Always A Better Replacement

Sofia's POV

“Are you done embarrassing me, Sofia? Because I’m done.”

That was the first thing I heard as I stepped into the living room, still peeling off my heels and still thinking about how badly my back hurt and how all I needed was a cup of tea and five quiet minutes.

Instead, I got a stack of papers thrown right into my face. Literally thrown.. not tossed and definitely not handed. Thrown.

“What the... Santoro, are you crazy?” I joked, grabbing at the papers on my chest before they fell. They fell anyway.

“I’m not taking this anymore,” he said in a cold and calm voice. Calm in that annoying way he always used when he wanted to feel powerful.

I stared at him at his curly dark hair and those stupid soft dimples that once made me blush. He stood there like he was the injured saint of the house. Meanwhile I was standing by the door, smelling like office printer ink.

I dropped my bag on the couch and bent down to gather the fallen papers. 

“What is this nonsense?” I mumbled, flipping through them and halfway into page two, my eyes widened.

No. No way. No fucking way!

I read the words again just to be sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me and then I looked up slowly, like a horror movie character about to scream.

“Santoro. These are divorce letters.”

“Yeah,” he said simply. “I’m tired.”

“Tired,” I repeated in the utmost shock. “You’re tired. You’re tired of what? This marriage? Me? What exactly are you tired of? Breathing? Thinking? Being a human being?!”

He crossed his arms. 

“The wedding, the marriage.. everything.”

I laughed cause.. What else could I have done? 

“You’re tired? You? Santoro, if anyone should be tired, it’s me! Cause I carried this whole marriage on my back like a donkey!”

I held up the papers. 

“What does this even mean?! You want a divorce out of the blue?”

He didn’t say a word. He just stared at me with those empty black eyes.

“You know what?” I stepped closer. “No, say it. Say what made you wake up and think, ‘Ah yes, today I will destroy my wife’s life.’”

Still nothing from him so I kept talking because when I’m upset, my mouth refuses to shut up.

“I used my money to help you!” I shouted. “When you were broke, who paid your debts? Me. Who covered your mother’s hospital bills when she hurt her back? Me!”

My voice cracked and I hated that. I hated sounding weak in front of him.

“I sacrificed everything for you, Santoro. Everything. Hell, I’m the one who got you the job you’re managing right now. You’d be nothing without...”

“Stop shouting like a market woman,” a harsh voice snapped from behind me.

I didn’t even have to turn around because I knew that voice too well.

Lady Marta. My delightful mother-in-law. (Heavy sarcasm.)

The woman walked in with her face permanently stuck in that disapproving expression she wore every time she looked at me.

“Sofia,” she scolded, “why are you making noise in this house? I just returned from my prayer group. I don’t want to hear your loud voice.”

I held the divorce papers in front of her. 

“Your son is serving me divorce papers! Should I clap for him instead?!”

She actually smiled with a tiny little wicked smile. 

“Good. It’s about time my son did the right thing.”

I blinked at her in surprise. 

“You… what?”

Before I could process that insanity, footsteps echoed through the hallway and a young woman walked into the room.

She was pretty… very pretty with long hair, perfect lips, small waist and wearing a really expensive dress. I recognized her instantly.

Lucia Eduardo. Daughter of Mayor Manuel Eduardo. A golden child and a politician’s princess.

“What is she doing here?” I asked sharply.

Lady Marta smiled like she had rehearsed it in the mirror. 

“This is Lucia. The young lady Santoro will be marrying.”

My jaw dropped. 

“Excuse me?! Marrying? Are you people mad in this house? Is this a prank? Hidden cameras? Where?”

No one answered and instead, Lucia walked right up to my husband... my husband... and wrapped her arms around him like she was claiming a prize she won at an auction and she placed a hand over her stomach. 

“Baby, are you sure we should be doing this now? I didn’t want to stress myself out because of the pregnancy…”

Preg... what? Pregnancy?

I felt my stomach fall straight to my feet. 

“She’s pregnant?” I asked with my voice now weak.

Lucia smiled proudly. 

“Of course.”

Lady Marta clasped her hands like she was announcing a miracle. 

“Finally, a real woman can give my son a child. Something you wouldn’t do.”

That comment really stabbed a clean hole through my heart and I winced. 

“I couldn’t,” I whispered. “And you know that.”

Santoro still said nothing. He stood there like he was made from stone while these two witches did all the talking.

“Say something!” I screamed at him. “You’re just standing there letting your mother speak for you again? Why?! Because you’re still her little boy?”

His jaw twitched. 

“Just pick the damn papers and sign, Sofia.”

I stared at him in disbelief and disappointment. My mouth opened, closed and opened again.

“Oh. Wow. So this is how you want to do it.”

He didn’t even blink so I tried one last time. Not for him, but for me.

“I did everything for you, Santoro. Not just you... your entire family. I used the influence of my family too even when they warned me you’d ruin my life.”

His eyes turned sharp. 

“Yeah, but you’re not the golden daughter anymore, are you? Your family kicked you out. You were cast and now look... you’re useless without them!”

I froze.

“So that’s what this is,” I whispered. “You think I’m useless now.”

Lady Marta snorted. 

“Weren’t you? Running to us with your tail between your legs after your parents shut their doors on you.”

Lucia smirked. 

“Some people are not meant for important families. It’s okay, Sofia. Not everyone can rise to the top. Some remain where they belong.”

I turned to Santoro again. 

“And you agree with them?”

He shrugged with both hands tucked in his pockets.

I felt something inside me crumble quietly and almost politely like a tired piece finally giving way and my hands shook but my voice stayed steady.

“You know what?” I said. “Fine.”

I picked up the papers again. My eyes blurred but I blinked the tears away. I’m Sofia Esteban. I don’t cry in front of snakes.

I signed the papers with a sharp stroke of the pen, ripped the last page off and threw it at his chest.

“Congratulations,” I said. “Enjoy your new life.”

Then I grabbed my handbag, turned around and walked out with no dramatic pause and no looking back. If I looked back, I might break.

I stepped into the evening air and took a deep breath. My heart was beating fast... too fast... but I kept going. I got into my car, closed the door and sat in silence as one tear slid down my cheek.

I wiped it quickly. 

“Stop crying,” I muttered. “You’re a daughter of the Esteban family. We don’t fall. We rise.”

My grandmother’s old saying slipped out of my mouth like muscle memory..

“Our name is Stone. Wind may shake us but it cannot break us.”

I breathed in deeply. My eyes were still stinging but I felt a small spark of strength growing inside me but then my phone rang.

I picked it up and placed it against my ear.

“Hello...?”

I didn’t even finish before the voice on the other end went off like a time bomb.

My heart froze, my breath caught in my throat and everything went silent…