Poof! Wife Status, ERASED

Chapter 14 Because You Liked It

"No!"

Sophia's face burned crimson, her words stumbling into incoherence.

Grace, with the wisdom of experience, teased her about seizing the moment, leaving Sophia unable to meet Christopher's gaze without embarrassment.

That night, restless, Sophia rose for water—only to collide with the equally sleepless man.

Christopher, granted special privileges by Grace to move freely outside the base, rarely stayed there. So his presence surprised Sophia.

Holding a bowl of clear broth noodles, he offered her a charming smile. "Hungry?"

She meant to refuse, but her stomach betrayed her.

After one reluctant bite, her eyes widened.

The flavor matched the Chinese food she'd eaten before. Hesitating, she finally asked, "The meals I had earlier..."

"Were mine." Christopher admitted casually, fingers gliding over his laptop trackpad. Work seemed to follow him everywhere.

"Why?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it. Stupid. The answer was obvious. Hadn't his attentiveness during the show, his cooking, his guidance—hadn't it all been clear enough? If she pretended not to notice now, she'd be a fool.

But Christopher spared her the awkwardness, merely serving her an egg with communal chopsticks.

"Because you liked it."

The words struck like lightning. Sleep abandoned Sophia that night, leaving dark circles no concealer could hide.

The makeup artist sighed in frustration, while Grace smirked. "My darling looks exhausted~ So? How was he?"

Sophia's face flamed. The crew's teasing stares made her skin crawl, so she channeled the discomfort into her performance, excelling in the scene before fleeing—avoiding any off-camera interaction with Christopher.

Strangely, when she returned from touch-ups, the whispers about them had vanished. The set returned to normal.

After wrap, Sophia headed to the training room for martial arts practice.

Two sweat-drenched hours later, as she prepared to leave, Christopher appeared—holding a cake.

A Hello Kitty cake, her favorite. The frosting was uneven, but the effort shone through.

Sophia froze.

Few knew: today was her real birthday.

Her mother had married for money, disdaining her uneducated, nouveau-riche husband—and the daughter she bore. June 4th was Sophia's birthdate, but her mother loathed the number four, changing it to June 8th.

As a child, Sophia celebrated twice: a genuine birthday with her father outside, and a fake one at home to appease her mother. Later, exiled to her uncle's servant quarters, even the pretend celebrations ceased.

Then Ethan had stepped in. Every June 4th, he'd rush home with surprises—private celebrations for two. June 8th meant parties.

Until Isabella arrived. He forgot June 4th entirely.

From then on, no one remembered.

Wiping tears, Sophia blew out the candles herself, voice trembling. "Christopher... how did you know?"

Her glistening eyes shattered his heart, but he held steady. "Hey, no birthday song? Afraid I'll sound awful?" Deflection, as always.

This time, Sophia didn't play along. She cupped his face. "Answer me."