Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 446 "Are you Mila?" The voice was sharp, almost cutting. Mila instinctively took a step back, rubbed her forehead, and looked up-only to meet a pair of piercing, red-rimmed eyes.

It was a woman.

At a formal dinner, no less, and she had a slim cigarette dangling from her lips.

She was tall, dressed in a deep crimson suit that made her look as untouchable as a queen. Her gaze was intense, sweeping over Mila from head to toe, assessing and cold. Her perfectly manicured nails, painted a tic scarlet, pinched the cigarette as she leaned in, smoke curling around her like a warning. The closeness, the coolness in her voice, made the question even more pointed.

"Are you Mila?" "Yes." Mila nodded.

The smoke hit her in the face. It wasn't the harsh, acrid kind-more like the crisp bite of menthol-but Mila still wrinkled her nose and edged away.

She hated the smell of smoke.

Any kind.

"Who are you?" Mila asked, certain she'd never seen this woman before. Giselle's warning about someone coming to give her a hard tflashed through her mind, and she frowned.

Did this intimidating woman know Giselle? Was this the trouble Giselle had mentioned? Before Mila could puzzle it out, Giselle hurried over, grabbing the woman's crimson jacket sleeve, her tone suddenly sweet.

"Sophia, you made it!" "Mm." The woman barely spared Giselle a glance, her attention locked back on Mila, her expression growing even frostier. She extended her cigarette-holding hand toward Mila, her voice as chilly and light as falling snow.

"First tmeeting. I'm Sophia Pembroke." "Julian's mother." Mila froze. Wait-Julian's mother? The woman who'd made headlines for killing her cheating husband and spending six years in prison? She- She was out? No, wait. Mila remembered now-Sophia had been released last year, but with all of Mila's travel, their paths had never crossed. Until now.

Mila instinctively took another step back.

Was it her imagination, or did the menthol smoke only half-mask something darker a faint, metallic tang that clung to the air? There was no doubt in her mind- This woman had really killed someone.

"Ms. Pembroke." Leonard stepped forward, inserting himself between Mila and Sophia.

"Move." Sophia's tone was flat, but there was nothing soft about her presence. Her gaze, if possible, grew sharper, more dangerous.

The two faced off, silent and icy, neither one willing to budge.

Mila took a deep breath.

She gently pulled Leonard aside and stepped forward, eyeing Sophia's outstretched hand, still holding the cigarette. Her voice was calm. "Sorry, I don't like the smell of smoke." She refused to take the handshake.

Sophia regarded her for a long moment, then let her hand drop. The cigarette fell to the floor, and with a smooth motion, her black patent heel snuffed it out. She offered her hand again. "Sophia." "Mila." This time, Mila shook it.

"I know," Sophia said.

Without warning, Sophia's grip tightened. She yanked Mila closer until there was barely any space between them-close enough for Mila to feel the chill of Sophia's breath, tinged with menthol and something else, something that made her skin prickle.

"Mila, is it?" Sophia's voice was low, curling around her ear. "I hear you've been taking very good care of my ungrateful son. So good, in fact, that he hardly remembers his own mother. Impressive. Really impressive." Well.

So much for a friendly chat.

Mila let out an inward sigh, ready to explain, but Sophia was suddenly pulled away by a flash of movement and a man's angry voice cut in.

"Sophia! What are you doing?" Nathaniel had just arrived, eyes blazing as he hauled his not-even-a-year-out-of- prison sister back and immediately turned to Mila, apologizing in a rush.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "My sister's only been out a short time-she's still getting used to people. If she's offended you in any way, I sincerely apologize!" Sophia smacked the back of his head with a sharp, "Who are you calling out of line?"

She turned her gaze back to Mila, her stare unblinking. "Mila, my idiot son misses you, Drop by the house sometime-after all... we'll be seeing plenty of each other." She smiled, lips curling, but her eyes were pure ice.

With that, she turned and walked away.

Giselle shot Mila a wicked grin, the malice clear in her eyes, then hurried after Sophia. "Wait up, Sophia!" "...Sorry," Nathaniel said again, looking genuinely embarrassed. "She's... misunderstood a few things. I'll talk to her and bring her over to apologize properly..."

Mila just stared, at a loss. How exactly was he going to explain any of this? If it were that easy, they'd ON 1. they ch have sorted it out months ago. sorted it out Clearly Sophia had made up her mind, and Mila doubted anything would change it now. After all this time, it wasn't as if Sophia didn't know why Julian couldn't recognize her as his mother. Unbelievable.

Mila took a steadying breath, pushing down her frustration. "How's Julian? Still having trouble recognizing his mom?" Nathaniel nodded awkwardly.

A year ago, to keep Julian away from Sophia after her release, Nathaniel had sent the boy to stay with their mother abroad, where he'd received stherapy and medication.

It hadn't helped much.

But at least Julian was more stable now.

Nathaniel had hoped things would finally settle down, but then Sophia, for reasons no one understood, had flown overseas herself. He'd thought she didn't care about the boy, but after barely any tout of prison, she'd tracked Julian down only for Julian to reject her completely. That had blown up into a disaster. Fed up, their mother had sent everyone home.

"So, um..." Nathaniel hesitated, weighing whether to ask for too much, then settled for a warning. "Julian's back here now, going to school. If you run into my sister again... just ignore her, please."