Chapter 228 Moving Out of the Marital Home

Chapter 228: Chapter 228: Moving Out of the Marital Home

Reaching the doorway, Sophie took a sudden, deep breath. She leaned against a decorative pine tree, hunching over as she gasped for air. It felt like surviving a disaster. The prolonged oppression had finally found a moment of respite, and the sensation of drowning day after day—the absolute terror of impending death—vanished in an instant.

She clutched the divorce certificate tightly against her chest. With this in hand, her Lydia would never be snatched away from her again. The nightmare that had haunted her for so long was finally giving way to daylight. Tears welled up in Sophie’s eyes.

She urgently called Adrian Hawthorne, who was currently abroad, entirely forgetting about the time zone difference. After a few rings, Adrian answered. His clear, deep voice traveled halfway across the globe before reaching her ear. "Sophie? Did something happen?"

It was already the middle of the night where he was. Sophie rarely contacted him, mostly sticking to WhatsApp out of a sense of boundaries; she never wanted to bother him too much. For her to call at such an hour, he figured something significant must have occurred.

Sophie frantically wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, struggling to steady her voice. "Mr. Hawthorne, roughly when will you be able to return to the country?"

Adrian’s tone softened. "Next month. The Hawthorne Family resort is opening—it’s the completion of the Hawthorne Family’s most important major project. I’ll be flying back to attend. Why?"

Sophie calculated the time in her head. It was quite soon. Now that she had the divorce certificate, she didn’t have to worry about any unexpected complications. She was just one step away. The agreement relinquishing custody rights would soon take effect.

Unable to help herself, Sophie laughed through her tears. "I got the divorce certificate."

With those simple words, Adrian instantly understood the reason for her call. She was officially divorced. She could now wait for his return to handle the transfer of Lydia’s household registration.

Sophie was divorced. Adrian fell silent for a moment. Oblivious to the shift in his emotions, Sophie repeated, "I’m divorced, Mr. Hawthorne. I’ll wait for you to come back."

Not far away, a car pulled to a stop. Julian Sterling stepped out of the vehicle, his tall, slender figure casting a long shadow on the ground. Across the open space, Sophie’s final sentence drifted into his ears word for word.

He cast a sidelong glance in her direction. Sophie was clutching the divorce certificate tightly, her cheeks still stained with fresh tears, joyfully informing the man on the other end of the line that she was single again.

Standing rooted to the spot for a moment, Julian coldly looked away. Without a backward glance, he walked into the courtyard.

Sophie hadn’t noticed Julian. She only heard Adrian’s earnest voice. "Congratulations, Sophie."

Sensing her happiness, they set a date to handle the paperwork, and Sophie subsequently left the Sterling family’s old manor. She couldn’t wait to gather all the necessary documents and certificates for Lydia’s household registration transfer. It was better to prepare early than to face delays later on. Sophie had gone over the procedural requirements countless times, so she had a perfectly clear plan mapped out in her head.

Aside from that, there was another matter of vital importance: she could finally move out of their marital home. She no longer had to endure Madam Sterling’s coercion or fulfill the unreasonable demand of leaving a child for the Sterling Family.

In the afternoon, Sophie drove back to the house. She had no idea about Tristan Thorne’s current situation and hadn’t heard a single rumor, nor did she have the time to care. Her priority was to move out. And... she needed to at least say thank you to Julian. No matter how terrible their relationship was, it was a fact that Julian had saved her and brawled with Tristan. She owed him that much basic courtesy.

She had assumed Julian wouldn’t be home. But when she walked through the door, she saw him just coming downstairs. He cast a mild glance her way, offering a casual word of concern. "Why didn’t you stay in the hospital for another day?"

Sophie glanced up toward the second floor, where her luggage was kept. "My body is fine. There’s no need to waste time."

She opened her mouth again, the word "thanks" right on the tip of her tongue.

Julian descended the stairs to pour himself a glass of water, nodding slightly. "It seems you have your own understanding of priorities. You didn’t hesitate to go on a blind date just to get the divorce certificate, and now you disregard your recovery just to have it in your hands."

His voice was smooth and his words indifferent. He was merely stating facts. Then, he shot her an inquisitive look. "Is the divorce certificate more important than your personal dignity?"

The gratitude Sophie had been about to express caught sharply in her throat. Even if Julian was just stating the facts, the words carried a completely different meaning to her ears. What she had endured was not voluntary; it was both emotional and physical trauma. Yet, Julian’s "facts" felt like a sharp blade plunging into her at that moment.

Even a stranger would have offered some comfort at a time like this. But Julian possessed no such warmth. His objective recounting was, at its core, pure apathy.

Slowly swallowing back her thanks, Sophie raised her armor once more. "It is important. It’s the only thing that proves we’re no longer husband and wife, and that brings me a lot of peace of mind."

She returned his hidden barb. It wasn’t that she lacked dignity; she was simply desperate to sever their marital ties.

Julian fell silent for a second. Holding his water glass, he stared at her quietly. She had always been stubborn, her face utterly expressionless. If not for the glaring bruises on her neck, she might have exuded a bit more authority. Instead, as she stood there now, she radiated aggression despite her obvious vulnerability.

Julian didn’t say anything further, choosing not to argue.

Sophie was equally straightforward about her intentions. "I’m planning to move out. Today."

Julian finally turned back to look at her. But before he could respond, his phone rang. The sharp, piercing chime of a video call filled the air. He glanced at the screen, and Sophie caught a glimpse of it as well—Stella Sutton’s profile picture was flashing.

Lowering his gaze, Julian walked toward the door with his phone in hand. "Hm. Suit yourself. You don’t need to inform me."

He didn’t offer any opinions, let alone try to convince her to stay or express any reluctance to see her go. He didn’t want to waste his time on such matters with her, especially when he had Stella’s video call to answer.

It was exactly as Sophie had expected. By unspoken mutual agreement, neither of them attached any significance to an event that supposedly could have brought them closer. She swallowed her gratitude, and he harbored no guilt toward her, despite it all being Madam Sterling’s arrangement.

Without turning back, Sophie headed upstairs. She dragged out all the unpacked suitcases that had been sitting in her walk-in closet. Only by leaving immediately would she feel at ease. Because from this moment on, she was no longer Mrs. Sterling. She had completely drawn a line between herself and Julian; they were now strangers.

Ms. Coleman looked like she wanted to say something, but Sophie acted as though she hadn’t noticed. She hired a moving company and had everything transported back to her apartment.

While Sophie was unpacking, her WhatsApp chimed non-stop: DING DING DING.

She glanced over and saw they were messages from Ivy Hawthorne—well over a dozen of them. The very first was a link to X.

Ivy’s frantic phone call came through next. Her first words were, "Sophie, the media published photos of you and Julian ’kissing’ and hugging! It’s blowing up!"

Sophie’s heart skipped a heavy beat. She immediately clicked the link. The headline was incredibly eye-catching:

Sterling Corp’s Mr. Sterling and Wife Remain Deeply in Love After Years of Marriage—

The first thing she saw was a high-definition photo. She was nestled in Julian’s arms, and he was cradling her face with one hand, giving her a soothing, gentle kiss. Even though her face wasn’t visible... alarm bells still rang wildly in Sophie’s head.

If Lydia saw this—her own child, who knew her mother best—she would definitely recognize that Julian’s wife was her!

And if that happened, her true parentage...