Chapter 1
I was the woman William Preston personally picked out to be his lover.
But once all his friends had married women from families of equal standing, something changed.
I could feel that he had started to regret it.
His parents never liked me.
I never really fit in when they talked.
I didn't come from a good family.
He started to resent me for all of that.
One day, after William praised another woman in front of me yet again, I made up my mind.
I finally took off the apron I'd been wearing day in and day out.
I put my makeup back on and slipped into the prettiest dress I owned.
I wasn't going to keep sacrificing myself for this marriage anymore.
*****
When I went to the office to bring William his lunch, his buddies were all hanging out in his office.
The door was ajar, so I didn't go in.
Just then, I heard voices coming from inside.
"William, you've been looking pretty down lately. Did you and your wife have a fight?" one of them asked.
William was sitting at his desk, cigarette in hand, looking down at some papers.
He froze for a second when he heard that.
Then he shook his head.
He said, "No, it's nothing. Just feeling a bit frustrated.
"I can't really explain it. She hasn't done anything wrong, but for no reason, I just find myself getting irritated with her."
The lunchbox in my hand suddenly felt so heavy that I almost couldn't lift it anymore.
Honestly, I already knew what he wasn't saying.
Yeah, I knew.
When love wasn't enough to keep us going, we just weren't right for each other anymore.
He was just fed up with me.
I was about to turn and leave when Charlotte Foster, William's childhood friend and his new personal secretary, stepped in front of me.
I couldn't miss the sly smile playing at the corner of her mouth.
With a casual push, Charlotte swung the door open.
Charlotte called out, "William, Sophia's here with your lunch. Man, I'm seriously jealous. You get to eat her cooking every day."
William stood up from his chair.
I was sure of it.
He didn't even glance at me. He just took the lunchbox from my hand.
Without a second thought, he placed it right on his desk.
"Come on, you greedy brat, I've been feeding you lunch all week and you're still not happy?" William joked.
Charlotte shook her shoulders with a cute little pout, acting all sassy.
"Hey, you're the one who said your wife only knows how to cook, so you told me to order whatever I wanted. Now you're blaming me?" Charlotte shot back.
Then, she shot me a smug look and made herself comfortable in William's chair.
She took her sweet time eating.
My nails were biting into my palms, but William softly unfolded my fingers as he came over.
There was still tenderness in his gaze.
There was not a hint of annoyance or disgust in his eyes.
"Sophia, Charlotte's been having some stomach issues lately. You understand, right?" William said.
I pulled my hand away, staying silent.
William held onto my hand again, not letting me pull away.
He slowly ran his fingers over the back of my hand, completely ignoring how I tried to pull free.
After finishing her lunch, Charlotte turned her head toward us.
"Hey, let's all go out for drinks tonight. It's been ages since we last hung out," Charlotte suggested.
Everyone chimed in, agreeing enthusiastically.
William nodded. "Sure."
He stood up and handed me the empty lunchbox.
"You go on ahead. Don't wait up for me tonight," he said.
I should've been angry.
But I just couldn't get angry anymore. I turned and walked out.
Charlotte's playful voice lingered in the air, chasing after me as I walked out.
"William, why not let Sophia come with us? She'd make things more fun!" Charlotte called out.
William replied in a flat tone.
"She doesn't really get what we're talking about, can't even join in. She'd just feel awkward, and it'd make things weird for everyone else," he said.
My feet froze right there.
I stood for ages before I finally managed to take another step.