Capítulo 1: Chapter 1
"Just," The hand on her wrist was firm, her husband's intentions clear as day. Nothing was as clear as the look on his face, however. Hesitation and, if she had the heart to think harder about it, disappointment. "Don't. I'm not in the mood anymore."
She swallowed the lump in her throat, a thousand panic-inducing thoughts rushing through her mind like a category-five hurricane.
Did she say something hurtful? Did she look strange in her lingerie? Worst of all,
Was Luke no longer attracted to her?
No, that couldn't be it.
"Oh, okay." Sophie tried to pry her wrist out of her husband's hold and it takes a striking amount of effort for him to notice her struggle.
He let go of her, but his forest-green eyes remained dull, his mouth stuck on an unhappy line. It set off a foul feeling down Sophie's stomach.
"We don't have to do anything tonight. We can just cuddle up and spend time together, yeah?" She found herself extremely grateful that tomorrow was the beginning of a weekend. That meant less work for both of them and more time to bond.
Having to voice initiative, especially when it came to affection, was unusual in their marriage, an unnatural act, like a fish forced to prance around on feet.
On a usual day, Luke was already on his wife the moment she touched the soft cushions of their king-sized bed, wrapping his long limbs around her body protectively, like a clingy koala to its favorite tree.
He had never been affectionate with his words, and "I love you too" scarcely left his mouth, but his actions conveyed what he felt well enough.
Now that Sophie looked back, she realized that he hadn't expressed desire in any form for around five months now, not since she'd been chasing that promotion at work.
They'd gotten too caught up in furthering their career prospects. That was it, right? That was it.
"I'd rather not." Luke grunted, moving away from his wife's place in the bed to pick his shirt up from the floor.
"Why?" Sophie asked, desperation and dejection potent in her voice. Helplessness was uncharacteristic of her, but she needed to know what she had done to warrant her husband's displeasure.
Luke stayed unmoving for a moment, staring hard at the bedroom wall to avoid his wife's frantic gaze. Even in the dimly lit space, he looked perfect and perfectly untouchable, back sculpted by artists who longed to be in the presence of the divine.
He acknowledged her question with a shrug, and got up to walk towards the door, "I'm not feeling it. That's all."
The look on her husband's face was chillier than the moonlight seeping into their empty penthouse suite.
Sophie sat alone in a bed too large for her singular frame, hands shaking as she tried to deny the humiliation creeping into her chest. Sure, she'd arrived later than usual, having to make a stop at a nearby flower shop to pick up a customized bouquet of her husband's favorite flowers, but it wasn't like she'd been neglectful.
Despite already having to juggle so many responsibilities at work, she'd made a genuine effort, especially tonight, dressing in tantalizing underwear while her husband cleaned up in the shower.
She foolishly thought her anniversary night would be spent like her last one, full of passion and pure, unadulterated need for one another's touch, uncaring of what they'd break in their pursuits.
But this....
They loved each other. They could barely sit still for a day without the other's presence, despite being married for six whole years.
At least that's what Sophie had been telling herself. Burying her anxiety in an ocean of denial was the only viable way to cope. After all, Luke promised they'd talk it out if anything were to happen between them.
Why hadn't her husband opened up? Did Sophie do something unforgivable to deserve this treatment?
Were the flowers not to his liking? She observed the way a lone petal fell from the bouquet, it'd been ignored by her husband and she only realized now in the deafening silence.
Unable to acknowledge the tears streaming down her face, she draped their shared blanket over her body, wanting to sleep away the heinous feelings coiling in her gut.
When her husband returned hours later from who knows where, he failed to notice the sadness imprinted on her face or, at least, he pretended not to notice.
Sophie pretended not to notice too.
-
"Woah, that's majestic." Her friend Lola gasped, surprise exaggerated as Sophie showed off her most recent purchase.
"Right? I promised to buy it for him when we were still dating."
Resting inside a velvet box was a watch from a luxury brand, a name only known between those who truly knew what it meant to have money. The piece was released almost a decade ago, when Sophie's relationship with Luke was excitingly new, their compatibility still unexplored.
She caught him looking at it in a store way too expensive for a broke college student like her to be stepping into, and she'd ambitiously declared that she'd get it for him once she landed a promising job. Luke only laughed, touched by the sentiment but unable to believe her.
It only made Sophie want to buy it more.
Naomi examined the watch next to their blonde friend, soft and untainted hands caressing the metal.
"That must've cost a fortune." And it sure did. Years worth of saving up.
Not that she needed to under the provision of her husband, but as her mother and her aunts taught her, she'd never be comfortable with being financially dependent on a man, even if that man was her husband.
"No need to pity the poor. I know it costs cheap change for you two." Sophie joked, trying to make light of the differences in their upbringing, but she knew it was nothing but a hundred percent true.
Lola and Naomi were born with golden spoons in their mouths. Sophie was a commoner who had to climb an impossibly tall ladder to reach heights the two were comfortable with.
"It's so romantic though!" Lola chirped, unable to control the starstruck expression on her face.
It was. Sophie was no stranger to making romantic gestures, but she clung onto this one as if it was her only hope of rekindling her marriage's dying fire.
"The effort is admirable." Naomi said, swinging her tennis racket with one arm, as if to signal to the two that she was ready to stop bickering and start playing.
Sophie could only grin wildly, ready to beat her friends in a third round. The two must've noticed how distressed Sophie was from last night because they agreed to staying in the tennis club a few hours longer than they usually did.
It cost a few sharp breaths trying to keep up with their commoner friend's sadness-fueled competitiveness, but it was the weekend and the three of them were too vicious to turn down a challenge if they could help it.
Things started going downhill from there.
Mid-game, Lola stopped to gasp, trying to mask the way she'd already been panting from exertion. "Wait, isn't that Luke right now? Wave him over!"
Sophie's face flushed at the mention of her husband, still unrecovered from the tragedy that was her failed anniversary night. Maybe one more round. They needed to finish one more round before she could even look him in the eye.
"No, shush, I want to give it to him when it's just the two of us."
It was too late, however. And Sophie made the mistake of turning to where Lola was pointing. Her eyes met forest green for half a second before her husband's gaze was pried away, almost from shame.
"Wait, who's that girl he's with?"
Lola. Her mouth was too shameless at times. No one had really taught these rich kids that words had consequences. It was the bane of Sophie's existence.
At the comment, the entire group Luke was accompanying turned to gawk at the three of them.
And oh, there was a girl. Petite with porcelain skin, her wavy, brown hair cascading down her shoulders much like a movie star's would after hours of styling.
She was gorgeous, but Sophie shut down her festering insecurity before it could grow.
"He's probably mingling with business associates right now. We shouldn't disturb them, Lola."
"Oh shit, sorry. I got too excited because of your gift."
Sophie offered a sympathetic smile. Her friend was painfully oblivious most of the time, but she never held any ill will. "It's alright."
They would've continued on as normal but the mysterious lady standing next to Luke kept staring holes at Sophie's back. Naomi eventually noticed, perceptive as usual, and quit the round, urging the two to do the same.
A familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Love. Is that you?" Love? She hadn't been called that in a while now.
Luke, he was smiling in a way she hadn't seen him smile in a while. "I want you to meet someone."
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