Chapter 3

Riley's Pov 

With all my disagreement about Sophia coming to stay in the house with us, my husband was pulling farther away from me, and it looked as if I was losing my husband. I couldn't keep watching that. So one day, when he brought it up again, I had to listen to him, now seeing it from his own point of view.

It was one of the rarest days when he would eat dinner. He took nothing more than two spoonfuls before he dropped his spoon to discuss with me.

"About Sophia," He began.

I dropped my spoon as well, "What is it about her?"

"You know that she cannot stay in your parents' house. She left the country in the first place because of them, and now that she needs you to help her with accommodation as her sister, you don't want to be there for her. She has been staying in the hotel."

I regretted that I was not that heartless, though I was not close with Sophia, I couldn't watch her sleeping in a hotel every night as if she had no sister or relative.

And also since her return made my husband that happy, how much happier would he be if Sophia were staying with us? Sophia could even help me make my husband notice me more. I reasoned.

So, since I wanted Ethan's happiness, I had to calm down and think deeply about it.

"Fine. I will tell her to come and stay here.

"Yes!" Ethan delightfully punched the air. He patted my hand across the table. "I know you are smart."

I smiled at him and he left the dining room for his room.

The decision I made felt like crap to me. To see whether I made the best decision, I decided to visit Claire, my best friend, even though it was night already. I just needed someone to relate my affairs to, someone who would tell me that I was doing the right thing for myself and my husband by bringing in Sophia.

I didn't inform Ethan that I would be going out, I just went to the garage and drove out of the compound in a car.

I called Claire to tell her I was going to her house when I was close to her house, luckily, she was at home.

I got to her house and entered, not waiting behind to remove the car key from the keyhole on my car. I was anxious and was a little wobbly.

"Why can't you wait til tomorrow before coming here to find me?" Claire asked me immediately she saw me, and she offered me a glass of water as if she could tell how drained I was.

I drenched the glass in a few gulps and I slammed the glass on her glass table.

"Hey, chill. If you break my things, you will pay double for them." She said to me.

I ignored her joke. "I accepted," I told her instead.

"Accepted to what? To divorce that bastard?"

I glared at her.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you finally started thinking like me."

I rolled my eyes. I hugged myself with my hands by my side and my gaze focused on a spot. I began talking before she asked me to begin.

"Sophia will be coming to stay with us tomorrow."

"Are you crazy? Why will you accept something that is cocky?"

"Ethan is happy about it," I told her.

She snapped her fingers at my face and asked, "So?"

"So, maybe that is what I've always wanted. For him to be happy."

Claire was silent at first. I did not want to look at her because even with my explanation, I was not looking at her and I knew what she might be thinking. I knew what she would have looked like, but I dared a look at her.

Saying that she was mad was an understatement. I looked at her red face, her face squeezed up as if she was carrying the world on her head, she had her hands balled up in fists, and her jaw clenched.

I did not want to look into her eyes, when I did, I regretted it. She was looking at me as if to say I was a fool. I knew I was, but I didn't want anybody to remind me of it and I wanted to do everything to keep Ethan. It was not my fault, love made me do it.

They were her eyes which held disappointment in them. They were not good. They were rather filled with pity, as if to tell me that this was the stupidest thing I had ever done.

She opened her mouth to talk, but I did not want to hear more. Her eyes had already told me everything I had to hear, even more than I should.

I spoke before she could, "You shouldn't bother to say anything, you don't understand how hard I'm trying to keep my husband. Yes, I know you never liked Ethan for me, but you should at least see how useless I would be without my husband." My tears began to drop.

I looked away from her and began to cry silently to myself. I was broken. Claire didn't get it.

Slowly, I felt her arms around me as she began to comfort me, "Riley, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken that way to you, when I know you love Ethan and you're only doing what you think is right. Don't worry, dear, all will go as planned."

I leaned into her arms and allowed myself to be comforted. That was all I needed, and finally, everything felt normal.

I returned to the house a little bit late only to meet Sophia at home. She was in the sitting room with Ethan, looking around the place.

"Sis!" She called with fake enthusiasm when she saw me, and she pulled me into a hug.

I hugged her back and said to her, "I thought you would come by tomorrow."

"I am too happy to wait for tomorrow. Thank you for letting me stay over."

I smiled and disengaged from my hug with her. She returned to Ethan's side and I watched them smiling at each other with a smile on my face.