SOPHIA'S POV

She stormed through the front door of her house, slamming it behind her. She was furious, hurt, and feeling utterly betrayed. James had promised her he was done with Rachel, that he was committed to their relationship. But then she saw him take her call, saw him leave to meet her. It felt like a stab in the chest.

I couldn't believe I had been so blind, so stupid. I thought we had something real, something special. But I guess I was just a fool. She thought to herself.

She walked into the living room, dropping her bag onto the couch. She couldn't even look at the photos of them together, couldn't bear to remember the happy times. It all felt like a lie now.

She thought about all the times James had reassured me, all the times he had told her he loved her. But it was all just words, empty words.

She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to cry. She wasn't not willing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her hurt.

Instead, she walked into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of wine. She needed something to take the edge off, something to numb the pain.

As she stood there, sipping her wine, she couldn't help but wonder what James was doing right now. Was he with Rachel? Was he comforting her, holding her hand?

The thought made her sick to her stomach.

“I didn't know how much more of this I could take. I didn't know if I could ever trust James again.” She muttered, amidst sobs.

And as she stood there, feeling lost and alone, she realized that she might have to make a choice. A choice between her heart and her sanity.

********************

Just as she was starting to calm down, she heard the front door open. James walked in, looking sheepish and guilty.

She tried to walk away from him but he held her hand and pulled her close.

"Sophia, I can explain..." He started, but she cut him off.

"Explain what, James? How you're still stuck on your ex-girlfriend? How you leave in the middle of our date to attend to your ex-girlfriend?"

James took a few steps forward, his hand outstretched.

"Sophia, please listen to me. I know I should not have done that, but I love you."

But she was beyond reason, she was hurt, angry, and fed up already.

"So why did she call you?"

James sighed before rubbing his temples. "She's just in trouble. Her ex husband is threatening to take their daughter away from her."

Sophia raised an eyebrow, her anger subsiding for a moment. "But why?"

"Well I never asked her actually. Maybe for some personal reasons."

James explained the situation, telling her about everything. Sophia felt a pang of sympathy for Rachel, but her anger at James still simmered.

"So, out of all the people on earth, she chooses to call my husband?" She said, her voice bitter. "And you, of course, drop everything to help her."

James sighed. "Look babe, I know it looks that way, but I swear, Sophia, I'm only trying to help."

Sophia shook my head, still trying to process everything. "I need space, James. Just go be with her, since that's who you wanna be with."

James' eyes widened in shock. "Sophia, no. Please don't say that."

But she was resolute. She had made up her mind already and there was no going back. She wanted to be away from him for a while.

Sophia woke up early, determined to put the events of the previous day behind her. She got dressed and ready for work, trying to shake off the lingering anger and hurt.

As she arrived at the office, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. She worked in James's company, and she knew she would have to see him eventually. But she wasn't ready yet.

She settled at her desk, trying to focus on her work. But her mind kept wandering back to James and Rachel.

Just as she was starting to get into my work, she saw her. Rachel. Walking towards James's office, a confident smile on her face.

Her heart sank. What was she doing here?

Sophia tried to ignore her, but she couldn't help sneaking glances at James's office.

She got up from her desk and walked to James's office, determined to get some answers. She opened the door and found Rachel still sitting in the chair in front of James's desk, chatting with him.

"Ah, Sophia," James said, looking up. "Come on in."

She ignored him and turned to Rachel. "What are you doing here?"

Rachel smiled sweetly. "Oh, I just came to drop off a present for James. He's been so helpful to me lately, and I wanted to thank him."

Sophia was curious, "A present?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes, a little something to show my appreciation. And I was thinking, since James has been so kind to me, maybe we could all have dinner together sometime?"

Sophia scoffed. She felt a surge of anger, but she tried to keep her cool. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said tightly, her eyes narrowed and flashing with anger.

Rachel looked at her innocently. "Oh, why not? I think it would be lovely. James, don't you agree?"

James looked uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Yeah, sure. That sounds great."

Sophia turned to him, furious. "You can't be serious."

But before she could say anything else, Rachel stood up. "I'll leave you two to discuss it. Thanks again, James. You're a lifesaver."

And with that, she walked out of the office, leaving Sophia fuming.

She turned to James, her anger boiling over. "What is going on here? Why is she still coming to your office? Why did she bring you a present?'

James sighed. "Sophia, I told you. There's nothing there. Maybe she's only giving me this as a show of her appreciation. I told you she's in a tough spot. Her ex is threatening to take her daughter away, and she needs someone to talk to. I was there for her. I couldn't neglect her call for help."

"And that someone has to be you?" She demanded. "Can't she see anyone else?"

James shook his head. "She trusts me, Sophia. And I'm not going to turn my back on her when she needs me."

Sophia felt a surge of frustration. "Even if it means hurting me?"

James looked at me, his eyes pleading. "Sophia, I'm not trying to hurt you. I swear. I just want to help Rachel through this tough time."

She turned away, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "I don't know if I can do this, James. I don't know if I can keep competing with her for your attention."

James got up and came over to me, putting his arms around me. "You're not competing with her, Sophia. You're my wife. My priority. I love you."

But she just shook my head, feeling uncertain. Did he really love me? Or was he still stuck on Rachel?

She took a long stare at James before walking out of his office, back to her desk, my heart shattering into pieces, as torrents of tears poured down her face, while burying her face in her palms.

She tried to shake off the feeling of unease that lingered long after Rachel left the office. James and her didn't talk much for the rest of the day, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was still thinking about her.

When she got home, she was surprised to find a dinner invitation on the kitchen counter. It was from Rachel, inviting them to dinner at her place the following night.

Sophia felt a surge of anger. How dare she? Didn't she know that I was still trying to process everything that was going on?

She showed the invitation to James, expecting him to be just as upset as she was. But instead, he looked thoughtful.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Should we go? I was actually waiting for you to come back, so I could show you.”

Sophia was furious. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you kidding me? After everything that's happened, you want to go to her house for dinner?"

James sighed. "Sophia, I know this is hard for you, but I think we should try to be civil. For my sake, if not for hers."

She shook my head, feeling a sense of betrayal. "Fine. Go if you want. But I'm not going."

James looked at me, his eyes sad. "Sophia, please. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

But she just turned and walked away, her heart racing as she felt like she was losing my husband to his ex all over again.

"Sophia, come on. Don't be like this," James said, following me into the living room.

"Like what?" She snapped, turning to face him. "Like a wife who's tired of being second best?"

James sighed. "You're not second best, Sophia. You're my wife. My priority."

"Then why are you still involved with Rachel?" She demanded. "Why are you still helping her, still talking to her?"

James ran a hand through his hair. "I told you, Sophia. She needs me right now. And I'm not going to turn my back on her."

"But what about me?" She asked, feeling a lump form in her throat, as her eyes welled up with tears. "What about what I need?"

James took a step forward, his eyes pleading. "Sophia, I need you to understand. This has nothing to do with us. It's just about helping someone in need."

She laughed, a bitter sound. "Save it, James. I'm not buying it."

James stopped, looking frustrated. "Fine. Don't believe me. But please, Sophia, don't shut me out. We need to talk about this."

But she just shook my head and walked away, feeling disappointed.

James followed her, his footsteps echoing behind her. "Sophia, please. Don't walk away from me."