Chapter 116 Forcibly Moving Back into the Marital Home?

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Forcibly Moving Back into the Marital Home?

Sophie Winslow had thought of many possibilities.

Perhaps Julian Sterling, being in a high position with a myriad of affairs to handle, had an emergency to deal with, and that was why he had to stand her up. This was the only reasonable excuse she could think of.

She never expected the truth to be so absurd.

A vacation—and an impromptu one at that.

He wasn’t even willing to tell her in advance, or go get their documents beforehand. Was he worried she wouldn’t compromise, ruining their beautiful vacation?

Sophie closed her eyes hard. Her chest heaved for a long time before she was forced to calm down.

What was done was done. Dwelling on this was clearly redundant now. Furthermore, Julian Sterling was never the kind of man to give her detailed explanations anyway.

To him, she was a woman who could be neglected—someone who could wait, and wait some more.

Stella Sutton, however, was someone whose every whim had to be satisfied.

"When we were shooting the documentary, we all added each other as friends. I didn’t expect to actually catch the truth this way," Ivy Hawthorne said indignantly while gently patting Sophie’s back.

Stella Sutton didn’t even know how to keep a low profile!

Sophie admitted that she was indeed quite overwhelmed right now. She had originally planned to use her divorce certificate to transfer Lydia’s household registration, officially becoming her legal guardian and completely cutting ties with the Sterling Family. That way, there would be no more sleepless nights worrying about unexpected complications.

But now...

Everything was spiraling out of control. Not only could the divorce be revoked at any time, but it also jeopardized her fight for Lydia’s custody.

"Is it only the birth certificate and things like that that can’t be transferred?" Ivy asked.

Sophie shook her head. "I looked into the process beforehand. The documentation has to be comprehensive. If you’re married, you show a marriage certificate; if you’re divorced, you naturally have to show a divorce certificate. If everyone tried to skip a few steps, the government offices would be in chaos."

She realized that if she hadn’t been in such a rush and had just followed normal procedures, she wouldn’t be in this bind.

"Julian Sterling might not necessarily cooperate with that old lady," Ivy said. "When he gets back, you should discuss it with him. Let him go negotiate with her. He might just hand the divorce certificate to you himself."

It wasn’t just Sophie who wanted the divorce now. Julian Sterling didn’t want any mishaps either.

"He definitely wants to get the documents back by any means necessary," Ivy continued, analyzing the situation logically. "How could he possibly allow the old lady to pull strings behind the scenes and revoke the certificate you two worked so hard to get? That’s the proof of his single status, as well as the proof that Stella Sutton isn’t the other woman. He’s probably more anxious than you are. When the time comes, having him hand it to you personally will mean he is personally severing his father-daughter bond with Lydia once again."

Ivy felt incredibly satisfied at the thought of Julian Sterling handing Sophie the divorce certificate just to legitimize Stella Sutton, thereby finalizing his surrender of Lydia’s custody!

Sophie pondered for a moment and agreed with Ivy’s words. Only then did her restless anxiety ease a little. She didn’t know Julian Sterling’s new number either, so she could only suppress her emotions and wait for his return.

That night, Sophie didn’t go back to her own apartment.

Feeling deeply unsettled, she needed someone’s company to alleviate the immense pressure, so she spent the night at Iris Hawthorne’s.

Her night was plagued by nightmares. She dreamed that the divorce certificate was revoked, that Lydia was discovered, and that she was dragged back into that vortex. When she woke up, she was drenched in sweat.

Ivy had to go to the office early, so she left breakfast for Sophie and headed out.

Sophie eventually decided to drive back to her own apartment. Still harboring a sliver of hope, she intended to ask the authorities if a divorce agreement alone was enough to transfer her child’s household registration.

Have a child with Julian Sterling in their marital home? Impossible!

She locked her car and headed upstairs. The moment she reached her door, Sophie’s face suddenly turned ice-cold.

The apartment door was wide open, and people were walking in and out. She quickly stepped inside, only to find that the place had been mostly emptied.

She grabbed a woman in a company uniform. "What are you doing? This is my home!"

The woman looked surprised. "You didn’t know? We’re a professional moving company commissioned to pack up and deliver everything to a new address. The person who hired us said she was your grandmother."

Without a word, Sophie strode into the master bedroom and hurriedly yanked open the drawers. The divorce agreement, the custody waiver, and even all the prenatal checkup records concerning Lydia were completely gone.

At that moment, Sophie’s vision went dark. A wave of fury and panic washed over her. She knew Madam Sterling was overbearing, but she never expected her to be this tyrannical.

To directly send people to her door and "invite" her back to the marital home!

Sophie didn’t delay for a second. She turned around and drove straight toward the marital home.

Returning to the marital home after such a long time, Sophie didn’t even know the passcode. The old one had been changed by Julian Sterling, so she had to have someone open the door for her.

As soon as she entered the living room, she saw professional moving boxes neatly stacked. They were categorized and labeled. Sophie made a beeline for the document boxes. After rummaging through them and finding those specific papers, her breathing gradually steadied.

Fortunately, this was a professional service company, not Madam Sterling’s personal staff, so they hadn’t snooped through her private belongings. Her secret was safe.

Sophie stuffed the documents directly into her large tote bag. She had thought she could find a way out of it, but Madam Sterling had predicted her resistance and directly "helped" arrange everything for her.

"Ma’am? Please take a rest. We’ll have these things unpacked for you in no time." Ms. Coleman came downstairs with a few people, completely unsurprised to see Sophie.

Sophie discreetly tightened her grip on her bag. "Julian Sterling hasn’t been back?"

While directing the movers, Ms. Coleman replied, "No, Mr. Sterling is busy, so he doesn’t worry much about things at home."

Right. Busy having an affair, oblivious to the house catching fire.

Sophie lowered her eyes. Ultimately, this matter had to be resolved by Julian Sterling. In the end, before her wings were fully fledged, she was nothing more than a sitting duck in front of the Sterling Family—weak and easily manipulated.

Before getting her hands on the divorce certificate, no matter how furious she was, she had to hold her temper. Flipping the table now would only put her at a disadvantage. She understood this reality all too well.

Ms. Coleman clapped her hands and turned back to look at Sophie. Noticing her foul mood, she couldn’t help but offer some earnest advice. "Ma’am, regarding your moving out... do you really think it made any waves with Mr. Sterling?"

She poured Sophie a cup of tea as she continued, "After all this time, Mr. Sterling hasn’t asked about it once. This method of yours just doesn’t work."

So she thought Sophie had moved out just to get Julian Sterling’s attention?

Sophie couldn’t help but laugh out of sheer exasperation. It felt like her brain was being poisoned by such twisted logic. Had she compromised for so long that everyone just assumed she was supposed to back down and submit forever?

"Ma’am, I’m speaking from experience, so I’ll be bold enough to offer some advice. A marriage requires management. Deep down, all men are essentially the same. The only thing that’s real is keeping the tangible benefits in your own hands. As for everything else, you can just turn a blind eye. A high-quality husband like Mr. Sterling...

"To be honest, you’d be hard-pressed to find a catch like him anywhere."