Velvet Regret

Episode 2: Caught In A Scandal

The photo appeared on Sophia's phone at exactly 10:13 in the morning,one second she was reviewing business reports

The next second her entire world seemed to stop.

Her eyes locked on the screen.

There was Adrian,And beside him stood a beautiful woman

They were leaving a luxury hotel together.The woman was smiling.

Adrian looked relaxed and very comfortable.

Sophia's stomach tightened.For several seconds, she could not breathe.

She stared at the picture again as if looking longer would somehow change what she was seeing.

But it didn't.

The image remained the same.

Her phone suddenly rang,it was Emma.

Sophia answered immediately."Tell me that's fake."

Emma was silent.

That silence was answer enough.

Sophia closed her eyes.

"Oh God."

"Sophia, listen to me."

"What is there to listen to?", Sophia asked

"We don't know the full story."Sophia laughed bitterly.

"The internet is going crazy right now."

Sophia opened a news article.

The headline made her chest hurt.

Billionaire CEO Adrian Blackwood Spotted With Mystery Woman Again.

Again.....Not once.!

Her fingers trembled.

Again meant this wasn't the first time.

Emma's voice softened."Are you okay?"

"No."The answer came out instantly.

Because she wasn't okay

After ending the call, Sophia sat alone in her office.

The room suddenly felt too small and seems very quiet

She looked at the photo one more time.

The woman was young and beautiful

Everything the media loved.

Sophia lowered the phone slowly.

A painful question entered her mind.

When was the last time Adrian looked at her the way he looked at that woman? She couldn't remember.

Maybe because it had been years.The thought hurt more than she wanted to admit.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. it was her assistant "Ms. Bennett, the board meeting starts in ten minutes."

Sophia nodded."Thank you."

The assistant hesitated.

Clearly she had seen the news too.

But she wisely said nothing.

When the door closed, Sophia took a deep breath

Years of business had taught her one thing,

Never break down in public with that,she stood up... straightened her shoulder and walked into the meeting room as if her heart wasn't falling apart.

***

Across the city, Adrian sat inside a conference room at Blackwood Technologies.

Several executives discussed quarterly reports but Adrian's attention was elsewhere.

His phone kept vibrating, messages and calls kept coming through.

Finally, his assistant entered "Sir."

"What?"

"The media is asking for a statement".Adrian frowned.

"A statement about what?"

His assistant looked surprised."The photos."

Adrian's expression darkened.

He grabbed his phone and within seconds he found the articles.

The headlines.The rumors.

The comments.

Thousands of people discussing his personal life.

His jaw tightened."This is ridiculous."

The woman in the photo was Vanessa Cole.

A marketing consultant hired by the company.

Nothing more.

Yet the media had already created an entire relationship.

One executive cleared his throat."Should we issue a denial?"

Adrian tossed the phone onto the table.

"I don't care."

The meeting continued.

But something bothered him.

Not the media but Sophia

He knew she would see the articles.

And despite everything between them, he didn't like the thought.

For reasons he couldn't explain.

That evening, Sophia sat alone in the mansion.

The television played quietly in the background.

Every entertainment channel seemed to be discussing the same Andrian•Cole rumours

Speculation.

Sophia switched the television off.

Silence filled the room.

A few minutes later she heard a car outside.

Adrian was home.

Her heart immediately became heavy.

The front door opened as he walked inside, While Sophia remained seated.

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Adrian loosened his tie.

"You saw the articles."It wasn't a question.

Sophia looked at him."Shouldn't I have?"

His expression remained unreadable.

"They're nonsense."

"Are they?" Sophia asked

"Yes."He replied

Sophia nodded slowly.

Then she asked the question that had been haunting her all day.

"Who is she?""A consultant."

"That's all?"

"That's all."His answer came too quickly.

Sophia studied his face.

Trying to find something like some signs that he understood why she was hurting.

Instead she found impatience.

The same impatience she always found.

Adrian sighed."Sophia, I had a long day."

A bitter smile appeared on her lips."So did I."

For a moment silence filled the room.

Then something inside her finally cracked.

"Do you know what's funny?"

Adrian frowned."What?"

"I spent all day defending you."

His expression changed slightly.

Sophia continued.

"I told myself the rumors were false."

Her voice shook.

"I told myself my husband would never embarrass me like this."

Adrian's jaw tightened."The rumors are false."

"Then why am I the only one who feels embarrassed?"

The question hung heavily in the air.

Adrian looked away first.

Sophia noticed.

And somehow that hurt even more.

Because years ago, he would have fought for her.....Years ago, he would have cared

Now he just looked tired.

As if this conversation was another problem on his schedule.

"I don't have the energy for this tonight."

Those words hit harder than he realized.

Sophia stared at him.

Then she laughed softly"Of course you don't."

Adrian looked confused.

But Sophia was already standing.

She walked past him.

Toward the bedroom,halfway up, she stopped.

Without turning around, she spoke quietly."Do you remember when we used to talk?"

Adrian remained silent.

Sophia swallowed hard."I barely remember too."

Then she continued upstairs.

Leaving Adrian alone in the living room.

For a long time, neither moved.

That night, Sophia lay awake in bed.

The room was dark.

Beside her, Adrian slept peacefully.

As if nothing had happened.

A painful realization settled over her heart.

She was tired.

Totally tired of waiting and hoping all the time

Tired of feeling lonely while married.

For years she had fought for them.

She had made excuses

Given second chances

Ignored the pain and even herself

But every person has a limit.

Even people in love.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

She quickly wiped it away.

Then she turned toward the sleeping man beside her.

The man she loved.

The man who no longer knew how to love her back.

For several seconds she simply watched him.

Memorizing his face.

The face that once made her believe in forever.

Then she whispered something so quietly that only the darkness heard it."I don't know how much longer I can do this."

Adrian never heard her.

He remained asleep.

And for the first time since their marriage began, Sophia wondered what life would feel like if she stopped trying.

The thought terrified her.

But it also brought something unexpected....Relief

The kind of relief that appears right before someone finally walks away.

And somewhere deep inside her heart, a door quietly began to close.