"Are you okay?" Anne asked softly as she pushed the door open, her voice gentle but full of concern. She found Sofia curled up on her side, a blanket drawn over her shoulders, her face half-buried in a pillow.
Sofia didn't answer at first. Her body didn't even move. Only the quiet sound of her uneven breathing hinted that she was still awake.
Anne walked over and sat at the edge of the bed, placing a comforting hand on Sofia's shoulder. "Hey... I'm here. You don't have to say anything if you're not ready. But you know you can tell me anything, right? No filters, no judgment."
Sofia slowly turned toward her, eyes puffy and red-rimmed. She gave a shaky smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah... I know."
There was a long pause. The kind that fills a room when someone is building up the courage to say something that hurts.
Then, softly—barely louder than a breath—"I saw John tonight."
Ann stilled. "What happened?"
"He picked up Carla from the office." Sofia's voice cracked. "And he kissed her. Right there. Like I never existed."
A thick silence fell. Anne's hand curled into a fist, her jaw tightening.
"That... son of a—" She exhaled sharply, reining in her temper. "He really did that? In front of everyone?"
Sofia nodded, her eyes glazing over. "Like it didn't matter. Like I never mattered."
Anne's face darkened. "I swear to God, Sofia, the next time I see him, I'll kick him so hard he won't be able to cheat on anyone ever again."
That actually drew a fragile laugh from Sofia. "Please don't get arrested on my behalf," she said, her voice hollow but grateful.
"No promises," Anne muttered, still furious.
Sofia sat up slowly, pulling her knees to her chest. "I just thought... I don't know. That he'd at least pretend to have some decency. Especially after I made it clear to everyone that we broke up. But the way he looked at her..." Her throat tightened. "He never looked at me like that. Not once."
Anne's expression softened as she reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Sofia's ear. "Then maybe he never deserved you."
Sofia gave a quiet sigh. **"I wish I believed that."
"You will," Anne said firmly. Then, with a smirk creeping back onto her face, "Besides, maybe it's time to focus on someone else. Like that ridiculously hot stranger who took your virginity and then haunted your dreams ever since?"
Sofia groaned and covered her face with both hands. "Anne..."
"What? I'm just saying! Mystery guy clearly made an impression. You haven't stopped thinking about him. And you said he didn't feel like a one-night stand."
Sofia peeked through her fingers, her cheeks burning. "It wasn't supposed to mean anything..."
Anne tilted her head. "But it did. And maybe it still could."
Sofia didn't answer. But her silence said enough.
After a moment, Anne stood up, brushing invisible lint from her jeans. "Anyway, Mom's here. She wants to talk to you."
Sofia blinked, surprised. "Your mom? Why?"
Anne bit her lip, glancing toward the hallway. "I sort of told her about the notice from the bank. I'm sorry—I didn't want to hide it, and she asked. But she mentioned something... an offer. Something that might help save the house."
Sofia's heart thudded in her chest. "What offer?"
"I don't know all the details," Anne said quickly. "She said she wanted to explain it to you herself. She's downstairs with Elise. They're waiting for you in the dining room."
Sofia sat there for a moment, stunned, overwhelmed, and unsure if she should hope.
Anne reached for her hand. "Come on. You need to eat anyway. Whatever it is, you won't have to face it alone."
Sofia squeezed her best friend's hand and slowly nodded. "Okay. Let's go."
"Hi, Aunt Isadora," Sofia said as she entered the dining room, offering a warm kiss on the older woman's cheek.
"Hello, my dear," Isadora replied, beaming. "Still as gorgeous and effortlessly sexy as ever—just like me."
Anne rolled her eyes. "Why do you always say that to Sofia when I'm your actual daughter?"
Isadora smirked, unfazed. "Because it's true. But in my eyes, sweetheart, you're the most beautiful of them all."
"Liar," Anne muttered under her breath, making the room erupt in laughter.
Elise waved her spatula toward the table. "Sofia, come on, eat before the food gets cold. I didn't channel my inner housewife for nothing."
Sofia gave a soft smile and sat down. The table was set with homemade dishes, the warmth of comfort food surrounding her—reminding her how lucky she was to have these people in her life.
Isadora's expression shifted slightly, her voice soft but purposeful. "I actually came with news, Sofia. I know you wanted to keep things from me—to handle everything on your own—but I care about you too much to stay silent."
Sofia's heart skipped. She put her fork down, her appetite suddenly gone. "Is this about the house?"
"Yes," Isadora nodded. "Anne told me about the bank notice. And I may know someone who can help."
Sofia's pulse quickened. "What do I have to do?" she asked carefully, her voice steady despite the sudden tightness in her chest.
Isadora glanced at the girls, then locked eyes with her. "All you have to do is marry him."
Silence.
The clinking of Elise's fork on her plate was the only sound for a moment. Even Anne's playful demeanor evaporated.
"I'm sorry—what?" Sofia blinked.
"It's not as crazy as it sounds," Isadora said calmly. "My friend is very well-connected. He's helping a friend, an extremely wealthy CEO—who needs to get married for business reasons. It's all legal, no strings attached beyond the public image. You'd be compensated. The debt on your family's house? Gone. You'd live comfortably. You'd be protected."
Sofia was speechless. Her mind tried to grasp what she just heard.
"You're asking me to marry a stranger," she whispered.
"I'm offering you a way out of this impossible situation," Isadora countered gently. "You've tried everything, haven't you?"
Sofia looked down at her plate, untouched. "I promised myself I'd never marry for anything but love. And now... after what happened with John, I don't even know what love looks like anymore."
Anne crossed her arms. "Mom, how do we know this isn't some sugar daddy arrangement? What if he's eighty? Or a creep?"
"Relax," Isadora said with a wave of her hand. "He's young, powerful, and disgustingly rich. And no, he's not some old man with a heart monitor. He's just... desperate. And no, it's not for love—it's for appearances."
"That makes it worse," Elise said quietly. "Marrying someone for convenience? That's not something you just walk away from."
Isadora leaned in, her tone shifting from humorous to sincere. "Listen, I would never put Sofia in harm's way. You girls know how much I love her—like she's my own daughter. I've watched her struggle to hold on to this house, to her pride, to everything her parents built. This is just a way to keep that part of them alive."
Sofia swallowed hard, her voice barely audible. "You really think this is the only way?"
Isadora sighed, reaching for her hand. "I don't think it's the only way. But right now? It may be the only one that works fast enough. You still have a choice. I'm not forcing you. Just think about it, alright?"
Sofia nodded slowly. "I... I don't know. I need time."
"Of course," Isadora said, patting her hand. "But if you do decide to say yes, the wedding's in three weeks."
Anne choked on her water. "Three weeks?"
"It's a business transaction," Isadora shrugged. "Time is money."
Sofia stared at the table, her appetite gone, her thoughts spiraling.
She had already given her body to a stranger. Could she give her name, too?
It has been almost three weeks since Isadora offered her help, and she is about to give up the house since she couldn't find money to pay for it. Soon everything will be gone, and made her heart bled.
She hadn't seen Carla ever since John kissed her in front of her officemates and they spread the gossip like wildfire, and even if she was hurting, she kept her head high. She endured and pretended to be deaf and didn't care even if she knew they were all talking behind her back.
After so many days of skipping meals at the cafeteria, she got the courage to go to the cafeteria to eat lunch, she didn't do anything, she was the victim and she didn't need to hide, and too bad, the only table available was next to Carla and her friends and she was talking about John the entire time without caring if she mere inches apart from them. She told them how handsome and generous John was and he even proposed to her, and made the pain unbearable.
She left tha cafeteria without finishing her meal and stayed at the restroom for the entire thirty minutes crying in silence. She had been John's girlfriend for five years and she had been waiting for his proposal, and she couldn't believe he proposed to Carla so early.
And it felt like a slap across her face—a cruel, public reminder of everything she had lost and everything she had once believed in. The ring on Carla's finger was more than just jewelry. It was a punchline to her heartbreak. A declaration that she had been replaced—easily, quickly, shamelessly.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and looked at her reflection in the restroom mirror. Her eyes were still red, but something fierce flickered in them now—determination. Anger. Pride.
She straightened her spine and whispered to herself, "No more."
No more waiting. No more hiding. No more giving her heart to men who saw it as disposable.
She would rise from this heartbreak, not with vengeance, but with strength. She would build a life so solid, so beautiful, that John and Carla would choke on their own smugness every time they saw her. Their mocking smiles would falter into envy, regret, maybe even shame.
Because one day, they wouldn't be talking about how Sofia was the woman John left behind. They would be talking about the woman John never deserved in the first place.
Her hands stopped shaking as she reached for her phone. She scrolled through her contacts, past old numbers, past memories she no longer had room for, until she reached one name: Isadora.
She stared at it for a moment, her heart pounding. This was it—the line between the life she had and the one she was about to create. Her finger hovered for only a second before she tapped Call.
The dial tone rang, steady and expectant.
When the other end picked up, Sofia's voice was steady, clear and unshaken.
"Aunt Isadora, I will take the offer. I'm ready."