4. I want a divorce
Sophia's pov:
I stood there staring at Adrian as the silence between us grew heavier.
My throat burned.
It felt as if all the tears I had been holding back for years were lodged there, choking every word before it could leave my mouth.
If I spoke too quickly, I knew I would break.
I would cry.
And I refused to cry in front of him.
Not now.
Not when anger was the only thing keeping me standing.
I clenched my trembling hands and forced the words out.
“Can you come upstairs?” I asked, my voice barely steady. “I need to talk to you.”
Adrian looked at me for a moment.
His expression was unreadable—calm, detached, as if this was no more than a minor inconvenience.
Then he gave a short nod.
Before either of us could move, Lily came running down the stairs with her backpack bouncing behind her.
“Mommy! Daddy! Vanessa is coming!” she said cheerfully.
Her bright smile made my chest ache.
“I’ll go with her now. Bye!”
And before I could even respond, she rushed out the front door, excitement shining in every step.
I stood frozen.
Watching my daughter run happily to meet the woman who had become more important to her than I was.
There were no words for that kind of pain.
No way to explain what it felt like to watch your child light up for the woman sleeping with your husband.
It was a pain so deep it hollowed you out from the inside.
I looked away, swallowing hard.
Adrian stood up from the dining table and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt.
“Make it quick,” he said flatly. “I need to leave.”
I nodded silently and turned toward the stairs.
He walked ahead of me, calm and impatient, while I followed behind with my heart pounding so loudly I could hear it.
Every step toward that bedroom felt heavier than the last.
When we entered, Adrian stopped near the bed and turned to face me.
“Yes?” he said sharply. “What do you want to talk about?”
The coldness in his voice made something snap inside me.
I stared at him, my entire body trembling.
My eyes burned with unshed tears, but the tears were no longer from sadness.
They were from rage.
Five years.
Five years of silence.
Five years of swallowing pain.
Five years of pretending I was okay while he slowly destroyed everything.
And now my daughter was insisting for a sleepover with that woman while he stood in front of me acting as though this conversation was an inconvenience.
My fists tightened at my sides.
When I finally spoke, my voice shook with anger.
“How much longer is this going to continue, Adrian?”
He frowned slightly.
“What are you talking about?”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
I stepped closer, the words pouring out faster now, years of pain breaking through all at once.
“How much longer are you going to let that woman take over our lives?”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Sophia—”
“No,” I cut him off, my voice rising. “You don’t get to dismiss this.”
I could feel tears stinging my eyes, but I kept going.
“She is not just your mistress anymore, Adrian. She is becoming part of Lily’s life while I stand here and watch my own daughter choose her over me!”
He exhaled in frustration.
“You’re overreacting.”
The words hit me like a slap.
“Overreacting?” I repeated in disbelief. “My daughter is running into your mistress’s arms while you stand here telling me I’m overreacting?”
His expression remained cold.
“Lily likes her. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” My voice cracked. “Do you even hear yourself?”
I stared at him, my breathing uneven.
“I asked you to keep her away from Lily, and instead you let this happen. You let my daughter believe that woman belongs in her life.”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“You’re making this bigger than it is.”
I shook my head slowly, unable to believe how little this mattered to him.
“No, Adrian,” I whispered. “You are the one pretending it means nothing.”
The tears finally slipped down my cheeks, but I didn’t wipe them away.
“Do you have any idea what it feels like to hear Lily say she wants Vanessa instead of me?”
He remained silent.
That silence hurt more than any words.
Because it proved what I already knew.
He didn’t care.
Not about my pain.
Not about what this was doing to me.
Not about the fact that I was breaking right in front of him.
And suddenly, I felt exhausted.
Exhausted from begging for scraps of care.
Exhausted from trying to protect a marriage that had never really existed.
I looked at him through blurred vision, my voice quieter now.
“I can’t do this anymore, Adrian.”
For the first time, his expression shifted slightly.
“What does that mean?”
I took a shaky breath.
“It means I am done watching another woman take my place in my husband’s life.”
My lips trembled.
“And I am done watching her take my place in my daughter’s life too.”
The room fell silent.
I stared at him, my heart pounding painfully.
Then I said the words I had feared for years.
“I want a divorce.”