Crushed hope

 Sophia’s POV 

I wasn’t in my right mind when I woke up the next day. Still feeling hollow and empty in my heart. 

I forced myself out of bed, dressed, and drove to my charity building, the one place I poured everything into, the organization I have built from nothing. My dream, my proof that I could accomplish something meaningful, even with Aiden‘s cruel words still echoing in my head I had to keep moving forward. 

His voice haunted relentlessly in my head. “Maybe because you came from no background, you might not know how exhausting it could be to work 24/7.” The way he looked at me like I was nothing; it burned through me again and again as I drove. 

I managed to get through the morning, though barely. I sat at my desk, staring at a grant application I wasn’t reading, my mind replaying every moment I had spent tending to him, the way he used to hold my hand, whispering that he couldn’t have survived without me, had that been real? Or had it all been a lie? 

Around noon, a knock broke through my thoughts. 

“Come in,” I called, wiping away the tears I hadn’t realized were falling with the back of my palm.  

Janet, my manager stepped in, her professional demeanor intact, but the moment her eyes fixed on me, concern etched took over. 

“Sophia are you all right?” She asked, gently moving closer to my desk. “You don’t look well, is everything okay?”

I forced a smile. One that barely held me together. “I’m fine… just tired.”

“Are you sure? You seem upset? Did something happen?” 

Her kindness threatens to break me completely but I manage to hold back, “really…I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep well.” 

She hesitated doubt etched across her face, “You know you can talk to me?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“I appreciate that, but there’s nothing to talk about. I’m ok.”

Janet lingered for a moment, searching my face as though she could see through the walls I built. 

Finally, she nodded. “All right, but if you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to come to me.”

After she left, my hands shook, my chest tightened, and the certainty that my marriage was over, a weight on me like a stone. 

I picked up the TV remote, maybe noise might drown the chaos in my head. 

I flipped through the channels without really looking until the news program froze me in place. 

There he was, Aiden standing outside his office building in his tailored suit, every inch screamed the powerful CEO he had become, but it wasn’t just seeing him that made my heart sink. It was Isabella, his secretary, standing too close to him, smiling for the cameras like she belonged there, like she belonged next to him.

I wanted to turn the TV off, but my body was trapped, watching my worst nightmare unfold. 

“Mr. Cross.” The reporter called, “There have been questions about your personal life since recovery. Can you confirm whether you’re married?”

Hope surged violently in my chest. Maybe he would acknowledge me, maybe he would remember. Maybe this was a misunderstanding that could be fixed. 

Aiden looked into the camera. “No.” He said “I’m not married. I’m currently single and fully focused on my business.”

The word hit me like a physical blow, my body shook uncontrollably. I tried to hold myself together, but the tears came fast and bitter, unstoppable.

I thought of what I sacrifice for him. The chance to inherit my family’s empire, thrown aside for a man who couldn’t even stand on his own. I’d convince myself that love was worth giving up everything. And now? A husband who denied my existence. 

I grabbed my keys, unable to stay, I need to see him. 

—-

Cross Industries loomed as I parked. My legs trembled as I entered the lobby, my eyes red from crying. 

I saw Isabella standing at the reception. 

“I need to see Aiden,” I said my voice cracking. 

“I’m sorry,” she replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Mr. Cross is busy. No one can see him without an appointment. 

“I’m his wife.” 

“Are you?” Her mock was surprisingly sharp, “because he said on television that he’s single.”

My heart and I fell on my knees until I heard the sound of the footsteps, I raised my eyes to see Aiden approaching. Hope surged through me. Good, he should come and fix this. 

But when he appeared, immaculate in his suit, he didn’t see me. Not really, those cold gray eyes passed over me blankly, like I wasn’t there, like I wasn’t even in existence. 

“Security.” He said as casually as ordering coffee. “Escort this woman out.”

My world stopped, and everything seemed to blur together, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. I held the wall to stabilize myself from falling. 

Is this my husband? The man I had married? Tended to, love through months of pain. 

“Aiden….please….” My voice broke. 

“Now!” he growled, turned and walked away, leaving me to the approaching security. 

I walked out burning with humiliation every step heavy as if I were carrying my broken heart in my chest. 

Back home. I collapsed onto the couch, hoping and praying that he would return so that we could talk, but the hours crawled by, only silence and the growing realization that I was utterly alone. 

Around eight, a car rolled into the driveway, relief washed over me, finally he was home, finally I could talk to me or maybe get some answers for everything that had been happening. 

When I stepped outside my hope shattered immediately. 

It wasn’t him. It was Isabella stepping out of a silver car, confident, poised, holding a manila envelope with a smile that could melt a heart. 

“Mr. Cross asked me to deliver this.” She said, her tone cruel and victorious. 

“Why isn’t he here?” I whispered trembling. 

“He’s on a business trip, won’t be back until the weekend.”

“The weekend?”

“Yes, he wanted to make sure you got this tonight.” Her smile cut deep. 

Later that night, I sat at the kitchen table, my hand shaking, staring at the envelope for what felt like forever. 

Finally, I opened it and the first letter I could digest struck a chord, my breathing felt like it was hanging on for a few seconds 

Divorce papers. 

I sank to my knees.