CHAPTER 03: THE MAN WHO CAME LATE

The doorknob turned slowly.

Sophia stood motionless on the balcony, her fingers tightening around the railing as the bedroom door creaked open behind her.

Soft footsteps broke the silence.

Damian Kingsley stepped into the room, loosening his black tie with one hand. His tailored suit was slightly wrinkled after a long night, but he still carried the composed air of a man who never allowed exhaustion to show.

His eyes immediately found Sophia.

She hadn't gone to bed.

The cool breeze lifted the hem of her white nightgown as she stared at the fading city lights, her back turned to him.

For the first time that night, Damian felt something unfamiliar.

Guilt.

"You should be asleep," he said quietly, setting his car keys on the bedside table.

Sophia let out a faint laugh that held no warmth. "Asleep?" she repeated, her voice calm. "Is that what you expected?"

Damian walked toward the balcony and stopped a few steps behind her. "I told you not to wait."

She slowly turned to face him.

The sadness in her eyes made him pause.

"I know," Sophia replied softly. "But I was hoping my husband would remember that yesterday wasn't just another day."

Damian lowered his gaze for a brief second.

"I had an important meeting."

"So did I."

He looked up.

She gave him a bitter smile. "My meeting was with the empty chair across the dinner table," she cleared.

Silence settled between them.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them knew what to say.

Sophia studied the man she had loved for years. His handsome face remained unreadable.

His expensive suit still carried the faint scent of cologne mixed with perfume that wasn't hers, it's the scent of another woman.

She looked away before her heart could break all over again.

"Did you eat?" Damian asked.

The question sounded almost routine.

She nodded. "I did."

It was a lie.

He didn't even notice.

"I'm tired," Damian said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's talk tomorrow."

Sophia looked at him in disbelief.

"Tomorrow?" she whispered but loud enough to hear out her rage. Her quiet voice echoed through the room.

"There is always a tomorrow with you." She took one slow step toward him. "You missed our first anniversary because of a business trip."

He remained silent.

"You missed the second because of an overseas conference."

His jaw tightened.

"And this year..." Her voice trembled despite her effort to stay composed. "You spent it dancing at a charity gala while your wife waited at home."

Damian frowned. "It wasn't like that."

"I saw the photos."

"They don't tell the whole story."

"They told me enough." She reached for her phone and opened the article. Without a word, she held it in front of him.

The photographs filled the screen.

Vanessa smiling beside him.

Camera flashes.

Champagne glasses raised.

The headlines.

Damian's expression darkened. "The media exaggerated it."

"Did they exaggerate that you weren't here?"

He has no answer.

Sophia slipped the phone back into her pocket.

"I never asked you to buy me diamonds."

She looked around the luxurious bedroom.

"I never cared about this mansion."

Her voice softened.

"I only wanted one evening with my husband."

Damian finally met her eyes.

"I'm providing everything you need."

A painful smile crossed Sophia's lips.

"Everything except yourself."

The words struck him harder than he expected. For a moment, he wanted to explain. To tell her about the investors.

The contracts. The pressure of keeping the company afloat. Instead, he remained silent.

That silence hurt Sophia more than any excuse could have. She walked to the bedside table and gently picked up the velvet box that had remained unopened all evening.

"I bought this for you," she said quietly.

Damian accepted the box and opened it.

Inside was a simple silver tie clip engraved with tiny words.

Come Home Safe.

His fingers froze.

It wasn't expensive.

It wasn't luxurious.

It was thoughtful.

Sophia had remembered the smallest details about him.

"I saw you admiring one like this months ago," she explained, forcing a small smile. "I thought... maybe you'd like it."

Damian closed the box slowly. "Thank you."

Two simple words.

Nothing more.

Sophia's heart sank.

She had imagined countless versions of this night. In none of them had it ended with gratitude.

She nodded once. "I'm going to sleep."

As she walked past him, Damian instinctively reached for her wrist.

"Sophia."

She stopped but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry." The apology was quiet.

Almost awkward.

As though he wasn't used to saying it.

Sophia closed her eyes. Those two words should have comforted her. Instead, they only reminded her how late they had come.

She gently pulled her hand free. "I believe you are," she whispered. "But being sorry doesn't give us back the moments we've already lost."

Without another glance, she entered the bedroom and quietly closed the bathroom door behind her.

Damian remained standing on the balcony.

The velvet box rested heavily in his hand.

For the first time in years, the mansion didn't feel like home.

It felt empty.

As dawn painted the horizon with pale shades of gold, Damian looked toward the closed bathroom door.

He told himself they would fix everything tomorrow.

He didn't realize that while he was making plans for tomorrow...

Sophia had already begun letting go of yesterday.