Velvet Regret

*** Sophia stared at the clock on the wall. 9:47 PM. The food on the dining table had gone cold hours ago. The candles she had lit were now melting into small pools of wax. She looked at her phone again. Nothing.No message.No call. No apology.Just silence. A bitter smile touched her lips. Seven years of marriage. And somehow she was still sitting alone, waiting for her husband. The front door remained closed. The large mansion felt empty,Too empty. Sophia lowered her eyes to the table. A beautiful chocolate cake sat in the center. On it were three simple words. Happy Anniversary Adrian. She had baked it herself. Not because she had to.Because she wanted to. Because despite everything, she still loved him. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway made her jump to her feet.Her heart raced. Finally. She quickly fixed her dress and walked toward the entrance. The front door opened. Adrian Blackwood stepped inside. Tall.Handsome.Powerful. The man every magazine wanted on their cover. The billionaire who owned Blackwood Technologies. The man she married seven years ago. He loosened his tie as he walked in. His eyes landed on her briefly."You're still awake?" The excitement inside Sophia slowly faded. Still, she forced a smile."I was waiting for you." Adrian nodded absentmindedly."I had meetings." His attention was already on his phone. Sophia swallowed. "Did you eat?" "No." "I made dinner." "Not hungry." He started walking toward the stairs. Just like that. As if this night was no different from any other. Sophia stood frozen. Watching him leave.Again. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress. "Adrian." He stopped. "What?" Her throat felt tight. "Do you know what day it is?" For the first time, he looked up from his phone. His brows pulled together."Tuesday" That was the answer written all over his face. Sophia laughed softly.A sad laugh. Adrian frowned."What?" She shook her head. "Nothing." He looked confused.Then annoyed. "Sophia, if you have something to say, say it." She stared at him. Really stared at him. The man she once believed she could never live without. The man she spent years loving. The man who no longer saw her. "Today is our anniversary." Silence. Adrian's face went blank. For a second she thought he would apologize. Instead he simply sighed."Oh." Oh. Just one word. Yet it hurt more than any insult. Sophia looked away before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes. "I forgot."His voice sounded casual. Like forgetting their anniversary was the same as forgetting where he left his keys. "I'm sorry." But he didn't sound sorry. Not really. Sophia nodded slowly."Of course." Adrian checked the time. "I have an early meeting tomorrow." Then he turned and walked upstairs. Leaving her standing alone.Again. A few moments later she heard a bedroom door close. Sophia remained where she was. Not moving.Not speaking. Just listening to the silence. After a while she walked back to the dining room. The candles were still burning. The food was untouched. The cake sat exactly where she had left it. She stared at it for a long time. Then she picked it up and carried it to the trash. The cake landed with a soft thud. A strange pain settled in her chest. Not because of the cake. Because she finally understood something. The problem wasn't that Adrian forgot. The problem was that he didn't care enough to remember. A tear slid down her cheek.Then another. Soon she was crying quietly in the empty kitchen. No one heard her.No one noticed. Upstairs, Adrian slept peacefully. *** The next morning Sophia woke early. Years of disappointment had taught her how to hide her pain. By seven o'clock she was already preparing breakfast. Coffee,Toast and eggs. Everything exactly the way Adrian liked it. When he entered the dining room, he looked freshly dressed for work. His expensive suit fit him perfectly. Sophia placed a cup of coffee in front of him. "Good morning." "Morning." He opened his tablet and started reading emails. Sophia sat across from him. Waiting...Hoping. Maybe he remembered now. Maybe he felt guilty. Maybe he wanted to make things right. Five minutes passed.Then ten. Nothing. Finally she spoke. "Are you coming home early tonight?" Adrian didn't look up."No." "Another meeting?" "Yes." Sophia nodded. The answer didn't surprise her anymore. Suddenly Adrian's phone rang. A smile appeared on his face. A real smile. The kind she hadn't seen directed at her in years. Something twisted inside her chest. "Who is it?" she asked quietly. Adrian grabbed his phone."Work." Then he stood up. "I have to go." Sophia watched him leave. The front door closed. The house became silent again. A few minutes later her own phone vibrated. It was a message. Not from Adrian. From her best friend, Emma. Did he remember your anniversary? Sophia stared at the message. For several seconds she couldn't answer. Then she typed two simple words.'He forgot'. Emma replied immediately. Sophia. Are you okay? Sophia looked around the empty mansion. At the expensive furniture. The grand staircase.The beautiful decorations. Everything money could buy.Everything except happiness. Her fingers moved slowly across the screen. No. I'm not. Hours later, while Adrian attended meetings across the city, Sophia sat alone in her private office. Very few people knew this room existed. Even fewer knew what she actually did there. She opened her laptop. Several reports appeared on the screen. Investment reports.Business acquisitions. Profit statements. The logo of Aurora Capital Partners shone brightly in the corner. The company she secretly owned. The company worth billions. The company Adrian knew nothing about. Sophia leaned back in her chair. A tired sigh escaped her lips. In business she was respected. Admired and Powerful. But in her marriage she felt invisible. The irony wasn't lost on her. Her assistant knocked gently before entering. "Good afternoon, Ms. Bennett." Sophia smiled."Good afternoon." "We received confirmation this morning." "What confirmation?" "The Singapore deal."The assistant grinned. "We got it." For the first time that day, genuine happiness appeared on Sophia's face. "Really?" "Yes." "That's wonderful." Everyone in the room smiled. Everyone celebrated her success. Yet the one person she wanted acknowledgment from never noticed anything she did. As the celebration continued, Sophia found herself staring out the window.Far away Toward the city skyline. Toward the building that carried the name Blackwood Technologies Toward the man she still loved. A strange feeling settled over her. Heavy. Uncomfortable. Almost like a warning. For years she had been holding their marriage together alone For years she had convinced herself things would change. Now she wasn't so sure. And for the first time in seven years, Sophia Bennett found herself asking a question she never dared ask before. What if love wasn't enough anymore?