ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ

Ultimatum

Sofia had just finished a long day at work and was looking forward to returning to her apartment to relax. As she inserted her key into the lock and turned it, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

But as she closed the door behind her, she froze in shock. Standing in the middle of her living room was Jenna. Sofia's heart raced as she took in Jenna's angry expression and the way her arms were crossed tightly over her chest.

"Sofia Gracia," Jenna said, her voice cold and hard. "We need to talk."

Sofia took a step backward, her mind racing. She didn't know what Jenna could possibly want, but she knew it couldn't be good.

"Jenna, what are you doing here?" Sofia asked.

Jenna took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "I know about you and Xavier," she said, her voice low and menacing. "And I know about your parents."

Sofia's heart sank. She had always known that her parents were undocumented immigrants, but she had never imagined that anyone else knew.

"How did you -"

"If you don't stop seeing him and quit your job, I'll have to give my good friend that works for ICE a call," Jenna continued, her voice rising in anger. "They'll be deported, and your family will be torn apart."

Sofia felt a wave of panic wash over her. She knew that Jenna had the power to ruin her life, and she didn't know what to do. She had fallen in love with Xavier, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. But she couldn't bear the thought of losing her family, either.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Jenna, pleading silently for mercy. But Jenna's expression remained hard and unforgiving.

"Don't you fucking cry." Jenna growled. "You fucked my husband. Mine! You're nothing but a home wrecking whore."

"It's not like that..."

"So you didn't fuck my husband knowing damn well he was married?" Jenna asked sarcastically.

"No, I did, but I-"

"Save it," Jenna said, turning on her heel and walking towards the door. "I'll be in touch."

And with that, she was gone, leaving Sofia alone and terrified in her apartment. She wasn't scared for herself she was scared for her family.

~

The next morning, Sofia tried to pull herself together as she got ready for work. She knew that she couldn't keep hiding behind her tears forever and that she needed to make some tough decisions.

As she walked into the office, she saw Xavier and felt a knot in her stomach. She knew that she would have to face him, but she didn't know how to do it without breaking down again.

Xavier saw her and walked over, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay? You look like you've been crying."

Sofia took a deep breath and decided to be honest. "Xavier, I need to talk to you. Can we talk?"

He nodded. Sofia took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "Xavier, I need some time off work. About a week."

"Of course," he replied, concern deepening on his face. "Is everything okay?"

Sofia nodded, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Yes, it's just some personal things that I need to take care of."

Xavier looked at her with concern. "Sofia, you're lying. Tell me."

Sofia shook her head. "No, it's really just something that I need to take care of myself. But thank you for being understanding."

As she turned to walk away, Xavier reached out to touch her arm. "Sofia, wait."

She turned back to face him, surprised. Before she could say anything, he leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"Xavier, I can't," she said softly.

He looked confused. "Can't what?"

"I can't keep doing this," she said firmly. "I can't keep seeing you when you're married. It's not fair to you, to me, or to your wife. I need some time to figure out what to do next."

Xavier looked stunned, "Sofia, I'm leaving Jenna. I already spoke to a lawyer, and with my prenup, there will be no drama."

Sofia could feel tears welling up in her eyes again, but she blinked them away. "No! You can't leave your wife for me, Xavier. You just can't do it."

Xavier: "And why not? Isn't what you wanted?"

Sofia: "I didn't want any of this!"

Xavier: "Sofia, you're not making any sense."

Sofia: "I can't do this, Xavier. I quit."

Xavier: "No."

Sofia: "I quit. I'm done. I'm sorry."

Xavier: "No. I don't accept your resignation. What is this about?"

Just then, Jenna entered the office, and Sofia's heart skipped a beat.

Sofia: "I don't love you anymore. It's over." She whispered with tears in her eyes and pushed past Jenna.

Sofia ran out of Xavier's office, her heart heavy and her mind swirling with conflicting emotions. She didn't know where to go or what to do next. The rain had started to pour down, soaking her clothes and making her shiver, but she didn't care.

She called Anna three times but kept getting sent to voice mail. She pulled out her phone again and quickly texted Zoe, asking her to meet her at their favorite coffee shop. Zoe responded immediately, asking if everything was okay. Sofia didn't know how to respond, so she simply typed, "I need you."

When she arrived at the coffee shop, Zoe was already there, waiting for her. Sofia rushed inside, her hair dripping wet and her eyes red from crying. As soon as she saw Zoe, she broke down, collapsing into her arms and sobbing uncontrollably.

Zoe held her tightly, rubbing her back and whispering words of comfort. She didn't ask Sofia what was wrong, knowing that she would tell her when she was ready.

A few customs stared in confusion, and Zoe simply stuck her middle finger up at them.

For several minutes, Sofia cried into Zoe's arms, letting out all of her pent-up emotions. She felt safe and secure in Zoe's embrace, knowing that she had someone who cared about her and would always be there for her.

Finally, Sofia pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She looked up at Zoe, her expression raw and vulnerable.

"Jenna knows about my parents being here illegally," she said, her voice trembling. "She threatened to turn them in if I didn't stop seeing Xavier and quit my job."

Zoe's eyes widened in shock, and she pulled Sofia back into a hug. "That bitch. What are you going to do?"

"I quit. I just told Xavier."

"Woah. Shit."

"I fucked up Zoe. I told him I didn't love him. Jenna just walked in, and I panicked. Fuck."

Zoe sighed, understanding Sofia’s predicament, but still feeling frustrated. Suddenly, Sofia bolted upright and ran towards the nearest rubbish bin, retching violently. Zoe rushed over and held her hair back, rubbing her back soothingly as she threw up.

Once Sofia was done, Zoe handed her a tissue and asked gently, “Are you okay?”

Sofia shook her head, still feeling queasy. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve been feeling sick all week.”

Zoe’s eyes widened. “Do you think there’s a chance you could be pregnant?”

Sofia’s eyes widened in shock. “No, no way. I'm on birth control. I never missed a day."

Zoe nodded, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. “Maybe you should take a pregnancy test, just to be sure.”

Sofia sighed. "I can't be pregnant, Zoe. I just quit my job."

"Well, we're going to find out."