Chapter 4
Sophie woke to the pale morning sunlight streaming through her bedroom window, her mind heavy with the reality she could no longer ignore. The events of the past weeks—her drunken encounter, the faint line on the pregnancy test, the chaotic emotions—had left her reeling. She couldn't deny the tiny life growing inside her, nor the storm it had brought into her already complicated world.
She dressed quickly in her worn university uniform, her movements mechanical, and prepared for another day. The corridors of the university were bustling with students, their laughter and chatter a stark contrast to the quiet anxiety she carried. Whispers followed her wherever she went, fueled by the rumors she had tried so desperately to ignore. Every glance felt like an accusation, every snicker a reminder that she no longer fit the life she once knew.
Her mind, however, was partly elsewhere. She couldn't stop thinking about Alexander. The memory of that night—the warmth of his hand, the brief, fleeting tenderness before the haze of alcohol took over—haunted her. She hated herself for thinking about him, yet the truth was undeniable: she felt a strange, unwanted pull toward him, even though she knew it was complicated beyond repair.
By the time her afternoon classes ended, Sophie was drained. She knew she had to report to the Golden Crown Hotel for her part-time job as a maid. The thought of seeing Alexander in the daylight, sober and composed, tightened her chest with a mixture of fear and curiosity. How would he act? Would he acknowledge what had happened, or pretend it was a mistake neither of them could remember clearly?
Walking through the polished lobby, she spotted him almost immediately. Alexander stood by the reception, his tailored suit immaculate, his expression unreadable. For a moment, their eyes met, and Sophie's heart jumped. He gave her a small nod, a gesture so ordinary it should have been harmless, yet it sent a ripple of tension through her.
Sophie forced herself to focus on her duties, tidying rooms, arranging linens, and carrying trays with careful precision. Alexander, meanwhile, was occupied with meetings and phone calls, his presence a constant shadow she couldn't escape. Yet, in the quiet moments—when she passed him in the hallway, when he entered the room for a brief check—she caught fleeting glimpses of something softer beneath his stern exterior, a hint that he too was navigating this new reality.
By the end of her shift, exhaustion had settled into her bones. Still, there was a strange sense of anticipation she couldn't shake. Life had changed, drastically and irrevocably, and Sophie knew that neither she nor Alexander could return to the way things had been. The journey ahead was uncertain, filled with complications she had never imagined, but one truth remained clear: whatever lay ahead, it would be impossible to face alone.