Chapter 117
These two simple words carried a lot of weight.
Most people can't handle them.
Sophie lay on Matthew's chest, listening to his strong, powerful heartbeat, her cheeks burning hot.
He was lying naked in her bed, saying such weighty words, and her heart was racing.
His body was pinned down by her embrace, but his mind was still clear. "So what do you mean? Are we getting divorced or not?"
"Not divorcing." Matthew didn't hesitate for a second.
Sophie got anxious and tried to get up, but he held her down so she couldn't move. "You're going back on your word."
"I can agree to anything else, but this is non-negotiable." Matthew's attitude was firm, though his voice was gentle. "Like I said, unless I die, I'll never divorce you."
Sophie had to admit, those words were pretty attractive.
But only between two people who love each other.
It was both a promise and a confession.
"Two people without feelings, stuck in a marriage—there's only pain." Sophie took a deep breath, trying to have a proper conversation with him, keeping her tone calm. "What's the point of a marriage like that?"
"You forgot."
"What?"
"We've done it."
Sophie's body stiffened, her face getting redder and redder.
Why was he saying such things in broad daylight?
Feeling her body tense up, Matthew's hand traced circles on her back, his movements gentle.
But Sophie felt uncomfortable all over, the tickling sensation making her lower abdomen tighten.
"Stop moving your hand!"
Matthew actually stopped, his palm resting against her back.
Through the thin fabric, the warmth from his palm kept seeping into her body.
"So the marriage does have meaning." Matthew held her, feeling completely grounded.
He used to have expectations about marriage—that it would start passionate, with arguments, then slowly become habitual, and eventually settle into something plain.
Plainness was the final state of most ordinary marriages, and also the best outcome.
But at least it meant having a connection in this world, having someone to care about, having the closest person.
Later, he stopped longing for marriage so much.
So when Sophie wanted to marry him, he didn't care either way.
But now, he thought marriage was actually pretty good.
Sophie remembered what he'd said before—that he couldn't do it with someone he didn't love.
He said they'd done it.
Sophie's heart couldn't calm down at all.
"We're not getting divorced." Matthew kissed her ear lightly, emphasizing his point and expressing his feelings.
Sophie's heart was in chaos.
She'd never imagined their marriage could last this long.
After he recovered and came back, they should have ended things.
Not only had they not ended, but they were planning to continue like this.
How long could they last?
"Hmm?" Seeing her stay silent, Matthew patted her back lightly. "Say something."
Sophie didn't know what to say.
Her mind was a mess right now too.
"Fine, we won't divorce, but I can't accept Bella hanging around you." She could let it go before, but if they were really going to live together as a married couple, she needed to make it clear that she couldn't accept that woman constantly contacting him.
Matthew held her tighter. "There's nothing between her and me."
"But you can't completely ignore her either, right?" After several direct and indirect confrontations with Bella, she knew Matthew could never completely ignore her.
"Unless necessary, I won't see her."
"What counts as necessary?" Sophie wasn't being unreasonable; she just wanted to understand what kind of relationship they had.
Matthew let her go.
Sophie propped her hands on either side of his body, lifted her face, looked into his eyes, trying to read the emotions there, waiting for his answer.
This question made the atmosphere between them tense again.
Seeing this, Sophie started to get up.
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"What's that smile for?" Matthew pulled her back down, and with one roll, pinned her beneath him. "I promise you, if I really need to see her, I'll tell you."
With Matthew's roll, Sophie ended up under the covers while he was on top of them.
His naked body was exposed. Sophie didn't dare look anywhere else, only staring at his eyes as her face gradually heated up.
Deliberately trying not to think about those suggestive images, she argued with him stubbornly, "What exactly has she done for you? You don't love her, but you can't completely ignore her either. Did she save your life?"
"You just need to know I don't love her."
"Get off me!" Being pinned down like this made her very uncomfortable.
Matthew didn't let her go. His hands threaded through her fingers, gently stroking her ring finger. "Put the ring back on."
"No." Sophie didn't want to listen to him.
She wasn't satisfied with his explanation about Bella.
Matthew sighed softly. "Fine, don't wear it then. Either way, you're mine."
The possessiveness and helpless compromise in his tone made Sophie's heart pound hard.
Sophie returned to the company after her leave and learned that the boss had fallen seriously ill and the vice president had gone to take care of him.
The boss's wife had taken her share of the divorce settlement and gone abroad.
According to rumors, the boss's illness might not be curable.
This really meant the company was going to go through major changes.
"I heard there are going to be layoffs."
"We're screwed."
"I don't care. If I get laid off, I'll just go home."
"That's because you don't need to worry about money at home, so you don't care."
Listening to her colleagues' sighs and complaints, Sophie couldn't help worrying whether she'd be affected too.
"Just take it one day at a time. Live each day as it comes. What's the point of worrying so much?" Nancy from the PR department sashayed in to get coffee, not worried at all about the company's future.
That was easy to say, but when you actually faced it, you'd still panic.
Nancy suddenly walked toward Sophie. "You have even less to worry about. Even if you get laid off, you can just go home and be Mrs. Moore. That's way easier than now."
Everyone else looked at Sophie.
Sophie didn't understand why Nancy was targeting her.
It had happened before too. She'd randomly asked if Sophie was guarding against her best friend.
They weren't even close.
People always resent the rich, especially at times like this.
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?"
"We don't have that kind of luck." Nancy took a sip of coffee and looked at the others.
"Then there's nothing I can do. You'll just have to be jealous." Sophie had always gotten along well with her colleagues. Nancy's behavior was clearly trying to get everyone to isolate her.
She'd never been afraid of being isolated or mocked by others.
She didn't explain herself or form cliques because she knew people's hearts were hard to read.
At a time like this, trying to keep a low profile was useless.
"What's her problem?" A colleague came back to her desk, stood in front of Sophie's desk, and glanced in the direction Nancy had gone. "Does she have a grudge against you?"
Sophie shrugged. "I barely know her."
"She can't possibly have a thing for your husband, right?" The colleague quickly shut her mouth. "I'm just kidding."
Sophie smiled.
After the colleague left, Sophie sent Matthew a Facebook message.
Sophie: [Do you know Nancy?]