Ethan's chest felt like it had been struck by something heavy.

The sensation was bittersweet, as if something warm was about to overflow.

He never expected to hear such words from Sophia.

So she married him not for the Sullivan family's prestige, nor for those cold numbers.

It was simply for him.

He abruptly pulled her into his embrace, his arms tightening as if trying to fuse her into his very bones.

Sophia gasped softly from the pressure but still nestled obediently against his chest.

Through the thin fabric, their hearts beat in perfect synchrony.

"Three years ago, I couldn't even take care of myself," his voice was hoarse. "What did you see in me?"

Sophia broke free and cupped his face in her hands.

Under the moonlight, his eyes shimmered like constellations.

She would never forget the melancholy she saw in them during their first meeting.

Such a handsome man, yet his gaze held unfathomable loneliness.

"From our first meeting, I wanted to take care of you," she whispered. "There were actually other ways to save Grandma back then."

Ethan's breath hitched.

He had always believed their marriage began as a transaction.

That's why after every outburst, he compensated her in the most materialistic ways.

"The doctors said my legs would never recover," his Adam's apple bobbed. "Would you really be content spending your life with a cripple?"

Sophia pressed her fingers against his lips.

"Don't talk about yourself like that," she stood on tiptoes but couldn't reach his eyes.

Ethan chuckled lowly, effortlessly lifting her onto the railing with one arm.

He leaned in and closed his eyes.

Sophia's lips brushed his eyelashes like a butterfly grazing petals.

This kiss concealed too many unspoken secrets.

Like the fatal car accident three years ago.

Like Kyle who died saving her.

Like how Ethan's melancholy gaze mirrored Kyle's when they first met.

She buried this secret deep in her heart, masking the ache with a more fervent kiss.

Behind the second-floor curtains, Zoe clenched the window frame until her knuckles turned white.

Watching the entwined silhouettes under the moonlight, her chest felt like it was weighed down by a boulder.

"Divorced yet still entangled," she sneered, yanking the curtains shut.

Her phone gallery displayed Ethan's sharp profile in sleep.

She caressed the screen obsessively before setting her favorite photo as the wallpaper.

During dinner, Frederick enthusiastically ushered everyone to the table.

"Sophia has worked hard these days," he personally served her soup. "She needs nourishment."

Ethan naturally took the bowl and carefully blew on it to cool.

Zoe smiled as she picked up a piece of braised pork with her chopsticks. "Would you like to try this, Miss Laurent?"

"No need," Sophia coldly blocked the approaching chopsticks.

A phone notification chimed abruptly.

When Zoe picked up her phone, the screen faced Sophia.

The wallpaper made Sophia's spine stiffen instantly.

It showed Ethan with closed eyes—clearly a stolen photo of him sleeping.

She whirled to glare at the man beside her.

Ethan looked puzzled but gently squeezed her fingers under the table. "What's wrong?"

Sophia took a deep breath and suddenly understood everything.

After dinner, she confronted Zoe in the courtyard.

"Delete that photo," Sophia's gaze was glacial under the moonlight.

Zoe waved her phone dismissively. "It's just a wallpaper."

Sophia moved swiftly, snatching the phone with practiced ease.

Fingerprint unlock. Delete. Empty trash.

Her movements were fluid like flowing water.

"Listen," she tossed the phone back, each word dripping with ice. "Even divorced, he's still mine."

Zoe's face twisted. "You—"

"If I catch you taking photos again," Sophia stepped closer, "you'll learn the consequences of violating portrait rights."