Chapter 4

Sophia didn't leave after hearing those words. She didn't scream. She didn't throw anything. She didn't slap him. She didn't make a scene like the ones she often saw in movies.

Instead, she simply stood there in silence as the truth slowly consumed what little hope she had left.

"I don't know if I love you anymore."

The words echoed in her mind over and over again like a broken record. Like a curse that refused to let her go.

She stared at Adrian. The man who had once promised to love her forever. The man who had once sworn he would never hurt her. The man who had once treated her like she was his entire world.

It was almost funny because now, she looked like nothing more than a stranger in his eyes. A quiet laugh escaped her lips. She shook her head slightly. That was when Adrian frowned.

"Sophia—"

"Don't."

He immediately fell silent. It was probably the first time in their entire marriage that she had stopped him from speaking and perhaps he hadn't expected it. She gripped the edge of the desk, not because she was weak but because she felt like her knees might give out at any moment. It felt as though all her strength had disappeared.

Her chest hurt and it felt tight and heavy. As if she might collapse at any second.

"How long have you been trying to leave me?" she asked directly.

The question clearly caught Adrian off guard. His expression froze, and he didn't answer right away and that was enough.

She already knew that it had been a long time. He had wanted out of their marriage for a long time. He had wanted to be free of her for a long time.

She was the only one holding on. The only one fighting. The only one still in love. While Adrian had already given up.

She let out a slow breath and nodded to herself. As if she was finally accepting something she had been avoiding for years.

She bit her lip.

"Okay."

Adrian's eyes widened slightly.

"Okay?" he repeated.

She nodded. What else could she do?

"Okay."

And for the first time in a very long time, she felt a strange sense of peace. It hurt terribly but at least she finally knew the truth. It felt like she had been drowning for years and had only now managed to take a breath.

"You know," she said softly, "I used to think there was something wrong with me."

Adrian remained silent. He simply looked at her.

No words nor emotion and not even pity.

"I actually believed that." A sad smile appeared on her face. "I thought I wasn't pretty enough anymore. I thought I wasn't enough. I thought something was missing in me."

Tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Every word felt like a weight being lifted from her chest.

Adrian lowered his gaze and he couldn't even look at her properly but she no longer cared.

She wouldn't care anymore and it wasn't easy.

She still loved him but if that love was no longer enough, there was nothing else she could do.

"That's why I kept crying. That's why I kept blaming myself. That's why no matter what I did, you never came back to me."

She took a deep breath.

"Because the problem was never me."

Silence filled the room once again and for the first time since discovering the affair, she felt a piece of herself returning.

The part of Sophia she had lost while trying to save a marriage that had been dead for a long time.

"You're right."

Adrian looked at her and a small frown appeared on his face.

"About what?"

She met his eyes. She looked at him for several long moments before giving him a smile. It was probably the saddest smile Adrian had ever seen from her.

"Maybe you really don't love me anymore."

For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something but she didn't let him.

"Don't worry."

Her voice was soft, though she tried her best to sound stronger.

"I won't force you anymore."

And finally, she said the words she should have said a long time ago.

That night, Sophia slept without tears for the first time. Not because she was happy and not because she was okay. But because she was simply too exhausted to cry anymore.

She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at a photograph of her and Adrian. It was their wedding photo. It had been taken seven years ago.

They were smiling in the picture and anyone could see how happy they had been. How full of dreams they were.

She gently touched the frame. As if she was afraid of breaking it. Just as Adrian had broken them. A single tear rolled down her cheek and perhaps it would be the last tear she ever shed for him.

"Goodbye."

The word came out as a whisper. Barely audible. Yet loud enough for her own heart to hear. Then she placed the photograph back inside the drawer and closed it.

Like closing a chapter of her life.

The next morning, Sophia woke up with a decision. She would not beg. She would not chase after him anymore. She would not ask why. And she would never beg someone to love her again. She was done giving Adrian more chances.

After taking a shower and getting dressed, she picked up her phone. There was one number she had kept for a long time.

A number she had hoped she would never need but that day had finally come. She pressed the call button. After a few rings, someone answered.

"Hello?"

Sophia took a deep breath. Maybe this was the moment she had been waiting for. The moment she finally chose herself. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Attorney Reyes?"

"Yes?"

She closed her eyes briefly. She knew what she was about to do would be difficult but she also knew it was necessary.

"I'd like to start divorce proceedings."

There was a brief silence. Then she heard the lawyer's professional voice.

"Of course, Mrs. Gonzaga. We can schedule a meeting today."

Sophia nodded even though the lawyer couldn't see her.

"Thank you."

After ending the call, she remained standing by the window. She didn't cry and she didn't shake. And she didn't change her mind.

There was only one thing she knew. For the first time in years, she was doing something for herself. And despite the pain, she felt something she had not felt in a very long time.

Freedom.

On the other side of the city, Adrian had no idea that his wife had just visited a lawyer. He had no idea that Sophia had already started the process of ending their marriage. He didn't know that she had stopped choosing him because at last, she had learned to choose herself.

And by the time Adrian realized it...

it might already be too late.