The Substitute's Contract: Seven Days to Reset My Life

Chapter 24

Ethan Smith’s voice was like a glass of tepid water—devoid of warmth, devoid of emotion.

Sophia Sinclair’s nails dug deep into her palms. She stared greedily at the face that was both familiar and foreign, every contour carved into her heart like a knife’s edge.

"Ethan..." Her voice trembled. "Do you... truly love them?"

The man’s brow furrowed slightly, as if she had asked something absurd. "Grace Sullivan is my lawfully wedded wife. Emily is the daughter I cherish above all else." He let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "Did you expect me to turn back and love a woman who only saw me as a replacement?"

The words struck like a slap, sending Sophia stumbling backward.

Luna Smith suddenly lunged forward, clutching his sleeve. "Dad! I know I was wrong!" Her tears fell in heavy drops onto the floor. "Please, just give me one more chance!"

Ethan slowly pulled his arm free. "Ms. Sinclair. Miss Smith." He took a polite step back. "Have some dignity."

The private room’s door burst open.

"Sophia!" A heavily made-up woman barged in. "Alexander Huxley is back in the country! When are you going to dump this useless—" Her voice cut off abruptly.

The air froze.

A mocking smile curled at Ethan’s lips. He adjusted his cuff and walked out without a backward glance.

"Ethan!" Sophia shrieked. "How can you be so cruel? Ten years—and you’d just throw it all away?"

Snowflakes drifted silently outside.

Beneath the pavilion, Grace was adjusting her daughter’s scarf. Emily looked up, her eyes lighting up instantly. "Daddy!"

The ice in Ethan’s expression melted away. He strode forward, scooping his daughter into one arm and taking his wife’s hand with the other.

"It’s snowing. Let’s go home."

Behind them, a heart-wrenching sob tore through the air. None of the three looked back.

Three years later, on a rainy night, a lawyer knocked on the Smith family’s door.

"Ms. Sinclair and Miss Smith... were killed in a car accident." The lawyer handed over a file. "This is their entire estate."

Ethan stood by the window, watching raindrops trace paths down the glass. He remembered Sophia’s bloodshot eyes the last time he saw her.

"Donate it," he said softly.

Outside, the rain stopped. A crescent moon climbed silently into the branches.

[The End]