Chapter 43

Lauren's POV

The moment I saw who was standing in front of me, my entire body went cold. My stomach turned violently, like I’d swallowed acid. A wave of nausea rushed through me, and my skin began to crawl as if it were trying to escape my own bones. My hand twitched uncontrollably by my side, an involuntary reaction from the anger bubbling inside me. I had to clench my fists tightly to stop myself from acting on the violent thought already forming in my head, grabbing the nearest object and smashing it into her face over and over until the rage inside me was gone.

There she stood, Sofia.

Ethan’s mistress.

The woman who had destroyed everything.

I hadn’t seen her since that day at the office, the day I’d come face-to-face with the cold reality of the betrayal that had shattered my world. Back then, it took every ounce of self-control I had to not break down in front of her. And now, she had the audacity to show up here, in front of me,