Chapter 319

Chapter 319

Emily didn't look at him, intending to walk straight past. But as they were about to pass each other, Alexander grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

"Alexander! What do you want? You disgust me!"

His already grim expression darkened further, but he didn't release her.

Alexander seemed to reach his breaking point, looking down at her with a bitter laugh. "You accuse me of having an unclear relationship with her, but surely you need evidence? You can't condemn me based on a few vague, ambiguous photos."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I used to think I just loved the wrong person. Now I realize you've got quite the shameless streak in you."

"So you're only this bold because you're certain I wasn't hiding under the bed while you two were on it, is that right?"

He glared at her through gritted teeth. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to crack open her skull to see what was inside.

After a long pause, Alexander finally forced out a single word. "Evidence."

"Hmph, it wouldn't be the first time you two spent the night alone together in a hotel. Are you denying that now?" Seeing him speechless, she gave a cold snort. "But I wouldn't accuse you based on mere speculation. I have concrete evidence, of course."

Emily took out her phone, opened her favorites folder, and played a recording.

A woman's moans were unmistakable—clearly Sophie's voice—interspersed with male sounds.

Alexander listened for only a moment before saying sharply, "Turn it off. This is inappropriate."

"What's wrong? Feeling guilty?"

His brows furrowed. "Are you suggesting that's me in the recording?"

She didn't speak, but her expression said everything.

He wanted to object but found himself at a loss for words.

After a long moment, he finally stated stiffly, "Technology is advanced these days. Audio can be faked."

"What about the photos?"

The image showed Sophie in revealing clothes, leaning against Alexander's chest, clearly taken against a headboard.

His frown deepened. "How is this... How did you get these photos?"

"Sophie sent them to me, of course." Emily gave Alexander a cold look, her contempt fully visible now. "You were so confident I had no evidence, but you didn't know that she sent me messages after every intimate encounter between you two."

"Since her return to the country, she's messaged me about every private moment you've shared."

"And still you have the nerve to claim she's not your mistress, and even tried to force me to defend her reputation, using Dawn Children's Home to pressure me."

By this point, her eyes had filled with hatred.

"Before all this, Alexander, I only thought you didn't love me."

"After seeing those messages and photos, I realized how cruel and despicable you truly are!"

Each word cut like a knife.

He remained silent, offering no defense. Instead, he took her phone and listened to each voice message, examining each photo one by one.

Many of the photos were hazy in his memory, but whether he had been intimate with Sophie—that he knew with absolute certainty.

"Emily," Alexander's brows remained tightly knit, his eyes reflecting helplessness, "I know any explanation sounds hollow now, but I've never touched her. As for these photos, she probably took them when I fell asleep after caring for her when she was unwell."

He felt deeply frustrated with himself—how could he have fallen asleep?

Emily said nothing, silently watching him, clearly not believing a word.

He opened his mouth several times, but seemed to realize there was no convincing explanation.

After a long pause, he suddenly asked, "How did you know she was pregnant?"

"She told me herself, naturally." She laughed bitterly. "Isn't that why you brought her back—to help her with the pregnancy?"

She thought she had forgotten, but now that it came up, that piercing pain returned.

He had so many properties, yet he'd brought Sophie to their marital home. What was that supposed to mean?

"Don't cry." His voice was rough, but she pushed his hand away forcefully.

When Emily touched her own face, she realized tears had fallen.

After all this time, did it still hurt so much?

Yes, how could it not?

It wasn't just his betrayal of their marriage, but that she had invested so much only to reach such an absurd conclusion.

All her past efforts had become a joke. How could that not hurt?

"Emily, I can't prove whether I've touched her or not, but we can certainly verify if she was ever pregnant, can't we?"

"What do you mean?"

Meeting her eyes, he spoke deliberately, "I know you don't believe me, but I truly never touched her, let alone got her pregnant. Let's check if she was ever pregnant at all. If not, everything becomes clear."

Emily narrowed her eyes, considering the situation.

If Alexander truly never touched Sophie, she wouldn't have risked claiming pregnancy to trap him.

But...

She eyed Alexander suspiciously, uncertain where this was heading. "How do I know you won't manipulate things behind the scenes?"

Alexander's frustration resurfaced, but remembering the recordings he'd just heard, he suppressed his emotions. "I can arrange an examination for her. You could disguise yourself as a medical staff member and be present. With your background, confirming this shouldn't be difficult, right?"

One ultrasound would settle everything—not just whether Sophie had been pregnant, but also allowing them to examine the scar on her abdomen.

Having made up her mind, Emily nodded in agreement.

"Fine. I'll personally perform her ultrasound to check if she's been pregnant. However..."

She forced a fake smile. "Even if we prove she lied about the pregnancy, that doesn't mean nothing happened between you two."

After a moment of silence, he didn't argue this point. "Let's first verify if she was pregnant. We can discuss the rest later, alright?"

"Fine."

Three days later, Sophie went to the hospital for her examination.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, visibly anxious as she asked James beside her, "Why did Alexander suddenly schedule this check-up for me?"

"Mr. Foster is naturally concerned about your health," James replied.

Since learning about Emily and Alexander's relationship, James had been questioning everything. His perception of Sophie had changed dramatically, but their entanglement ran too deep for him to risk being disrespectful.

"You've always had health issues, and autumn often triggers allergies. Mr. Foster arranged this examination specifically for your well-being."

"Is that so?" Sophie smiled, but clearly felt something wasn't right.

Tired of maintaining pretenses, James said, "Ms. Laurent, the ultrasound room is over there. I can't accompany you inside, so I'll wait for you here."

Despite her unease, she walked in.

For the ultrasound, she had to lift her shirt. Emily, disguised as a nurse, sat at the machine, watching from the corner of her eye.

There on Sophie's abdomen was a clear two-inch scar.