Hearts Remember What Minds Try To Forget by Rex Wilder 36

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In the villa living room, Ethan leaned against the wall, a cigarette burning down to its filter held between his fingers. Smoke curled around him, blurring the turbulent emotions in his eyes. 

Meanwhile, Robert and Margaret sat on the sofa, waiting anxiously. 

Even though Ethan said Liam wasn’t his biological son, Margaret had held onto a sliver of hope and gotten a paternity test. The results were disappointing, leaving her only hope now resting on the child in Sophia’s womb. 

After what felt like an eternity, his assistant finally rushed in, handing Ethan a sealed file. Ethan took it expressionlessly but didn’t open it right away. 

Ethan’s mom, on the other hand, rushed over, practically tearing the sealed envelope open with trembling hands. When she saw the results, she let out a bloodcurdling shriek and fainted. The envelope slipped from her grasp and hit the floor. Ethan’s dad quickly scooped her up and rushed her to the hospital. 

Ethan watched it all, cold as ice, like he was just observing some pathetic drama unfold. 

He bent down, picked up the envelope, and headed toward the room where Sophia was being held. 

Inside, Sophia was on edge, practically vibrating with anxiety, waiting for the results. 

She was sure the baby in her belly was Ethan’s. But the way he’d looked at her before–like he wanted to kill her–still sent shivers down her spine. This baby… it was her last shield. She looked down at her slightly rounded stomach. 

“Baby, Mom’s entire future is riding on you! You 

on you! You gotta be strong for me.” 

A “click” and the sound of the door opening made Sophia snap her head up. 

The moment she saw Ethan, looking unnervingly calm, a flicker of hope ignited in her eyes. 

Ethan must have really wanted this baby. He must have forgiven her, right? The baby was innocent, after all… 

She forced herself to stay calm, plastering on a fragile, teary smile. Her voice quivered. 

“Ethan, I messed up. I was stupid, but it was only because I love you so much. I loved you so much I lost my mind. Can we just start over, with our baby?” 

Ethan didn’t answer. He just handed the file to Sophia. 

Sophia eyed him, a sharp pang of unease twisting in her gut. 

Her hands trembled as she pulled out the report, flipping straight to the last page. 

The next second, her face went ghost–white. Her legs gave out, and she crumpled to the floor. The report fluttered down beside her. 

“PATERNITY EXCLUDED.” Those two words utterly shattered Sophia’s last shred of hope. 

“No way! This is impossible!” she shrieked, her voice cracking.“This report has to be fake! Ethan, you gotta believe me! This baby is absolutely yours! I’ve only ever been with you! How could it not be your kid?!” 

She scrambled forward, desperate to grab Ethan’s arm. 

“Ethan, let’s do it again! There has to be something wrong with these results!” 

“Do it again?” Ethan’s voice was arctic. 

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He looked down at her, a cruel, cold smirk twisting his lips. “Do it a hundred times, and the result will still be ‘paternity excluded.” 

Sophia snapped her head up, meeting Ethan’s dark, bottomless eyes. 

A horrifying thought exploded in her mind, sending a chill through her. Her lips trembled as she whispered, 

“Ethan… was it you? Did you… tamper with it?!” 

Ethan didn’t deny it. He slowly, deliberately walked closer to Sophia, savoring the despair that was starting to bloom in her eyes. 

The sheer pressure made Sophia instinctively back away until she hit the cold wall. 

Ethan reached out and brutally grabbed Sophia’s chin, forcing her to look up at him. 

“Why?” Sophia cried out, tears streaming down her face, asking in disbelief. 

“Why?” Ethan repeated Sophia’s words, his voice low, filled with a chilling coldness that went straight to her bones. 

His fingers tightened suddenly, the grip so strong that Sophia yelped in pain, deep fear flashing in her eyes. 

“Sophia, you really thought you could get away with it, just because of this bastard in your belly?” 

“Let me help you remember everything.” 

“How did you scheme? How did you use this bastard to fool me completely? How did you use him again and again to push Ella to the 

brink?” 

His other hand grazed her swollen belly, the movement seemingly gentle, but it sent shivers down her spine. 

“You made her watch you move in, watch you and your bastard child slowly take over our home.” 

“You let her get force–fed mangoes by my mom, almost dying.” 

“You dragged her into the pool, then accused her of pushing you.” 

“You egged on your bastard child to frame her for pushing someone, making her kneel in the hospital, slap marks on her face, in front of everyone!” 

With every word he spoke, his grip tightened, Sophia’s jaw felt like it was about to shatter. She was in too much pain to speak, only letting out whimpers. 

“Because of you and that bastard,” Ethan’s eyes were terrifyingly dark, his voice a guttural whisper, laced with an ocean of hatred. “How much pain and humiliation did Ella suffer? Huh? Sophia, tell me, how am I going to make you pay for all of this?” 

“Ethan, I just love you too much! Ella’s already divorced you, so can’t we just be a happy family of three now? Ethan, I’m the one who’s truly meant for you!” Sophia wasn’t giving up, making one last desperate plea. 

But Ethan threw Sophia off him like she was something dirty, tossing her onto the ground. Then he called for the bodyguards. 

“Take her to the pool.” 

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