“Sofia, I swear on my life I knew nothing about that letter,” Alex said, his voice filled with a conviction Sofia hadn’t heard in years. “Richard Sterling… he was supposed to ‘protect’ my image. But this… this is unacceptable.” He pulled out his phone. “I’m going to call him right now. And I assure you, he’ll pay for this.”

Sofia stopped him with one hand. “No. Not now, Alex. Daniel’s about to get home from daycare. I don’t want him to see us like this. And I don’t want him to see a stranger in the house.”

Alex lowered the phone, his fury restrained by respect for Daniel. “You’re right.

But I promise you this won’t end here. And I want you to know I’m deeply sorry. More than words can express. Not just for the pregnancy, but for the way I treated you, for the way I let my ambition blind me. And for this letter. I’ll make Sterling regret crossing that line.”

At that moment, the front door opened and a small voice crooned, “Mommy, I’m home!”

Daniel came running in, a dinosaur backpack slung over his shoulder, his blue eyes sparkling with joy. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Alex. His smile vanished, replaced by cautious curiosity.

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