𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝑰𝒏 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 14

Sophia had left a void in the crowded ballroom, her absence unnoticed by most, but not by me. I scanned the room, my eyes landing on Zaina, whose smile was bright and joyous, her hand adorned with the engagement ring I had just placed there. The proposal had been expected, even overdue by societal standards, yet the excitement around us felt hollow. My mind was elsewhere, fixated on a woman who should have meant nothing to me but had come to mean everything.

The Pérez Ball was winding down, and I made my excuses to leave. Zaina was swept up in a circle of admirers and well-wishers, giving me the perfect opportunity to slip away. The night air was cool as I stepped outside, my thoughts consumed by Sophia's sudden departure.

It wasn't hard to guess where she might have gone. As much as Sophia tried to blend in to play the part of a mere employee, her emotions were always there, just beneath the surface, for those who knew how to look. And I knew how to look. More than that, I cared.

The drive to her apartment was short, but it felt like an eternity.

I had never felt a knot in my stomach quite like this before. When I had collecyed the ring earlier today, it felt heavy in my pocket.
I knew it was necessary, but the thought had lingered because deep down, I knew there was someone else I wanted to share that moment with her. I knew it was impossible, but somewhere beyond the past, I could not help but dwell in the cage of the lingering thought.

I made my way up the stairs to Sophia's apartment. Every step I took echoed through the narrow stairwell, a rhythmic reminder of the daunting confrontation awaiting me. I had not expected her to leave so abruptly, especially not during a moment that was supposed to be triumphant, at least in the eyes of our families and friends. The proposal was a ruse, a strategic move to secure my shares of the family business. But seeing Sophia's retreating figure at that moment had felt like a punch to his gut.

Sophia. Her name had been an enless thoughts the time I was gone. It had been the one thing that stirred a complex whirlwind of emotions. She had been my confidante, my solace during the darkest days of grief, and for a brief, stolen period, something more. Our relationship had eneded so long ago, but the scars and memories remained as fresh as ever, that every day felt like my heart was being plucked out every day. I had tried to bury those feelings, convincing myself that our time had passed, but the sight of her distressed face tonight had shattered my carefully constructed facade.

The breakup was entirely my fault , for reasons I could never reveal to her. In hopes that one day she would be able to move on and find a life of happiness because I had not left her because I did not love her. I thought I never would feel that type of emotion like described in books or cliché romance. Sophia proved me wrong. So when I left, I did it precisely because I loved her and needed to save her from the inevitable pain I would have caused her if I held onto her love.

I reached the landing and paused before her door, my heart pounding as I tried to muster up the courage to knock on the door. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, how I was going to explain myself without revealing the truth about his engagement. Maybe I should go home. And yet the look in her eyes raised my hand to knock, my knuckles rapping lightly against the wood. The sound seemed to reverberate loudly in the silence of the hallway.

A moment later, the door opened just a crack, and I found himself staring into Sophia's eyes, which were red-rimmed and wary. She didn't look surprised to see me, but there was a guardedness in her expression that cut him to the core.

"Mr Vasilios," she said, her voice flat. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you," I replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "Can I come in?"

She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder into the apartment. I knew I did not have the right to feel it but I could help as I felt the heaviness of my heart sinking further, wondering if someone else was there, someone she might have turned to in her moment of distress. But then she stepped aside, opening the door wider to let me in.