The young nurse abruptly fell silent, her face flushed with embarrassment. She hadn’t expected Sophie Winslow to expose her own husband’s shortcomings without batting an eye. Yet, she also felt it had to be true—otherwise, why would a couple be married for seven years without having a child? As a result, the look she gave Sophie grew even more sympathetic.
Sophie didn’t tell her the truth. The reality was that Julian Sterling simply didn’t want her to have his child.
On their very first night as husband and wife, he had told her with icy detachment, "I’m busy with work and have no time for children, so I don’t plan on having any. Don’t harbor any expectations, and don’t try to negotiate this with me."
Back then, she had understood him, believing he truly was just too busy. But now... she finally understood why he refused to have kids. He was afraid that having a child would upset the woman he actually loved.
Hilariously, just a short while ago, she had foolishly considered confessing to Julian that he had a daughter!
Footsteps approached once again. Sophie looked up, meeting Julian’s unfathomable gaze. The man held the payment receipt, looking at her with a coldness that surpassed how one might regard a total stranger.
Had he heard her slanderous remark about his "erectile dysfunction"? On second thought, so what if he did? She no longer cared.
Julian quickly withdrew his gaze, turning around and walking away in apathy. Sophie wasn’t surprised; he had always been like this. He never bothered to hide his impatience, his indifference, or his reluctance to waste any energy on her. Even if she wanted to pick a fight, it was nearly impossible. She could only swallow her grievances day after day, letting them fester in her chest without an outlet.
Despite having a husband, she had no one to rely on, let alone a pillar of emotional support. This was one of the reasons why she had secretly given birth to their daughter and raised her behind his back all those years ago.
With heavy steps, Sophie returned to her private consultation room. She opened the drawer beneath her desk, where two stacks of documents lay quietly inside.
Before she and Julian had registered their marriage, Chairman Sterling had sought her out and handed her two agreements. One was a prenuptial agreement; the other was... a divorce agreement.
Her family background was woefully inadequate for the Sterling family, and the gap between her and Julian was like mud and clouds. Had it not been for that massive scandal back then, the Sterlings would never have allowed her to marry into the family. The old man looked down on her.
That divorce agreement stipulated a term of seven years. Once the seven-year mark was reached, the divorce agreement would take effect. At the time, Julian had signed it swiftly without even glancing at the contents. He probably still didn’t know the agreement existed. And now, until the end of that agreed-upon period... only three months remained.
Unwilling to waste another second, she neatly tucked the agreement into her bag. After dragging her exhausted body through the rest of her workday, she returned to their marital home.
Just as she finished changing her shoes, she looked up to see Julian coming downstairs.
Sophie stood frozen in place. She didn’t sense any intention from Julian to talk to her, much less explain what had happened at the emergency room. As he brushed past her, she finally found her voice. "Let’s get a divorce.
"I’ll give you three months to handle the transfer and division of assets."
Only then did Julian’s footsteps halt. His long fingers, which had been methodically fastening his jeweled cufflinks, paused. His dark, narrow eyes scrutinized her from head to toe. "Just because I accompanied Stella to the doctor today?"
What a loaded "just." So he knew she would care about this, yet he hadn’t bothered to say a word.
Sophie met his gaze head-on, her voice very light. "Yes."
She couldn’t be bothered to argue over who was right or wrong. And as for their child, Julian could forget about ever finding out.
Julian’s dark eyes were almost completely devoid of emotion. He didn’t care if she was throwing a deliberate tantrum. "You can throw your temper tantrums at home, but when you’re outside as Mrs. Sterling, you know how to behave."
Those words were nothing more than an attempt to protect Stella’s innocent public image. He didn’t care about her attitude. Sophie could see it clearly: so what if she had stumbled upon their passionate affair? Julian felt absolutely no need to give his wife an explanation.
"You can rest assured." Unconsciously digging her nails into her palms, the sharp pain helped steady her tone. "Once we divorce, it’ll no longer be any of my business."
Perhaps slightly caught off guard, Julian cast a cold glance at his wife, who had always been so subservient but was now showing a hint of defiance. There was no excess emotion or ripple in his eyes. "I don’t have time to deal with your emotions right now.
"If you really mind that much, you can hire a lawyer to draft the agreement yourself."
After seven years of marriage, not only did he lack any love for her, but he hadn’t even developed the habit of her presence. He agreed without a second of hesitation.
Sophie didn’t waste any time. With resolute determination, she brushed past the tall man and headed straight upstairs to pack her personal belongings.
Julian’s cold eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze followed Sophie’s slender silhouette. However, it only took him two seconds to guess her intentions. He didn’t take Sophie’s slightly "intense" reaction to heart. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t pulled similar stunts in the past to get his attention. He never needed to bother handling them, because Sophie would always eventually bow her head and yield to him.
If she didn’t get a response, she would pretend nothing happened and soothe herself. It wouldn’t even take a few days. Therefore, her so-called emotions simply weren’t that "valuable" to him. He indifferently withdrew his gaze, grabbed his coat, and walked out the door once again without looking back.
Back in her room, Sophie surveyed the home she had meticulously decorated and built over the past seven years. Just as she found herself at a loss for where to begin, a WhatsApp notification chimed right on cue.
Seeing the familiar cartoon avatar pop up, her expression instantly softened. She tapped on the voice message.
The earpiece transmitted a tender, childish voice. "Mommy! I’m going to Kingsford to see you next month! We’ll get to be together forever after that!"
Sophie suddenly felt her eyes burn. She quickly tilted her head back to force the tears away. Thank goodness. She still had her baby. Thank goodness she hadn’t told Julian about the child’s existence.
Meanwhile.
Ivy Hawthorne called her. She sounded a mix of excitement and worry. "Is our girl coming over?"
"Next month."
Ivy clicked her tongue and suddenly dropped a bombshell. "Isn’t Julian supposed to be sterile? If he finds out you secretly had his daughter years ago and planned to keep the kid while dumping him, is he going to lose his mind?"
Sophie let out a self-deprecating laugh. "No, he won’t."
Julian didn’t even care about her; why would he care about this? He had even done something as absurd as having vigorous sex with his sister-in-law during her early stages of pregnancy. Regardless of whether he cared about the child or not, he was unfit to be a father!
As for this whole "sterile" business...
Sophie’s gaze grew momentarily unfocused.
In truth, during their first year of marriage, because Julian had always used strict contraception, she had never gotten pregnant. One day, she had overheard the family servants gossiping in private. They speculated that Julian was highly likely to be sterile.
The Sterling family had previously been trying to arrange a marriage for him with a lady of equal social standing. But Julian had consistently refused, even openly declaring that he would never have children. Over time, rumors about the heir being sterile began to spread. Furthermore, she and Julian had been married for seven years without ostensibly producing an heir. To outsiders, this seemed to confirm the rumors once and for all.
In the early years, Sophie had genuinely believed it. She hadn’t even minded, thinking that as long as they lived a good life together, a child would just be the icing on the cake. But Julian had always used protection with her. His masculine capabilities in that regard had actually always been... excellent. Even if they didn’t have an emotional connection, she couldn’t deny that fact.
However, as he continued to evade the topic of children later on, even she began to completely believe the validity of the rumor.
That is, until that day—