Chapter 3
His eyes swept over her impressive figure, his meaning obvious.
Sophie's expression stiffened a bit. She didn't want to back down. She couldn't believe he'd actually do anything here.
She grabbed the hem of her clothes and pulled it up.
Her slender white waist was exposed, the edge of her white underwear particularly eye-catching beneath the black sweater.
Suddenly, the man pushed her right off him, his face full of disgust.
Sophie nearly fell. After steadying herself, she suppressed her inner joy while her face showed innocent grievance.
Matthew glanced at the woman putting on an act. For money, she was really willing to go all out.
Greedy for money now, hadn't she thought about how she'd carry the reputation of being a widow for the rest of her life after he died?
He could not care, but marriage shouldn't be a joke.
"Get out!"
Matthew hated this kind of fake woman.
Sophie felt like she'd been granted amnesty, wild with joy inside but her face full of reluctance.
"Honey..."
Matthew was irritated. "Don't make me say it twice!"
Sophie didn't hesitate for a second. She pulled down her sweater, grabbed her coat, and left.
Only after leaving the club did she let out a huge sigh of relief.
She didn't even feel cold without her coat on. Her heart was still racing wildly.
The whole thing had been thrilling and dangerous, but thankfully she'd escaped unscathed.
It was like surviving a disaster. The next day, Sophie invited Emily out for a big meal.
"You've got some real guts." Emily had to admire Sophie.
Sophie linked arms with Emily. "Fortune favors the bold."
Emily had to hand it to her.
"Weren't you afraid he'd actually do it? With that face, that body, that family background. It's easy to develop feelings." Emily frowned.
"Actually, having a kid with him wouldn't be bad." Sophie added, "Our kid would definitely be gorgeous."
Emily was speechless.
Sophie grinned. Emily warned her not to push it too far. If he brought up divorce again, he might actually go through with it.
Being tormented in marriage was domestic abuse, which was a marital dispute. There weren't strong penalties for the abuser.
"Got it." Sophie knew Emily meant well and agreed.
After eating, Emily calmed down quite a bit.
The two were chatting and laughing as they browsed the mall when Sophie suddenly stopped.
Emily frowned too. "Scumbag!"
Sophie didn't want to see Harold. It had nothing to do with feelings. She just felt physically disgusted.
"Let's go." Sophie pulled Emily toward another direction.
Emily frowned. "What are we afraid of? I haven't even dealt with him yet." She shook off Sophie's hand and rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight.
Sophie grabbed her. "It's not about being afraid. I just don't want any contact with that scumbag."
Emily heard this and spat. "Right, disgusting piece of trash."
They turned to leave.
"Sophie." Harold caught up and blocked their path.
Emily stood protectively in front of Sophie, ready to face off with Harold.
Sophie pulled Emily to her side and faced Harold directly. "What do you want?"
"You made my life hell. What do you think I want?" He'd lost all face. If he didn't teach her a lesson, he couldn't swallow this anger.
With that, Harold reached out to grab Sophie.
Sophie dodged quickly. He didn't touch her.
Harold got angry and reached for her wrist even more roughly.
Sophie swung her hand and slapped him across the face.
The slap was crisp and loud, making her hand sting.
Harold's face turned to the side. He looked at Sophie in shock, glaring at her. "Sophie, you dare hit me!"
"You should be glad I don't have a knife." Sophie's eyes were full of disgust. "And if you harass me again, I'll come to your house."
Sophie had always been the type to match strength with strength. If someone pushed her too far, she could go crazy.
Harold had only met Sophie a few times while dating, most of the time they'd kept in touch by phone and Facebook.
Each time, Sophie had been gentle and sweet. Harold had just taken her for a pretty, obedient girl.
He hadn't expected her to have such a fierce personality.
More and more people were gathering to watch. Emily pulled Sophie away. At times like this, it was women who got judged and criticized more.
Harold rubbed his slapped cheek and shouted at Sophie's retreating back, "I'll see just how tough you are!"
Not far away, Matthew had seen the whole thing.
Including Sophie slapping that man.
Joshua was quite surprised that Sophie was so fearless.
"That man is called Harold, a notorious playboy. A few days ago, a video about him circulated in their social circle. From the looks of it, the person who recorded and posted that video was Mrs. Sophie Moore."
The video had long been deleted by Harold's people, but Joshua had still found it. He handed his phone to Matthew.
Matthew watched the video without saying anything.
Joshua pressed his lips together and put away his phone. "This Harold isn't a good person. After being humiliated by Sophie like this, he'll probably seek revenge."
"Anyone who does something should calculate the consequences they'll face." Matthew turned around. "If she gets revenge, she deserves it."
Joshua was speechless.
Should he remind Matthew that Sophie was now his legal wife?
Joshua caught up with Matthew. "So are you still getting divorced?"
When Matthew thought of Sophie's fake face, he couldn't help but frown. "Yes."
Sophie stayed at Emily's place until dark. Emily cursed Harold thoroughly and worried about Sophie being targeted for revenge.
Sophie wasn't particularly scared.
"Why don't you ask your husband for help? You're his wife, after all, have him deal with Harold."
When Sophie thought of Matthew, she still felt uneasy.
That man was pretty sinister.
Sophie asked, "Do you think I actually dare treat him like a husband?"
Emily countered, "Then what are you going to do? Why don't you move in with me? He wouldn't dare do anything to me."
Sophie promised repeatedly that she'd protect herself before Emily finally let her go home.
The apartment was a two-bedroom her dad had bought her before marrying her stepmother. Not big, but enough for her.
She'd just finished showering and was lying on the couch scrolling through videos when a string of numbers popped up on her screen.
An unknown number. Sophie waited quite a while before answering.
"Who is this?"
"Tomorrow morning at eight, marriage registry office for the divorce."
Sophie heard the voice and looked at the number on her screen again.
How did he get her number?
Then she thought, for a rich person like him, finding her number was simple.
He was really persistent.
Sophie sat up cross-legged, pulled at the corner of her mouth, her tone gentle and soft. "I got married with the intention of spending my whole life together. Once married, I won't divorce."
"Not divorce and wait to be widowed?"
Those words made Sophie feel uncomfortable.
Although that's what she'd thought at first, hearing it from the person involved was a different feeling.
"Don't say that. Medical science is advanced now—any illness can be cured. As long as you cooperate actively and maintain an optimistic attitude, you'll definitely get better."
She really did think this way.
No matter who it was, they couldn't stand hearing things like this, right?
Matthew stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. He could imagine the woman's insincere expression.
"If you don't want things to get too ugly, you'd better be smart about this." Matthew reminded the woman.
Sophie could feel that he was unwilling to accept this marriage.
They weren't idiots—he could tell whether she was real or fake.
"I can't agree to this. Unless you tell your parents, and if they agree, I'll agree."
There was an impulsive element to getting married, but whoever she married, the result would probably be the same.
Marrying him was simpler.
Matthew's eyes narrowed slightly.
She was clever.
His parents were overjoyed—how could they possibly agree?
Matthew grew even more disgusted with the woman's scheming.
"Going against me, you think that's easier?"
His low voice revealed his displeasure. Sophie's heart was still a bit afraid of him.
"It's getting late. You're not in good health, rest early. When you've thought it through, or convinced your parents, we'll talk again."
"Good night."
Sophie didn't give him a chance to speak and immediately ended the call.
She put down her phone and let out a long breath.
Looking at that string of numbers, she still saved a name.
"Matthew Moore"
She put down her phone, Matthew's pale but handsome face floating into her mind.
He must be furious right now.
Anyway, she'd try to avoid him as much as possible. The less they met, the better.
As a result, the next day, Mrs. Evelyn Moore sent someone to bring Sophie back to the Moore Mansion.