Semua Bab His Rejected Wife, the Billionaire’s New Desire: Bab 81 - Bab 90

SOPHIA The meal I’d eaten rushed to my throat. Dizziness swept in, and I pushed back from the table, my chair screeching against the floor. Now I knew why Julia was cold to me. She’d been acting odd, waiting up till this moment. “I need a moment,” I told the table, my voice barely above a whisper. No one answered. Julia’s eyes followed me like she was cataloguing every flaw she’d already decided I had. Adrian’s father stared at his dessert like it held the secrets of the universe. Adrian started to rise, but I shook my head once, warning him to stay away, and he sat back down.Knowing they were watching, I walked out of the dining room with measured steps. My heels clicked too loudl

SOPHIA The first two days of the new week blurred into a careful, exhausting performance. Adrian left before dawn both mornings, slipping out with quiet footsteps I pretended not to hear. He came home after Ollie was asleep, kissed my forehead if I was still awake on the couch, murmuring “Goodnight” like we were polite strangers sharing a hotel room. We spoke only about necessities: Ollie’s lunch, groceries, and whether I was comfortable with the driver taking me to work, since we no longer rode together. Ollie—bless his oblivious heart—filled the silences with chatter about spaceships and dragons, and we both smiled for him, nodding along as if nothing had cracked open between us.I slept in Ollie’s room again the second night. Not because I was angry, exactly, but because

SOPHIAThe days after I backed up my files felt strangely odd on the surface. Like the world had decided to pretend nothing had cracked open between us. Once I was up, I made breakfast, then went to Ollie’s room. I kissed his forehead, helped him brush his teeth, and packed his lunch of a peanut butter sandwich cut into triangles and apple slices. It was routine. Normal. Safe. Adrian was long gone. Except for his coffee mug in the sink, and the faint scent of his cologne lingering like a ghost, there was no other trace of the man.I dressed for work in silence: tailored black pants, cream silk blouse with subtle pearl buttons, and low heels that clicked softly on the marble. All done, I grabbed my portfolio case and left the house. Inside the case were the latest Royal&eacut

SOPHIA The guest room had its own rhythm now. On Monday morning, I woke up to the soft gray light filtering through the single window, the city still half-asleep below. No galaxy projector humming overhead like in Ollie’s room. No small arm flung across me. Just quiet, clean sheets. And the faint scent of lavender from the diffuser I’d placed on the nightstand because the space needed something warm.My clothes were professional. Nothing that screamed heartbreak. I moved through the penthouse like a shadow, surprised when I found Ollie already awake and ready for school. He was seated at the kitchen island, swinging his legs, and eating cereal. He looked up when I walked in.“Morning, Mommy.”“Morning, baby.” I kissed the top of his head, breathed in the shampoo smell that still clung to him no matter how many times he washed his hair.Adrian appeared a minute later. His tie wasn’t knotted yet, his shirt sleeves were rolled, and his eyes were tired but alert. He poured coffee withou

ADRIAN The faint glow of Sophia’s bedside lamp spilled into the hallway. I stood there longer than I should have, one hand on the wall, hiding where she couldn’t see me. She hadn’t closed the door all the way, and I wondered if this was why. That small act was bigger than all the words we had exchanged in weeks. I exhaled slowly, turned, and walked back to the master bedroom. Without her in it, the space felt too large. The bed was too neatly made, her side of the closet was half-empty, and the faint scent of her body lotion was long gone from the pillows. I didn’t turn on the overhead light. Just kicked off my shoes, dropped onto the mattress fully clothed, and stared at the ceiling.Sleep didn’t come, and my mind replayed the kiss over and ove