Chapter 177

Ethan is her man. The only man in her life. The father of the child growing inside her.

She couldn’t let anyone take Ethan away.

Especially not the Thornton family. Especially not Isabella.

Sophia’s hatred burned fiercer than ever before.

On the other end of the line, William Thornton was still shouting curses. Sophia stayed silent, listening, until Alexander Kensington snatched the phone away. His voice was calm but urgent. "Sophia, where are you? I’ll come get you."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she cried out, "Alexander, you have to come. You have to. I’m at the alley near my old apartment, next to the public restroom."

"Got it."

"Promise me you’ll come. I’ll wait!" Never before had Sophia felt such desperate need for Alexander’s help.

The call ended. Sophia dragged her two oversized duffel bags into the ATM booth across the street, shutting herself inside.

She watched the street through the glass, heart pounding.

Meanwhile, Alexander pulled his grandfather into the study. "Grandfather, listen to me. Sophia could be Aunt Eleanor’s daughter. Look at her—she resembles her so much!"

He pointed to the faded photograph on the desk. The woman in the image bore an uncanny resemblance to Sophia.

William scoffed. "Impossible! Your aunt would never have a daughter like that. She was too proud to lower herself. If she had been so shameless, she wouldn’t have disappeared for thirty years! The world is full of lookalikes. Sophia is not her daughter!"

Alexander didn’t argue. He turned and left.

"Come back here!" William bellowed, but Alexander was already gone.

He drove straight to the slums where Sophia had said she’d be.

Behind him, William ordered his driver, "Follow him. We must get to that girl before he does. No—I’m coming with you. Drive faster!"

William arrived five minutes earlier. But when he stepped out of the car, Sophia was nowhere in sight. He scanned the area—no sign of her near the restroom or the alley.

Furious, he slammed his fist against the car. "That conniving little witch! I won’t let her manipulate my grandson like she has those other fools!"

Just then, Alexander pulled up. Seeing his grandfather, his expression darkened. "Where is she?"

William sneered. "Too scared to show her face now that I’m here!"

A sudden movement caught their attention. Sophia burst out of the ATM booth, dragging her bags behind her. "Alexander! Hurry, take me to Ethan!"

Alexander yanked open the car door. Sophia threw her bags in and jumped inside. Within seconds, they were speeding away.

As they drove toward Ethan’s wedding venue, Alexander glanced at her. "Tell me—why are you going back to him? What happened?"

He barely knew Sophia, but from the moment they’d met, he’d sensed she was connected to his family. He believed she was his cousin.

That bond made it impossible for him to abandon her.

He didn’t understand why his grandfather refused to see it. Blood called to blood.

Everyone else thought Sophia was trouble. But Alexander didn’t. Partly instinct. Partly what Noah had told him.

Noah had once said, "There aren’t many girls left who’d risk their lives for a friend."

Alexander pressed the accelerator harder. Sophia gripped the seat, her voice tight. "Please, go faster."

He glanced at her. "The wedding isn’t until eleven. Ethan won’t leave before then."

She shook her head. "I can’t wait. I need to stop it before it starts."

"Do you love him?" Alexander asked.

Sophia hesitated.

Love?

She wasn’t sure.

Survival had always come first. But Ethan—his strength, his ruthlessness, his loyalty to his mother, even his sense of duty toward Isabella—it all drew her in.

Most of all, it was instinct. She loved him without reason.

Maybe it was the power he carried. Maybe it was something deeper.

She had run from him before because she believed they could never be together.

But now?

Ethan was hers.

"I’m fighting for love," she said firmly.

Alexander studied her. "You deserve that chance."

"Then drive faster."

He grinned and slammed the gas. The car shot forward like an arrow.

He knew the odds were against her.

But seeing her determination, her courage—he finally understood why Noah had been willing to risk everything for her.

Noah had once told him, "She’s the bravest woman I’ve ever met."

Now, Alexander believed it too.