Signed, Sealed, Scandalous

Chapter 18

The promise of "forever" was something Sophia Sterling had heard too many times before.

No one could truly guarantee eternity, not Ethan Kingsley, not Liam Kingsley, not even Noah Kingsley. And she hadn't been able to keep that promise either.

All she could do was love them wholeheartedly before the rift between them grew too wide.

Perhaps sensing her unease, Adrian Pierce took her hand and pressed it against his chest.

"Don't worry," he said, his voice steady. "The Pierces have strict principles. Long before you'd ever notice me straying, the elders would've beaten me to death."

"Our family despises infidelity. Unless a partner crosses an unforgivable line, we don't betray our vows."

His deep voice resonated through his chest, but beneath her palm, his heartbeat remained strong and unwavering, proof that he meant every word.

Sophia was stunned. In this day and age, she hadn't imagined families with such rigid values still existed.

For a fleeting moment, she thought back to the reckless beginning of their marriage.

She had waited at the Civil Affairs Bureau from night until dawn, then from dawn until sunset.

Her twenty-second birthday, once brimming with anticipation, had ended in quiet desolation.

The decision to marry had been nothing more than a spiteful impulse.

But it was Adrian who had approached her first, draping his black trench coat over her shoulders. His usual composed expression betrayed a hint of tension, though his voice remained cool.

"I've been watching you for a while," he said. "Forgive my forwardness, but are you in a hurry to get married? Would you consider me?"

His striking features, sharp brows and piercing eyes, had cut through the gray haze of her world.

Something reckless had surged within her. She nodded.

"Yes. Let's get married."

In the end, she had impulsively taken his hand and marched into the bureau, registering their marriage just before the staff left for the day.

That day still felt like an illusion. Even now, Sophia could hardly believe it had been real.

She hesitated before asking, "Adrian… if it hadn't been me that day, would you have married someone else?"

"No."

His answer came without hesitation, his gaze brimming with quiet devotion.

"I told you then, I'd been watching you. I was waiting for you to choose me."

Sophia froze, her words failing her.

Thump. Thump.

All she could hear was their mingled breaths and the steady rhythm of his heart.

Adrian didn't rush her. He simply watched, patient and tender, unwilling to miss even the slightest shift in her expression.

Finally, she found her voice again.

"But… you know I only picked you that day because I had no other choice, "

Her words stumbled, her throat dry.

"It doesn't matter," he murmured, pulling her tightly against him. "As long as you chose me in the end, that's enough."

He held her close, savoring her warmth, her heartbeat. As long as she stayed by his side, nothing else mattered.

In the shadows where she couldn't see, his eyes burned with possessive satisfaction.

Good. She's mine now.

Sophia didn't believe in love at first sight, and she certainly didn't believe Adrian was the type to fall for it.

Determined, she pressed him. "Adrian, why were you waiting for me? Was it really love at first sight? I don't buy that."

With a sigh, he loosened his hold, guiding her into his study. He pressed a hidden button, revealing a concealed room.

Inside, countless photographs of Sophia lined the walls, most candid, taken in fleeting moments.

A chance encounter on a street corner. A stroll beneath the trees. A glimpse of her on a podium.

Each image was a stolen fragment of her life, preserved without her ever knowing.