3. Necklace

Sophia frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. And if you have no business here, you'd better not bother me!" Albert snapped before his hand moved to close the door. But Sophia quickly stopped him with her foot.

"I brought you breakfast," Sophia said.

"Ah yes, tell Dana that I probably won't be coming down to eat today."

Sophia was not easily deterred. As Albert was about to close the door again, she blocked his way. "Here's your breakfast!" Sophia insisted.

Albert sighed, giving Sophia an exasperated look, then raised his hand to take the tray from her. But Sophia pushed it away. He clicked his tongue in increasing annoyance.

"Give me that-"

"Your hand," Sophia cut in, noticing Albert's hand was trembling. She knew he wouldn't be able to lift the tray without spilling the contents.

Albert once again let out a resigned sigh and opened the door wider. "Bring it inside."

Without being told twice, Sophia walked into Albert's room and gasped slightly at the man's scent that lingered through in the air. She tried to focus and placed the tray on the nightstand.

When she turned around, Albert was sitting on the edge of the bed, closing his eyes with his breath hitching.

Sophia instinctively approached, and pressed her palm against Albert's forehead. Albert didn’t resist or open his eyes to Sophia's touch.

"You have a fever," Sophia said.

Albert responded with a mumble, then lifted his hand to cup Sophia's hand against his face. "Your hand feels cold," he murmured.

Sophia was surprised by the touch, reflexively letting go of his hand. "You'd better lie down," she said, gently pushing Albert's shoulder to make him lie back on the bed.

Albert must have been in so much pain that he didn't notice anything. Even when Sophia wiped his sweaty face with her hand, Albert remained unfazed, eyes still closed. Under normal circumstances, Albert probably wouldn't have allowed her to touch him like this.

Sophia left with the breakfast tray, still thinking about what to make. The one thing Sophia knew how to cook was porridge, mostly because she always messed up rice and ended up making porridge instead. So, she made Albert porridge and a glass of milk.

When she returned to his room, Albert was still lying as he had been. Sophia tried to wake him up so he could eat and take his medicine. But instead of waking up, Albert winced and growled loudly, then his hand brushed off the tray out of her hands so that everything splattering onto the floor.

With her mouth gaping and eyes wide, Sophia stared at the mess and then glared at Albert who didn't seem to realize what he had done.

Sophia calmed herself down and chose to clean the dirty floor with patience. Her carelessness resulted in a cut on her finger from the broken bowl, but she didn't flinch and continued to clean the floor.

When she finished, she fetched a basin of water and a small towel to compress Albert’s forehead.

"If you weren’t in so much pain, I wouldn’t be doing all this," Sophia muttered, wringing the towel hard before pressing it to Albert’s forehead. Seeing his tortured face made Sophia even more heartless. But slowly, after several compresses, Albert's expression softened and he finally fell asleep.

Sophia sat beside him, watching his face. In this peaceful state, he looked nothing like the man she had married.

Sophia’s thoughts drifted back five years.

She remembered the pain and despair she felt that night, almost threw herself into the cold sea at night, if only Albert had not come to interrupt her and engage her in conversation.

At the time, Sophia knew Albert was simply bored and needed someone to talk to. But to her, he was a lifeline. She had never been noticed or cared for by anyone, not even by her own family—her mother, father, two sisters, and brother. Despite being with them, she had always felt invisible.

But Albert's presence that night gave Sophia a different meaning. Albert engaged her in conversation, asking Sophia many questions. And for the first time in her life, Sophia was listened to.

Before parting, Albert had given her a small box from his coat pocket. When Sophia opened it, she was stunned for a moment.

It was a beautiful dandelion necklace.

"I saw it in a jewelry store and was immediately drawn to it," Albert said.

"I didn’t know a man like you had a taste for women’s jewelry," Sophia said with teary eyes as her fingertips touched the dandelion's pendant.

Albert smiled, his smile mesmerizing. "Yes, I was going to give it to someone I thought was special, but she didn't have the courage that a dandelion should have."

Sophia looked at him. "Then why me?" she asked, her voice shaky with emotion.

Albert wiped away her tears and smiled. "Because you were about to jump," he replied simply.

Maybe to Albert it was just a small gesture to a skinny girl who was ugly, pale, and filled with despair, ready to jump off the ship at any moment. But for Sophia, it had been life-changing.

She placed her hand on her chest, feeling the dandelion pendant tucked beneath her loose T-shirt. She had never taken the necklace off her neck, keeping it hidden under every piece of clothing she wore, because Sophia never wanted Albert to see it.

The necklace had become a symbol of strength, a reminder of courage.

Sophia gazed at Albert’s face with a sad look, then brushing his hair slowly.

So much had changed about this man that Sophia could hardly recognize him anymore. Albert had long forgotten their meeting that night, when Sophia could never forget him.

And that... is why, despite the pain, Sophia chose to stay in this marriage.

***