Sophia
I signed the papers.
The sound of the pen scratching against the heavy parchment felt heavier than chains clamping around my wrists. My hand trembled as I placed the pen down beside the cold divorce papers.
And there it was, an envelope resting on the dining table, arrogant in its quietness. I didn't need to open it to know what it was.
Alexander had left a check.
An insult dressed in numbers.
As if he could put a price on everything I had given up, all those years, everything I had lost.
I didn't touch it.
Instead, I went upstairs and packed my things quietly.
One battered suitcase and a duffel bag. That was all that was left of me after three years.
I didn't even consider taking one of his cars. I didn't want anything from him.
It was almost midnight when I finally closed the door behind me. It was almost funny, sadistically funny how he cruelly wanted me out late this night, even if all those years meant nothing to him, at least he should've thought of a day, or one single moment I had done something which actually pleases him.
The rain was falling hard, soaking the earth, the air, and me, in a cold that clawed its way into my bones. It was as if the sky was mourning with me, shedding tears I didn't have the strength to shed anymore.
I wrapped my arms around myself and walked after leaving the keys under the flower pot..
No destination. No plan.
Just a need to get as far away from the house that had once been my home, and was now only a graveyard of broken promises.
As I walked out of the estate, and down the street, a part of me, the tired, shattered part—wanted to just lay down on the wet road, or just wait, wait till one of those car passes and throw myself into it and let it all end, maybe the rain will watch my filthiness, maybe I'll find peace in stillness. No one would even care, not my mom, nor my dad, or siblings.
But the faint fluttering within my stomach reminded me why I couldn't.
This tiny heartbeat was counting on me to live.
I had to live.
For us.
After what felt like hours wandering in the rain, I spotted a neon sign flickering across the street: Sunny Motel.
It looked run-down, the kind of place people stayed when they had nowhere else to go.
Perfect.
Dragging my soaking wet suitcase behind me, I stepped into the small lobby, my teeth clattering together.
The receptionist, a woman probably in her forties, looked up from behind the counter. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and she wore thick glasses that slipped down her nose.
She gave me a small, almost sympathetic smile. "Rough night, honey?"
I tried to nod, but the lump in my throat made it impossible.
She clicked a few buttons on the computer. "Alright... It's thirty-five for the night. You'll pay upfront, okay?"
I blinked at her, stunned for a second.
My hands went instinctively to my pockets... then to my bag...
And my heart dropped to my knees.
My phone. My wallet. Everything was back at Alexander's house.
How could I pack everything else but forget those?
Panic rose in my chest like a tidal wave. I had walked so far... I couldn't go back there.
Not after tonight.
Not after signing those papers.
"I—I left my wallet," I stammered, voice barely above a whisper.
The receptionist's face softened, but her hands stayed firm on the counter. "I'm really sorry, sweetheart... It's policy. You can leave your bags here though, I'll keep an eye on them. Come back when you get your things."
I nodded mutely, grateful she wasn't kicking me out into the night with all my luggage.
I left the suitcase and duffel by the counter and was about to stepped back out into the rain when she called behind me,
"Wait .."
I turned to face her with confusion in my eyes,
"I figured you don't have an umbrella, here, have this one." She said, bringing one out of the counter as I walked towards her to take it.
"Thank you." I muttered.
It had gotten colder.
The pavement was slick, my hair clinging to my face, my shoes squelching with every step.
Every movement hurt, but I pressed forward.
By the time the house eventually came into view again, my whole body was already trembling from cold and exhaustion.
I wiped the rain from my face and steeled myself..
Just grab your phone, Sophia. Go In and out. Quick. Don't look around. Don't think.
But as I neared the front door, I froze.
Laughter.
His laughter.
I stumbled behind one of the large potted plants by the porch, heart pounding against my ribs painfully.
There was a woman standing at the doorway, her back turned to me, with her were two huge boxes.
She tossed her head back, laughing at something Alexander said. Her blonde hair spilled down her shoulders in soft waves, glistening in the rain.
Even from behind, something about her felt... familiar.
Alexander leaned casually against the doorframe, probably unlocking the door, smiling down at her in a way I hadn't seen in a very long time.
I pressed a hand against my chest to stop myself from crying out.
It wasn't just any woman.
It was her.
She turned slightly, giving me a better view of her face.
And my heart jumped out of my chest when I saw we looked almost identical, the same height, the same hair, even the same heart-shaped earrings he had given me on our wedding day.
It's just that she has the hourglass shape he wanted. She made sure it was on full display with how the dress was clinging to her body, and to make it worse, it was the same one Alexander had once insisted I wear for our anniversary dinner two years ago.
It hit me like a punch to the stomach.
I wasn't unique.
I wasn't special.
I was just a shadow. A cheap, disposable stand-in for the real thing.
"Can you wait here for a minute Zoey, let me have a look whether the fatso's truly gone."
She let out a bark of laughter and replied, "Spray some perfume in there while you're at it, I wouldn't want some deep shit odor rubbing off on me."
"She wouldn't dare or I'll find her and fucking rip her to pieces. You know I'll do anything for you, baby." He answers from the inside.
I stumbled backward, unintentionally knocking into the pot behind me.
It toppled with a loud crash.
The woman, Zoey, turned sharply towards the noise.
She first tilted her head, curious, then smirked when she recognized me.
She didn't even bother with an umbrella as she walked toward me slowly, confidently, like she had all the time in the world.
A cruel smile curved her lips.
"Look who we have here. " She said, arms folded under her chest. "Didn't he say you're not coming back?"
I said nothing. I shifted my weight, scanning the porch for any sign of my things.
Zoey chuckled under her breath. "You know," she said lightly, "even after you funded his little business into becoming something this huge, he still didn't choose you."
She laughed again, a cold, nasty sound.
"Three years, all your savings, all your dignity... And for what?" She gave a little mocking pout. "Oh you poor little thing."
I turned slightly, not to respond, I didn't have the strength — but to look for a way inside. Maybe grab my phone and just leave.
But something in me... cracked.
Why was I even here? Why was I still holding onto anything from this nightmare?
I took a shaky step back, away from the house.
I didn't want the phone.
I didn't want the wallet.
I just wanted to be gone. The motel receptionist seems nice, she might let me crash on a chair, even if it's outside, I will make do with anything, so i turned to leave.
"Hey!" Zoey barked. "I'm talking to you!"
Before I could react, she shoved me.
Hard.
I stumbled backward, slipping on the slick, wet pavement. My stomach hit the ground hard, scraping against the concrete, but it wasn't the pain that froze me.
It was the hot, wet sensation flooding between my legs.
No.
I pressed my palm to my stomach, already knowing what I would find. The blood smeared against my trembling fingers,
For a moment, I couldn't move. I just laid there, bleeding. Watching the red swirl into the puddles around me.
Zoey scoffed. "Pathetic," she muttered before turning back into the house, slamming the door behind her.
I struggled to my feet, legs shaking violently.
I started walking.
One step.
Then another.
Each one felt heavier than the last.
Like the world was pressing down on me, determined to crush me into the ground.
I wanted to cry, to scream, but nothing would come.
No sobs. No tears.
Just this aching emptiness inside me, hollow and endless.
As I walked aimlessly down the road, every step dragging blood and rain behind me.
Cars passed now and then, splashing water onto me, but no one slowed down.
No one cared.
I didn't even blame them.
I didn't know how far I walked, maybe it's a few minutes, an hour — before my legs buckled under me and I hit the ground hard, landing on my side in the middle of the street. My head throbbed. My body was too cold to move.
I lay there, the rain pouring over me, eyes half-closed, waiting.
Maybe a car would come and run over me finishing the job. Maybe this was how it ended.
I felt strangely at peace with the thought.
But then,
A pair of sho
es stopped just inches from my face.
I tried to lift my head, but it was too heavy.
Strong arms slipped under me, lifting me like I weighed nothing. I caught a glimpse of his face — not clearly, just flashes, he was undoubtedly tall, dark hair plastered to his forehead, and eyes... they were like an obsidian fire even in the night, it was fierce and burning.
He said something — I couldn't understand the words — but his voice was steady, grounding.
Still, I couldn't make out anything, even as the world slipped away completely.