Signed, Sealed, Scandalous

Chapter 17

Liam Kingsley forced a gentle smile, yet it inexplicably carried an air of danger.

He grasped her wrist, and in the next moment, Noah Kingsley seized her other arm. Had they not feared hurting her, they would have dragged her into their embrace without hesitation, claiming her for themselves.

With three hands gripping hers simultaneously, Sophia Sterling had no choice but to wake fully.

Her eyes fluttered open, and the sight of the three men instantly soured her mood.

"You saw it for yourselves. I'm really married, no jokes, no games."

"I won't go back with you. I have my own home now, and none of you belong there."

Her rejection was merciless. She shoved their hands away.

"I'm not choosing any of you. Not a single one."

The words echoed in the brothers' minds, hammering the truth into them again and again:

She doesn't want them anymore.

Ethan Kingsley stared at her, his eyes dark with confusion and disbelief.

"Why?"

He voiced the question burning in Liam and Noah's hearts.

"Why not choose? You liked one of us before, didn't you? Since when does love… just vanish like this? But we've loved you for years!"

Sophia only smiled, serene and untroubled.

"I'm not choosing because it doesn't matter anymore. I don't like any of you, isn't that clear enough?"

"Stop saying you love me. Admit it, you just can't let go."

"You have others in your lives now. So do I. We'll all be happier this way. Isn't that better… brothers?"

Hearing her call them "brothers" after so many years brought them no joy.

When they were younger, they had fought bitterly over that title, each desperate to be the only one she addressed so intimately.

In the end, Sophia had abandoned the term altogether, calling them by their names instead.

Names were unique. No need to compete.

She had always been skilled at keeping the balance. Even now.

By choosing none of them, she ensured they remained equal.

A cruelty so sharp it left them breathless.

"No, that's not true," Liam protested weakly, his voice hollow. "It's not just stubbornness. We've told you countless times, we genuinely love you."

But his words changed nothing.

Exhaustion weighed on Sophia. Her wedding night had been disrupted, and now this ordeal, she had no patience left for their endless arguments.

They never listened. They only clung to their own delusions.

No point in wasting breath.

She pushed them out unceremoniously. The door slammed shut with a resounding bang.

The moment they were gone, her legs gave way. Instinctively, she leaned into Adrian Pierce's steady embrace.

The facade of strength she'd maintained crumbled instantly.

Without a word, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, retrieving ointment to tend to her wounds.

"You don't have to pretend with me," he murmured, his usually cool voice softened. "If you're in pain, say so. If you've been wronged, tell me. I'll always stand by you."

The tenderness in his tone nearly unraveled her.

Yet a part of her resisted, warned her not to surrender to it.

"Always?" she whispered, almost unaware she'd spoken.

"Yes."

His answer was firm.

Such sudden kindness left her flustered. She shied away instinctively.