thinks I’m pathetic and desperate and p>
My voice broke. I couldn’t finish.
Marco’s anger seemed to fade slightly. He ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to protect you. If people see you with other men while you’re still wearing Damien’s mark He gestured to my neck, where Damien’s mating mark had faded to barely visible but still existed. “It makes you look bad. It makes our family look bad p>
“I don’t care,” I whispered. “I don’t care what people think anymore p>
“Well you should,” Marco said firmly. “Because in our world, reputation is everything. And right now, you’re giving people ammunition to destroy yours p>
I wanted to argue, wanted to scream that it wasn’t fair, that I was the one being hurt, that I should be allowed to have friends without being accused of infidelity. But I was so tired. I was tired of fighting, tired of defending myself, tired of everything.
“Fine,” I said flatly. “I’ll be more careful”
Marco studied my face for a long moment, then sighed. “Sophia? Stay away from Zade Morrison. That man is dangerous in ways you don’t understand p>
I nodded and walked past him into the house. My whole body felt heavy and bruised even though no one had laid a hand on me.
The next morning, I went to work early, hoping to lose myself some activities but the moment I walked into the hospital, I knew something was wrong.
The other nurses were whispering. Dr. Nancy looked at me with pity in her eyes. And when I checked my messages, I found three missed calls from Lance.
I called him back immediately. “Lance? What’s wrong p>
His voice when he answered was hollow “Have you seen the news p>
“What news p>
“Check the medical board’s website p>
My hands shook as I pulled up the site on my phone. And there, on the front page, was Lance’s name and photo.
Dr. Lance Chen Under Investigation for Bribery and Illegal Fundraising
The article detailed allegations that Lance had accepted money from pharmaceutical companies in exchange for prescribing specific medications. It said tat he’d been involved in an illegal fundraising scheme at his previous hospital.
Every word was a lie. Every single accusation was fabricated.
“Lance,” I breathed. “This isn’t true. None of this is true p>
“I know.” He laughed bitterly. “But it doesn’t matter if it’s true. The damage is done. The hospital has already suspended me pending investigation p>
My wolf growled in anger. This was Simon. It had to be. This was his revenge for Lance defending me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. I felt tears burning in my eyes. “This is my fault. He’s doing this because of me p>
“It’s not your fault, Sophia. “
“Where are you now p>
“Home pr what’s left of it p>
The way he said it made ice run through my veins. “What do you mean, what’s left of it p>
There was a long pause. “Maybe you should come see for yourself p>
Twenty minutes later, I was standing outside Lance’s apartment building, staring up at his floor in horror.
Every window in his unit was shattered. The front door hung off its hinges. And even from the street, I could see the spray paint covering the walls.
I took the stairs two at a time. When I reached his floor, the smell hit me first. It smelled like garbage and something worse, something rotten.
Lance was standing in the doorway, or what was left of it. His apartment looked like a war zone.
The windows weren’t just broken – they’d been smashed repeatedly. Furniture was overturned and destroyed.
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
Lance turned to look at me. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes were rumpled like he hadn’t slept.
“They came last night,” he said quietly. “Around two in the morning. I was at the library studying. Neighbors said they saw three men, all wearing masks. They destroyed everything and left before the police could arrive p>
I walked into the apartment carefully, trying not to step on glass. In the bedroom, his medical books had been torn apart. His computer was smashed. Even his clothes had been cut to ribbons.
This wasn’t just vandalism. This was a message.
My phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number: Check the news. Your boyfriend is finished.
I called the number immediately. It rang twice before Simon picked up.
“Sophia,” he said cheerfully. “What a pleasant surprise p>
“You did this,” I said. My voice shook with the anger I felt.. “You destroyed his reputation and his home. You p>
“I did what needed to be done,” Simon interrupted. He didn’t even deny it.. “Lance made the mistake of standing between you and your husband p>
“He didn’t do anything wrong p>
“He made an enemy of me,” Simon said simply. “And people who make enemies of me learn very quickly what a mistake that is p>