Chapter 115 You Must Get Pregnant Within Three Months

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: You Must Get Pregnant Within Three Months

For a moment, Sophie Winslow thought she had misheard.

Revoked...?

She hadn’t expected that the special channel Julian Sterling arranged could actually be revoked. Naturally, she could not accept this under any circumstances. That would be gambling with Lydia’s future. It stepped squarely on her Achilles’ heel.

The kindness Madam Sterling had once shown her now felt as fragile and fleeting as a dream. Meeting the old lady’s eyes, a chill ran down her spine. "What is your reason for doing this? Isn’t marriage supposed to be our own free choice?"

Madam Sterling seemed somewhat displeased by Sophie’s "disobedience" in this moment. She frowned. "With me backing you up, what is there left for you to make a fuss about?"

These words instantly made Sophie choke, as if a fishbone were stuck in her throat. It was as if she had become the one who was... ungrateful.

"If you had gone through the proper channels, this divorce certificate truly couldn’t be revoked. So isn’t this a second chance for you?" Madam Sterling’s expression softened a little. "Last time, my condition was for you to have a child before divorcing. Because of my soft-heartedness and trust, I didn’t force you to do anything, and in return, you deceived me. Is this how you repay me?"

Sophie remained silent. Only now did she see things clearly. All the so-called kindness shown to her in the past was nothing more than the superficial grace of a matriarch. Before she disobeyed the old lady, there could be false affection, but once things didn’t go her way... that was when she stripped away her little facade.

"You never loved or favored me that much. Aside from the fact that Stella Sutton is Julian Sterling’s former sister-in-law, what other reason is there for you to firmly oppose this divorce?" Sophie’s heart was like a stagnant pool with only the faintest ripple. She understood now. It seemed the Sterling Family left her no choice in the matter. But clearly, there were so many women who could bear Julian Sterling a child. Why did it have to be her? She couldn’t shake the feeling that Madam Sterling was hiding some other reason.

Madam Sterling frowned. "The Sterling Family has very few heirs. Leaving behind a child can be considered your way of repaying the Sterling Family’s kindness to you. What do you have to feel wronged about?"

Furious to the extreme, Sophie actually wanted to laugh at this moment. Her eyes were filled with desolate sorrow. This was the true heartlessness of a prominent family. She couldn’t even dream of escaping without being flayed alive. But to share a bed with Julian Sterling while dreaming different dreams, to do that with him while mutually repulsing each other, just to leave him a child? She absolutely could not do it. Her dignity and integrity would not allow it.

Taking a deep breath, Sophie enunciated every word, "Even if you force me, is this something I can decide on my own? You know better than I do where Julian Sterling’s heart has wandered off to." She had to suppress her discomfort and push the problem onto Julian Sterling.

Madam Sterling smiled. "You don’t need to worry about that." Saying this, the old lady stroked Sophie’s hair. "Sophie, Grandma isn’t a heartless person. I will give you time to think it over, but you had best not make me wait too long. If there are no results in your belly within three months, the divorce certificate will be revoked. Grandma also wouldn’t mind having a chat with your grandfather. The elderly always understand one another."

Sophie’s hands clenched tightly into fists.

Madam Sterling leaned back against her pillows and cast a glance at Sophie.

"I’ll hold onto the divorce certificate for you for now. You know you used a special procedure, which in principle cannot be reissued, so don’t even waste your time trying. Once you complete your task, I will hand it over to you. Don’t worry, I won’t go behind your back and cancel it within these three months.

"Move back into the marital home as soon as possible. Don’t think I’m unaware that you moved out a long time ago. If people with ulterior motives were to find out, who knows what they would speculate? Only by living together can a husband and wife mend their relationship. Don’t make Grandma angry."

Hearing this, a dense layer of cold sweat prickled across Sophie’s back. Then came the feeling of having narrowly survived a disaster. Thank goodness she hadn’t rushed to bring Lydia to live with her. Otherwise, the old lady would have found out about it. And at this moment, how could she not see it clearly? Threats and bribes were being deployed one after another. She wasn’t being given any possibility of refusal. Especially in a prominent family like the Sterling Family, every elder appeared benevolent but was, in fact, a cold-blooded autocrat. What good could possibly come from disobedience?

Sophie was escorted out.

She found the glaring sun before her incredibly blinding. Getting into her car, Sophie’s chest heaved. All of this had been entirely unexpected, shattering all of her beautiful plans and visions. The divorce certificate was her only proof of divorce, the sole document holding up her ability to transfer Lydia’s household registration back to her own name. It seemed as though they were divorced, but if she couldn’t get the certificate back, it could be revoked at any time. She held absolutely no initiative!

Once revoked, all of her previous efforts and the agreement to relinquish custody would become completely invalid. Lydia’s custody would become even more precarious for her. At this moment, Sophie suddenly despised Julian Sterling for missing their appointment. If he had actually taken getting the certificate today seriously, how could Madam Sterling have intercepted it? Sophie forced herself to calm down and think of a countermeasure. No matter what, she had to secure the divorce.

Meanwhile, Ivy Hawthorne called.

Sophie turned the car around and drove to Iris Hawthorne’s.

"So does this mean you’re divorced or not?" Ivy Hawthorne asked in disbelief.

Sophie’s expression was grim. "The divorce certificate shouldn’t be something that can be revoked at any time. I’m guessing there must be a time limit. As long as I safely make it past this deadline, the divorce will be set in stone. Once it can no longer be revoked, Madam Sterling holding onto it won’t matter anymore. She will naturally have to give it to me."

She based this guess on the country’s standard legal practices. Even if one used a special channel, it was absolutely impossible for them to completely and unscrupulously exploit loopholes.

"That’s true. Your brain really works well. That old lady is probably just bluffing you right now, trying to make you think it can be cancelled no matter how much time passes." Ivy also felt that Sophie’s guess was highly likely.

It was just that before this deadline passed, she was destined to walk on thin ice.

"Like I said, how could any good people come out of a family like that! They’re the type to eat you alive and spit out the bones, and yet they hold so much power. You’re the one who has to suffer." Ivy couldn’t help but sweat on Sophie’s behalf. Having grown up in the Hawthorne Family, she naturally understood the deep and treacherous waters involved. Let alone dealing with someone of Sophie’s status, they could easily destroy a listed company without breaking a sweat. Naively resisting with fierce opposition would not solve anything.

"What about Julian Sterling?" Ivy asked. "What is his attitude?"

Sophie lowered her eyes, her fingernails picking at her fingers. "I can’t reach him."

"If it weren’t to secure Lydia’s custody, who would put up with the Sterling Family’s threats!" Ivy gritted her teeth. At worst, she could just tear up all pretenses and burn the bridge. But having a weak spot made every step difficult.

Sophie didn’t speak. She continued trying to call Clara Quinn.

Before the call could connect, Ivy came over with her phone, her face flushed with anger. "So it turns out he went on vacation with his mistress!"

Sophie’s eyes trembled as she looked at the screen.

It was Ivy Hawthorne’s Moments. Stella Sutton had posted a grid of nine photos, along with a location tag. The nine photos covered food, clothing, accommodation, and travel. In the center photo was a deeply suggestive composition of a corner in a hotel café. In front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window, the glass reflected a figure sitting with their legs crossed. They were leaning against the sofa with a book resting on their lap. It was only a blurry silhouette; not even their face could be seen clearly. But having been married for seven years, how could Sophie not recognize her own husband?

Stella Sutton’s post read, "The person who loves you will accommodate and satisfy your every passing whim. I said I wanted to visit this city to clear my head, and he never lets my needs wait overnight."

Sophie found it hard to describe her mood at that moment. Was it absurd? Ridiculous? She was like an invisible person. Even getting their divorce certificate could be tossed into the back of his mind. Could nothing compare to satisfying Stella Sutton’s every passing whim?