The drive home was silent.
Sophia gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles pale, her expression unreadable. Adrian sat beside her, but his attention was fixed on the backseat—on Ethan, who had fallen asleep clutching his lion and a crumpled drawing with a smiling stick figure labeled "Daddy."
The silence stretched, too thick to ignore.
"You shouldn't have said that," Sophia finally spoke, her voice low.
Adrian looked at her, eyes soft but unwavering. "I didn't plan to. It just… came out."
She tightened her hold on the wheel. "This wasn't part of the agreement."
"The agreement," he echoed quietly. "You mean the one-year contract marriage where we play house and pretend to be strangers in private?"
Sophia didn't respond.
"We made that deal to keep your father off your back. You gave me terms, I signed them. But I didn't agree to ignore my own son."
She flinched at his words—not because they were cruel, but because they were true.
"You're a doctor, Adrian. You don't have time to be a full-time father."
"I'll make time."
"You say that now—"
"I'll prove it," he cut in, his tone firmer than before. "Sophia, I know what this started as. A favor. A performance. But it's not pretend for me anymore."
She pulled the car into the driveway and turned off the ignition. The air between them buzzed with unspoken emotions.
"You think I wanted this?" she snapped suddenly. "I built my empire with blood, sweat, and sacrifice. I've never needed anyone. Not love. Not marriage. Not you."
Adrian stepped out of the car, then leaned down to look at her through the open door. "Then why did you come to me with a contract instead of someone else?"
Sophia stared at him, speechless.
"Because part of you still believes I belong here," he said softly.
Later that night, after Ethan had been carried to bed, Adrian paused outside the guest room door.
"Sophia," he said without turning. "You don't have to believe in love again. But you do have to believe this—our son deserves both of us. Not a deal. Not a timeline. A family."
She stood at the end of the hallway, frozen. For once, her sharp tongue had no reply.
Because the truth was simple.
She thought the contract would give her control.
But now… she was losing it, one heartbeat at a time.