8. Ready to find myself again
Sophia's Pov:
It had been an entire day since I left.
An entire day since I walked out of that mansion.
Since I walked out of Adrian's life.
And yet-
there had not been a single call.
Not from Adrian.
Not even from Lily.
I sat quietly on June's couch, staring blankly ahead.
A strange ache settled in my chest.
I didn't know what hurt more-
the fact that Adrian hadn't called,
or the fact that Lily hadn't either.
I shook my head bitterly.
Our house.
That was how I kept thinking of it.
But it wasn't our house.
It was his house.
Adrian's house.
I was pulled from my thoughts when June walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray with two mugs of coffee and avocado toast.
She placed it on the coffee table and sat beside me.
"Come on," she said gently. "Have breakfast. Then we'll go to the lawyer and file for divorce, okay?"
I looked at her nervously.
"Do you think that's okay?"
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
I hesitated before saying what had been weighing on me.
"I don't have a job, June. And Adrian will definitely win Lily's custody."
Even saying it aloud made my chest tighten.
I looked down at my hands.
"And Lily... Lily likes Adrian and Vanessa more anyway."
June reached over and patted my hand.
"Sophia," she said softly, "maybe that's not the worst thing right now."
I looked at her.
"If Adrian gets custody, then you can focus on rebuilding your life. Your work. Your future."
She squeezed my hand reassuringly.
"And Adrian loves Lily. He'll take care of her."
I stayed quiet for a moment.
It hurt.
It hurt more than anything.
But she was right.
Lily was happy with them.
And if Lily was happy, then maybe I had to accept it.
I gave June a weak smile.
"You're right."
Then I looked at her gratefully.
"Thank you, June."
She immediately grinned.
"Oh, please," she said dramatically. "Do you know it's been my dream forever to have a roommate?"
I laughed faintly.
She pointed around the apartment.
"I bought this place all by myself, but living alone is boring. Now you're here, and I'm actually excited."
Emotion rose in my chest.
I leaned over and hugged her tightly.
She hugged me back.
Then she pulled away and pointed a finger at me.
"But listen, madam-once you get a job, we are splitting the bills."
I smiled for real this time.
"Of course."
Just then, my phone rang.
My heart jumped.
For a second, I thought it might be Adrian.
But it was Lily.
I picked up immediately.
"Hello, Mommy!" Lily said cheerfully.
I smiled despite everything.
"Hi, baby."
"I'm back from the sleepover," she said excitedly. "And you went to Aunt June's place for a sleepover too?"
I swallowed the ache in my throat.
"Yeah," I said softly. "I came to Aunt June's place for a sleepover... and I'm going to stay here a little longer."
There was a short pause.
Then she said sweetly,
"Mommy, you can take your time. I won't mind."
The words were innocent.
But they still hurt.
Because I knew what she really meant.
She was okay without me.
She had Adrian.
She had Vanessa.
I forced my voice to stay light.
"Will you miss me, baby?"
She giggled.
"Maybe."
I smiled sadly.
Then I asked,
"Did you have breakfast?"
"Yeah!" she said happily. "We ate at Vanessa's place. She made white sauce pasta."
The mention of Vanessa made something tighten in my chest again.
I forced myself to respond.
"That sounds nice, sweetheart."
After a few more words, I told her I would call later and ended the call.
June stared at me in disbelief.
"White sauce pasta for breakfast?" she said. "Are they serious?"
I couldn't help but smile faintly.
I had put the call on speaker, so June had heard everything.
She folded her arms.
"And didn't you once tell me Adrian only eats cereals and toast for breakfast?"
I nodded.
June rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Wow. So all the rules are for the wife, but the mistress gets to serve pasta in the morning?"
Before she could continue, I cut her off.
"Let's just leave them."
She looked at me for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. Let's get ready to meet the lawyer. And then we'll start looking for jobs for you."
I stood up too, but June suddenly froze.
"Wait."
I frowned.
"What?"
She slapped her forehead.
"It's Sunday."
I stared at her.
She sighed.
"No lawyer today. And job hunting probably won't happen either."
I groaned softly.
"Oh. Right."
For a moment, we both stood there in silence.
Then June suddenly brightened.
"Actually, I have a better idea."
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
"What?"
She grinned.
"We're going out."
I blinked.
"What?"
She grabbed my arm excitedly.
"We are going to have fun today. It's been ages since we spent a whole day together like we did in college."
I stared at her.
I wasn't sure how to react.
It had been so long since I had done anything fun.
I was only twenty-three.
But somewhere in the last five years, I had forgotten how to be young.
Back in college, I loved shopping.
I loved dressing up.
Jeans, dresses, cute tops-
all the little things that made me feel like myself.
But after marriage, all of that disappeared.
There was nowhere to go.
No one to meet.
No life outside that mansion.
Shopping had become buying groceries.
My clothes had become loose gowns and simple dresses suitable for staying indoors.
I had slowly become someone I didn't recognize.
And the saddest part was-
I hadn't even noticed when it happened.
Before marriage, I had my scholarship.
I had internships.
I had dreams.
After my parents died, their savings had been left for me.
I had enough to survive.
But not enough to raise a child alone.
And when Adrian reacted the way he did to my pregnancy-
if I had been financially secure-
I would have left.
I know I would have.
June squeezed my arm.
"Come on, Sophia. Today is for you."
I looked at her.
For the first time in a long time, the future didn't feel completely dark.
Maybe life after Adrian was possible.
Maybe this was the beginning of something new.
And maybe-
just maybe-
I was ready to find myself again.