Poof! Wife Status, ERASED

Chapter 10: Securing the Vanderbilt Legacy

There had been a chance to make things right—Sophia had given Ethan every opportunity until the very end.

Yet he had chosen deceit, again and again, cutting off her will to live.

She had wanted to forgive him, but he had failed to seize that chance, succumbing to temptation instead.

Even as guilt gnawed at him, he had still allowed himself to be seduced by another woman.

Now, cradling the urn in his arms, Ethan was consumed by regret and despair.

His knees hit the ground, his expensive suit crumpled beyond recognition. Tears of remorse smeared the suicide note in his hands, and in his frantic attempts to wipe them away, he only blurred the words further.

Sophia had abandoned him. He had no home now.

Even as the hearse drove away, he remained kneeling, as if the urn in his arms was the most precious thing he would ever hold.

Just how deep had her despair been for her to choose death? He couldn't bear to think about it.

The friends and family who had come to pay their respects could only shake their heads in sorrow.

They had been Oceanview City's golden couple—how had it come to this?

Unaware of the truth, they assumed Sophia's suicide was the result of Ethan's relentless work schedule and her own overwhelming career pressures.

Some even muttered under their breaths, blaming her for being too fragile.

No one dared approach the broken man kneeling on the ground, his strength utterly drained.

Then—a chime from his phone.

"Uncle Ethan, little Isabella isn't feeling well… I think I have a fever. Can you come check on me~?"

Isabella had no idea what was happening inside. She had planned this carefully—to lure Ethan away on this very day, dealing Sophia the final blow.

She followed up with a few carefully posed photos, wearing the outfit she had saved for this exact moment, guaranteed to ignite his desire.

The moment the car door opened, she was ready, her posture accentuating every curve, oozing seduction.

"Uncle Ethan—ah!"

But what greeted her wasn't lust—it was fury.

Ethan's hands closed around her throat, dragging her out of the car and slamming her onto the pavement. His foot lashed out in a brutal kick.

"You—you killed her!" His eyes burned with rage.

If not for her endless provocations, Sophia would never have relapsed into depression. She would never have taken her own life!

Gritting through the pain, Isabella feigned confusion. "Ethan, what's wrong with you?"

Who had she killed?

Unless… Sophia had finally stepped aside as Mrs. Vanderbilt?

Too thrilled to consider why Ethan was furious, she scrambled to his feet.

"Ethan, I love you! She didn't want you, but I do!"

This was the moment she had dreamed of—she could already picture the name of the child in her womb.

She had finally replaced Sophia. She was the phoenix rising from the ashes!

But as Ethan stared at her greedy, twisted face, he couldn't reconcile it with the shy girl who had once blushed at his touch.

How had he ever thought she resembled Sophia?

Drowning in regret, he grabbed a knife from the backseat and drove it into Isabella's arm.

"If Sophia is dead, you don't deserve to live either!"

"Ethan! What does her death have to do with me? I didn't kill her!"

If Sophia couldn't even keep her own husband faithful, what right did she have to be Mrs. Vanderbilt? She had brought this on herself!

Clutching her bleeding arm, Isabella knelt in desperation.

"You still have me," she pleaded, shielding her still-flat stomach. "I'm carrying your child! Sophia couldn't give you one, but I can!"

But Ethan's eyes held only hatred.

"If you hadn't provoked her over and over, she would still be alive! This is your fault!"

With eerie calm, he wiped the blade on his sleeve—then plunged it toward her abdomen.

"I had a vasectomy. There's no way you're pregnant. Die with her!"

Before he could pull the knife free, a blow from one of Emily's bodyguards knocked him unconscious.

Margaret Vanderbilt arrived in time to see the bloodstained scene and sighed. "How did things come to this?"

"Emily, are you sure Isabella is carrying your brother's child?"

Still shaken, Emily nodded. "The doctor said vasectomies aren't foolproof. There's still a small chance."

Only then did Isabella allow herself to pass out.

In the VIP ward, Ethan awoke to Margaret's scolding.

"What was so great about Sophia? A barren woman, that's all she was! Isabella is pregnant, and this is how you act?"

"The divorce papers are already signed. Next month, you'll marry her and secure the Vanderbilt bloodline!"