Her Divorce, His Downfall (Sophia and Damian) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Actually, the first time Elaine brought Sophia to the Hall Residence, he noticed her immediately.

She was soft and sweet, dressed like a little princess, and he was

drawn to her at once.

He wanted to play with her.

But she ignored him and stayed glued to Bella instead.

So he came up with a plan. At least, what he thought was a foolproof plan.

If she wouldn’t pay attention to him, then he’d just bully her.

And somehow, it worked.

Sophia would get so mad she’d yell at the top of her lungs and chase him all over the yard.

If she caught him, her little fists would start pounding against him. If she couldn’t, she’d break into loud, messy tears.

And the second she cried, his cold, distant uncle Julian—who usually ignored everyone-would come out, pick her up, and coax her gently.

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That was how they spent more than ten years-bickering, fighting, stumbling their way through it-until in the end, he used every trick he had to make her his wife.

He watched her go from hating him without really understanding him, to getting used to him, to accepting him… and finally, little by little, falling in love with him.

And now… she hated him.

She had been there through the most unforgettable years of his life—his childhood, his teenage years, his youth.

He had clung to her since he was young.

What started as childish mischief had slowly become the greatest joy of his life.

He thought he loved her.

No-he knew he did.

If time could turn back, he would rather have been the one who died that night.

At least then, he wouldn’t have lost her.

But life didn’t work that way.

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Reality was cruel like that.

For the past three years of their marriage, the cold, untouchable New York City heir the public knew… had been nothing like that in private.

Every night, he clung to his wife, always wanting to hold her, to kiss her, as if he could never get enough.

In bed, he was passionate and reckless-overwhelming. Again and again, he lost himself in her, sometimes even forgetting to care about how she felt…

Too many intimate memories came rushing back at once.

His chest tightened, a sharp pain spreading through him.

Damian’s body went rigid. His heart trembled-down to the very tips of his fingers.

In the end, he covered his eyes with his hand, letting the salty tears seep into his palm.

The news of Sophia’s death in the fire had been deliberately kept from the rest of the Hall family.

But Bella, with a news anchor’s instincts, picked up on

something wrong from bits and pieces scattered across different reports.

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She called Liam, pressing him for answers-who was the woman who died in the fire?

At first, Liam refused to say anything, dodging every question she threw at him.

Until Bella played her trump card—if he wouldn’t tell her, she’d go straight to Damian herself.

Liam’s expression shifted, his heart sinking.

He still couldn’t forget the murderous intensity radiating from Damian back in the hospital room.

And with Damian not fully recovered yet, he didn’t dare let Bella go and disturb him.

Left with no other choice… he finally admitted that the one who died was Sophia.

Bella’s face turned deathly pale the moment she heard.

The news struck her like lightning.

Tears spilled out uncontrollably, her fingers trembling so badly she could barely hold onto her phone.

Liam kept warning her not to tell any of the Hall family elders—

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otherwise, Gloria would beat Damian to death sooner or later.

Bella choked out a broken “okay” before hanging up.

She couldn’t bring herself to accept it.

How could Sophia have died just like that…?

What really happened that night?

Two quiet tears slid down Bella’s cheeks as she sat there, her face tense with pain.

After a long moment…

She knew there was someone she had to tell.

******

Meanwhile, Weston was in Atlanta discussing a film project when one of his men rushed in with news-

Stella had been arranged by her agent to attend a dinner tonight, accompanying several big names in the industry.

And for some reason… she’d been drinking nonstop.

Weston went rigid.

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He didn’t waste another second-excused himself and headed straight for the restaurant.

******

Larkspur. VIP private room.

After Bella’s call earlier that day, Stella had been out of it the

entire time.

“Sophia is dead?”

The words hit her like a spike driven straight into her mind.

Her throat tightened, like something was lodged there. Every breath hurt.

She clutched at her chest, gasping, tears spilling uncontrollably.

The girl who used to smile, loop her arm through hers, and softly say-

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

How could she just… be gone?

It felt like something had been torn out of Stella’s chest.

The pain was so sharp she could barely breathe.

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Her phone slipped from her trembling fingers.

Just then-

Her ringtone cut through the silence.

It was her agent, Darell Lamb.

“Dinner at Larkspur. Seven tonight. Be there,” he said, flat and

emotionless.

Stella parted her lips, but no sound came out.

On the other end, Darell’s tone turned impatient.

“Stella, don’t forget-you’re barely anyone in this industry. I put in real effort to get you this chance. Don’t make things difficult for me.”

“…Got it.” Her voice came out hoarse.

She slowly stood and walked to the mirror.

Her face was pale, tear tracks crossing messily over her cheeks.

Her hand trembled as she picked up a powder puff—

But the moment it touched her skin, fresh tears fell, ruining

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