After Divorce, He Want Me Back

Chapter 3

Sophia’s POV

When I arrived at the café, I spotted Hunter Dorothy seated by the window. With a warm smile, I approached him. "Hunter, you are early."

He looked up, his eyes widening in astonishment. "Sophia?"

My smile didn’t falter. "Sophia, you are Paige."

Hunter had always admired my brilliance back in law school, but learning that I was the famous Paige, renowned for my legal prowess, left him momentarily speechless.

I chuckled softly at his reaction. "Let's get to business, Hunter, shall we?"

He nodded, his respect for me growing even further. We quickly delved into the details of the cases, discussing strategies and plans for the upcoming proceedings.

Unbeknownst to me, Aiden was parked just outside the café, his gaze fixed on me through the window. From his vantage point, he could only see my face glowing with laughter and animated conversation. The man sitting across from me was obscured, but Aiden didn’t need to see his face to feel his blood boil. And this is just the beginning. Why is he following me? What does he want again?

My radiant smile cut into him like a blade. I only smiled like this for him. But not anymore.

He clenched his fists, frustration growing by the second. “Does she think I don’t exist anymore? How can she be so happy without me?”

After finishing our discussion, Hunter and I had lunch together. Then, as the afternoon stretched on, I decided to indulge in a rare treat—shopping for myself. I strolled through the shops, picking out things I liked without worrying about anyone else’s opinion. By the time I returned to my villa, the sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the horizon.

The servant greeted me and handed me a list of my purchases. But as I scanned it, my chest tightened.

Something was missing.

My fingers instinctively reached for my neck, and my heart sank. Where is the necklace?

It was not just a necklace. It was something precious, something I couldn’t afford to lose. I racked my brain trying to remember. Had I packed it when I left the Blackthorn residence, or had I forgotten it in my rush?

There was only one way to find out.

As the evening deepened, I found myself back at the Blackthorn residence, walking the familiar halls with a sense of detachment. I headed straight for the bedroom, my mind focused on retrieving the necklace.

But when I stepped inside, I froze.

Standing by my dressing table was Aiden. He was holding something in his hand, staring at it with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

My breath caught as I realized what it was—the watch I had given him during our first year of marriage, also belonged to my father. This watch belonged to my father before he died, and I valued it so much that I couldn’t give it to anyone else.

Seeing Aiden in my room was a shock. During our time together, he had never once set foot in this room, yet now he stood there, lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the watch as if it held some deep meaning to him. And his back was to me at the door.

"Aiden," I said, breaking the silence.

He turned abruptly, his eyes meeting mine. For a moment, neither of us spoke, the weight of unspoken emotions hanging heavily between us.

Aiden had smashed the watch on something, maybe when he was angry, and it had the pieces in his hand. I will painstakingly glue it back together. Even though it no longer worked, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. It symbolized the presence of my father, the one I loved. The necklace symbolizes my mother, like a treasure to me.

Realizing my presence, he turned abruptly, startled. His expression quickly morphed into one of disdain, and he snorted and tossed the watch back onto the dressing table.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice shaky, his heart sinking, and his face pale in my presence.

I walked past him and then grabbed the watch from the table. His jaw tightened, and his pupils contracted as he stared after me, his frustration simmering as memories of my smile from earlier in the day replayed in his mind—smiling at another man, happy—all he saw at the café.

"Sophia," his voice cut through the silence like a whip. "Have you found someone else? Is that why you agreed to divorce so quickly?" His eyes widened in shock.

I froze for a moment, fear prickling the back of my neck. "What do you mean by that? You proposed the divorce, and what did you expect? For me to be begging or crying for the marriage I never enjoyed since we wed? So I think there is no meaning to this question." His face paled, and the sadness and heartbreak of jealousy increased.

He was short of words, fear gripping him with my response. He didn’t believe I could snap back so easily like that. Unlike before, his presence used to send a breeze of discomfort, and his cold voice sent fear to my heart, but now that has all passed.

Without waiting for his reaction, I opened the drawer and retrieved a small box, put the necklace inside, and closed it in peace. Though Aiden stood close, I didn’t spare him another glance as I moved to leave.

But before I could take another step, he grasped my wrist, his grip firm and unyielding.

"You think you can just come and go as you please?"

I froze as he turned me to face him; his cold, disdainful, and handsome face still remained, but this time, pitifully. My body was connected to him, and then I felt the aura I used to feel before—his warmth, the part of him that expressed his love to me when we just got married three years ago.

"What do you want, Aiden?"