Episode 5: Goodbye
1132 Words
What if Daniel was right?
What if Sophia was tired?
And what if this time she stopped waiting for him to notice?
The question stayed with Adrian long after he closed his eyes
It followed him into the morning.
The following morning
Went to work as usual, Though still feeling affected by his wife's sudden change of behaviour
Yet he did what he always did
He buried himself in work.
People either succeeded or failed
Problems had solutions
Feelings did not.
By nine in the morning, Adrian was already inside a conference room
Several department heads sat around the table
Plans were discussed
Everyone paid attention excluding Adrian.
For the third time, someone called his name
"Mr. Blackwood!?"
Adrian blinked."What?"
The room became quiet.
One of the managers cleared his throat."We were waiting for your decision."
Adrian looked at the screen.
His answer came immediately
The meeting continued
But his focus never fully returned.
Hours later, Sophia stood in the middle of her bedroom
A large suitcase rested beside her.
The room looked exactly the same
The furniture.The paintings
Nothing had changed.
Yet everything felt different.
She slowly opened the closet
Her eyes landed on Adrian's clothes.
For a moment, memories rushed through her mind
Their wedding day.
Their honeymoon
The tiny apartment where they started.
The promises they made
The dreams they shared.
Sophia closed her eyes
A sharp pain pierced her chest
She had spent years trying,believing things would get better.
But love could not survive on one person alone
Eventually, even the strongest heart grows tired
A tear slipped down her cheek
She quickly wiped it away.
No.Not today.
She had cried enough
Today she was choosing herself.
Her phone rang,Emma's name showed on the phone screen
Sophia answered."Hey."
Emma immediately heard the emotion in her voice
"Are you doing it?"
Sophia looked at the suitcase.
"Yes."
A long silence followed.
Then Emma spoke softly."Are you sure?"
Sophia swallowed hard cause she wasn't sure
She still loved Adrian and that has been stopping her all this while.
If she didn't love him, leaving would be easy
But loving him had been painful all along
"I can't do this anymore, Emma."
Her voice broke.
"I don't even recognize myself."She continued
Emma remained quiet.
Allowing her to speak.
Sophia sat on the edge of the bed.
The same bed where she had spent countless nights waiting for her husband.
"I gave him everything."
The words came out as a whisper.
"I know."Emma replied over the phone
"And it still wasn't enough."
Emma sighed.
"Maybe this isn't about being enough."
Sophia looked down."Then what is it about?"
"It's about him not seeing what he already had."
The words hit harder than expected
Because deep down, Sophia knew they were true.
After ending the call, she stood up
Then she packed the last few things
Not much
Just the things that belonged to her.
When she finished, she looked around the room one final time
A strange calm feeling settled over her
For the first time in years, she felt certain.
***
Across the city, Adrian finally ended another meeting.
His assistant entered his office."You have dinner with the investors tonight."
Adrian nodded."Fine."
She handed him a folder.
Then hesitated."Sir?"
"What?"
"Your wife called earlier."Adrian looked up.
His chest tightened unexpectedly."Why?"
"She didn't leave a message."
For some reason, disappointment settled inside him.
He immediately pushed it away."Anything else?"
"No, sir."
After she left, Adrian stared at his phone.
Sophia almost never called him at work anymore
So why had she called today?
For several seconds, he considered calling her back.
Then another executive entered.
Business took over again and that was it....the thought disappeared.
That evening, Adrian arrived home later than usual
The investor dinner had taken longer than expected.
As he stepped inside, the mansion felt unusually quiet.
He loosened his tie."Where's Sophia?"
One of the staff members looked confused.
"Mrs. Blackwood isn't here, sir."
Adrian frowned."She went out?"
"I believe so."The maid replied
He nodded.
Nothing strange about that
Sophia went out sometimes
Still, something felt off
He walked upstairs.
The moment he entered the bedroom, he stopped
The room looked different.
He couldn't immediately explain why.
Then he noticed it.
Part of the closet was empty.
His eyes narrowed as he walked closer.
Several dresses were gone and some shoes with other accessories that belonged to Sophia
Adrian stared at the space
A cold feeling crawled through his chest
He quickly left the room.
His steps became faster
Soon he reached Sophia's office.
The door stood slightly open
Inside, the shelves looked untouched.
The desk remained organized.Everything appeared normal.
Then he saw it....An envelope.
Placed neatly in the center of the desk with his name written on it
His heartbeat suddenly became louder
For the first time all day, true unease settled inside him.
Slowly, he picked up the envelope
His fingers tightened around it
He opened up the envelope,Inside was a letter.
His eyes moved across the words written in only one page.
With every line, his expression changed.
The room became silent.
When he reached the last sentence, he froze.
The paper nearly slipped from his hand.
"No."The word escaped before he could stop it.
This wasn't happening
It couldn't be
Sophia wouldn't leave.
She always stayed.Always forgave.
His breathing became uneven.
He grabbed his phone immediately.
Then dialed her number.
The call connected after some seconds then her voice came through.
"Hello."
Adrian stood completely still.
For a second, neither spoke.
Finally he found his voice."Where are you?"
Silence.
Then Sophia answered calmly "I'm gone, Adrian."
The words hit him harder than any business loss he had ever faced.
His grip tightened around the phone."What do you mean you're gone?"
Another pause
Then came the answer.
The answer that made his heart drop.
"I mean exactly what I said."
Adrian felt something crack inside him.
A feeling he could not name of maybe fear....
The kind he had never experienced before.
"Sophia."
His voice sounded rough.
"When are you coming back?"
For several seconds, she said nothing.
When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'm not."
The line went dead.
Adrian slowly lowered the phone
The room spun around him
His eyes landed on the letter again.
Then on the empty chair.
For the first time, the truth became impossible to ignore.
Sophia was gone.
And standing alone inside that silent room, Adrian suddenly realized something terrifying.
He had spent years believing his wife would never leave
Now she had.
And he had absolutely no idea how to get her back
Neither a confirmation that she'll come back.
You never truly understand the value of what you have until it's no longer within your reach.
Will Sophia be convinced to come back.?
- Writer
