The Ex-Wife's Escape: From Betrayal to Revenge

Chapter 4

Sophia Williams had barely stepped through the front door when she heard the television blaring from the living room. Isabella Taylor lounged on the couch in a silk slip dress, lazily munching on potato chips.

"I thought you had a social mixer tonight?" Sophia stood in the foyer, her voice eerily calm.

Isabella smirked, her red lips curling. "Oh, I lied." She tossed her long hair back, revealing faint red marks along her neck. "I was just messing with my boyfriend. You should’ve seen his face when he thought I was going."

She giggled, clearly pleased with herself. "He stormed into the venue and carried me out the second I arrived."

Deliberately tugging her collar lower to expose more marks, she added, "Couldn’t even wait until we got home. Three times in the car."

Sophia’s nails dug into her palms, but she felt nothing. "Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

"Three months ago." Isabella batted her lashes. "Met him the day I moved in."

Three months. Sophia’s breath hitched. Exactly when Isabella had started living with the Johnsons.

The sound of the door opening interrupted them. Ethan Johnson walked in from the garage and casually draped an arm over Sophia’s shoulders. "Tired? I’ll run you a bath."

Before she could respond, he nudged her toward the bathroom.

Realizing she’d forgotten her pajamas, Sophia cracked the door open—

And froze.

Ethan had Isabella pinned to the couch, his rough hands sliding beneath the fallen strap of her dress.

"Easy… Sophia’s still here," Isabella cooed, though her lips curled into a smirk the moment she spotted Sophia.

"Shut up." Ethan bit down on her collarbone. "If I catch you looking at another man—"

"I know~" Isabella drawled, throwing Sophia a taunting glance. "I’m all yours~"

Sophia slammed the door shut.

Sinking into the warm bathwater, she remembered their honeymoon five years ago. Back then, just because she’d glanced at a man on the beach, Ethan had kept her locked in their hotel room for a week.

His eyes had been red as he begged, "Sophia, don’t leave me."

Now, that same possessiveness belonged to someone else.

By the time she stepped out, the living room was empty except for Ethan. A plate of sliced fruit and a cup of warm brown sugar water waited on the table.

"Your cycle’s coming up. Drink something warm." He handed her the cup, overly attentive.

Sophia took it, her expression unreadable behind the rising steam.

Late that night, Ethan jolted awake in a panic. "Sophia!" He frantically groped the bed until he pulled her into his arms, exhaling in relief. "I dreamed you left me…"

Sophia lay stiffly in his embrace.

The next morning, Ethan insisted on taking her to work. His office walls were plastered with photos of her.

"This way, no woman dares come near me." He nuzzled her neck. "You’re the only one I love."

Sophia stared silently at the pictures of her own smiling face.

When his assistant announced a meeting, Ethan reluctantly left. Sophia wandered the hallway alone—until her phone rang.

"Ms. Williams, regarding your immigration paperwork—"

"What immigration?!" Ethan’s furious roar cut through the air behind her.