Lahat ng Kabanata ng HIDDEN DESIRE: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Sophia gazed blankly at her surroundings. Amid the lively clamor of the extravagant party, she stood alone in a quiet corner, silently wishing no one would notice her presence. The dress she wore tonight irritated her skin, as did the diamonds adorning her neck and wrists. All she wanted was to take them off and get out of this place.I want to go home, she thought repeatedly. She was sick of being at this kind of party. Not a single person was paying attention to her, even if it was what she wanted, Sophia couldn’t deny the sad feeling in her chest.Sophia’s gaze settled on the tall figure of Albert Raymond, her husband, who stood surrounded by beautiful women like supermodels vying for his attention. Sophia snorted, and the moment Albert’s eyes shifted to meet hers, she quickly looked away.That's enough! she thought in disgust. She walked toward the table filled with delectable treats, grabbed a handful of chocolate candies from the bowl and walked away.Even though the news of her

Sophia frowned. "Are you okay?""Yes. And if you have no business here, you'd better not bother me!" Albert snapped before his hand moved to close the door. But Sophia quickly stopped him with her foot."I brought you breakfast," Sophia said."Ah yes, tell Dana that I probably won't be coming down to eat today."Sophia was not easily deterred. As Albert was about to close the door again, she blocked his way. "Here's your breakfast!" Sophia insisted.Albert sighed, giving Sophia an exasperated look, then raised his hand to take the tray from her. But Sophia pushed it away. He clicked his tongue in increasing annoyance."Give me that-""Your hand," Sophia cut in, noticing Albert's hand was trembling. She knew he wouldn't be able to lift the tray without spilling the contents.Albert once again let out a resigned sigh and opened the door wider. "Bring it inside."Without being told twice, Sophia walked into Albert's room and gasped slightly at the man's scent that lingered through in the

Albert never brought his female friends home. Or as Sophia prefers to call them, his mistresses.Sophia knew Albert had a luxury apartment in the city, and she was sure that was where he entertained his mistresses to stay. Being the only woman Albert had ever brought to this house didn’t make Sophia feel special. Of course, it was only because she was his wife.But then again, the wife label didn't make Sophia feel anything more.The moment of last night's dinner had been broken from Sophia's mind when the next morning she read the gossip about the return of the blonde aka Cecile, to the arms of Albert Raymond.Sophia had no idea why anyone would actually get paid to write something like that. Don't they have other more worthwhile topics to present? What's so good about peeping into someone's affair life and gleefully dissecting a crumbling marriage?For some people, or maybe many people; it was entertainment.But Sophia would rather wish that she was just an ordinary person, someone

The thing that surprised Sophia was that Albert had actually booked an entire restaurant for them.She hadn’t expected him to go through with it until a waiter greeted her as “Mrs. Raymond.” Hearing the title made Sophia feel mocked. She didn’t respond or smile as she usually would.Sophia was ushered to a seat at a table that was exquisitely arranged, exuding an air of luxury and romance. It was situated next to a large glass window that offered a stunning view of the sparkling cityscape.Even so, Sophia felt a disappointment when she realized Albert wasn’t there yet.Typical, Sophia thought. He was probably drowning in his pile of work right now.

The next morning, Sophia woke up with a headache. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and clicked her tongue in disgust at the remnants of her tears still clinging to her face.Sophia then proceeded to freshen up. Just as she was finishing, Albert’s loyal servant, Sir Harrith, informed her that she was to get ready and head to Albert’s office at his request.Sophia didn’t want to go, especially with her emotions still in turmoil, but did she have any other choice?After getting ready, Sophia went downstairs and greeted Dana, having a small bite of her breakfast. Dana protested her unhealthy eating habits, but Sophia ignored her and said goodbye.Since Sir Harrith hadn’t mentioned anything about the purpose of Albert’s summons, Sophia