Chapter 1

The entire house was quiet. Too quiet for a home that had once been filled with laughter, affection, and dreams.

Sophia Gonzaga sat at the long dining table, staring at the food that had already gone cold. It was ten o’clock at night. Two hours had passed since she and her husband were supposed to have dinner together.

But as usual, Adrian was nowhere to be seen.

Once again, he had not come home early. And just like every other night, she would probably end up eating alone. Not that it mattered, the food was already cold.

She let out a quiet sigh as she glanced at the wall clock. Even the ticking seemed to understand how empty she felt.

10:07 PM.

How many times has this happened? She had already lost count.

At first, she used to worry. She would call Adrian over and over again and send him countless messages. She would stay awake until dawn just to make sure he got home safely.

Because he was her husband but eventually, she grew tired. Every time she showed concern, Adrian always gave her the same answers.

"I'm busy."

"I have a meeting."

"Stop acting like a child, Sophia."

A piece of her heart died every time she heard those words. It was as if her worries meant nothing to him. As if all the time she spent waiting did not matter at all. She stood up and started putting the food away. There was no point in waiting anymore.

Suddenly, she heard the front door open. She froze.

He was finally home. The sound of Adrian’s footsteps echoed through the house. Before, she would run to greet him the moment he arrived. But now? She simply stood there.

There was no excitement left, no butterflies, just exhaustion. 

A few seconds later, Adrian entered the dining area. He was still wearing his black suit. His tie was slightly loose, and he looked tired from work. Yet he was still handsome and that was the painful part. No matter how many times he hurt her, she could not deny how deeply she loved him. Or maybe… She still loved the man he used to be.

"You're still awake?" Adrian asked as he removed his watch.

Sophia smiled but it was not a happy smile. There was bitterness in it, frustration and pain she could no longer understand.

"Really?" she asked softly. "That's the first thing you're going to say?"

Adrian looked at her, and she immediately noticed the irritation on his face.

"I'm tired, Sophia."

She let out a quiet laugh. "Of course."

They stared at each other in silence. There was a time when a single look was enough for them to understand one another. Now, they felt like two strangers forced to live under the same roof.

"Did you already have dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Something tightened painfully inside her chest. "With her?"

The air suddenly felt colder and Adrian's expression changed at once.

"Sophia."

"It's just a simple question, Adrian."

He did not answer and in that silence, she got her answer. She shook her head. It still hurts. She thought she had gotten used to it and apparently, she had not.

"Unbelievable," she whispered.

"Sophia, I don't want to fight."

She looked at him. "Neither do I. Did I say I wanted one?"

And that was the truth. She was tired of fighting. Tired of crying. Tired of chasing after him. Tired of being the wife of a man who no longer chose her.

"What do you want me to do?" Adrian asked.

She laughed not because it was funny but because it was heartbreaking.

"You're seriously asking me that?"

"Because nothing I do is ever enough for you."

Something exploded inside her. Not enough? Really?

For seven years, she had put him first. For seven years, she had supported every dream he had. For seven years, she had loved him even while he kept hurting her. And she was the one who was never satisfied?

"Because it's not enough?" she repeated quietly.

Adrian fell silent. 

Sophia slowly walked toward him. Step by step, she closed the distance between them until only a few feet remained.

"When you started lying to me, was that enough?"

"Stop."

"When you chose to spend time with her instead of coming home to your wife, was that enough?"

"Sophia."

"When you kept making me feel like I no longer mattered in your life, was that enough?"

Adrian's jaw tightened.

She could see that he was losing his patience but this time, she did not care. She had stayed silent for far too long. She had endured enough. Now she wanted him to hear the pain she had been carrying all this time.

"What do you want from me?" she asked.

Silence filled the room and even Adrian could not answer.

"I have nothing left to give, Adrian."

It felt like the first time she had ever said those words out loud. And the moment she heard them, something inside her finally broke. Not anger nor hatred. Just exhaustion and a deep, crushing exhaustion.

She grabbed the edge of the table when weakness suddenly washed over her. Not because of the argument but because of a truth she had known for a long time.

They were over. They had been over for a long time. She had simply refused to accept it.

"Sophia..."

But she shook her head. "Don't."

Adrian frowned. "Don't what?"

She looked at him for a long moment without speaking. As if she was searching for the man she had fallen in love with. The man who promised he would never hurt her. The man who said she would be the only woman he would ever love.

But he was gone. He had been gone for a long time.

"Loving you is exhausting."

Adrian's eyes widened.

For the first time in months, she saw him completely speechless. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. She did not want him to see it. She did not want to look weak in front of him. Not anymore and not after everything.

"I should have said that a long time ago."

Adrian remained silent and somehow, that hurt the most. He said nothing. He did not deny it. He did not even apologize. It was as if he no longer cared about their marriage at all.

And that was when the last piece of hope inside Sophia finally died. She slowly turned away. Every step felt like thousands of needles piercing her chest but she kept walking. Because if she stopped now, she might break again.

She might forgive him again. She might hope again. And she was so tired of hoping.

When she reached the staircase, she paused for a moment but she did not look back. That was one thing she would never do again.

Never.

"Good night, Adrian," she said in a quiet, cold voice, as if she were speaking to a stranger.

And for the first time in their seven years together, she heard no reply from her husband. Inside that silent house, neither of them knew that in just a few days, everything would change.

And the goodbye Sophia had been waiting so long to say would not happen in the way she expected.