Her Return
905 Words
The microphone slipped from Julian's hand and crashed against the podium with a loud thud, the sharp sound echoing across the ballroom. However, Julian barely heard it over the sharp pounding of his heart.
His entire body had gone still as he stared at the entrance of the hall. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
He had to be.
There was no way she was actually in front of him.
"Sophie..." He whispered faintly, his heart racing.
The once silent ballroom had become a complete chaos. Reporters screamed for Sophie, wanting to hear an explanation from her. Cameras flashed from every angle, each handler vying for the perfect shot for this breaking news.
They were all sure it would make headlines.
Sophie Monroe. The woman who had disappeared after her sister, her husband's true love, suddenly returned, claiming her place.
The woman Julian had searched for endlessly, hoping to catch even a glimpse of her, until the exhaustion of failure slowly killed the hope inside him and, in turn, dimmed his light.
The woman who made everyone conclude Julian had been living a life of regret for the past four years.
The woman was the reason Serena could not sleep peacefully.
She stood beneath the crystal lights, as she belonged there more than anyone else in the room. Her elegant black dress hugged her body perfectly, the slit along one side exposing just enough of her leg to make heads turn without looking vulgar.
Her dark hair flowed in soft waves over one shoulder, and every step she took was calm, graceful, and confident. Nothing about her resembled the broken woman who had once walked out of his house carrying years of silent pain.
This version of Sophie looked untouchable, confident, and above all, powerful.
Whispers spread rapidly across the ballroom as guests stared openly at her.
“Is that Sophie Monroe?”
“She came back?”
“Oh my God… she looks stunning.”
“Wasn’t she Julian Vale’s ex-wife?”
“I thought she disappeared completely.”
“What is she doing here?”
Julian couldn’t take his eyes off her. His chest tightened painfully the longer he stared at her face. She had changed so much.
Not just physically, but entirely.
The Sophie he remembered had always looked careful around people, almost afraid of drawing too much attention to herself. She had carried herself like someone constantly apologizing for existing.
But this woman walked into the ballroom like she owned the air everyone else breathed. She didn't look sorry for being in their space. Instead, she looked like someone they would thank for being privileged enough to breathe the same air as her.
Across the hall, Serena’s face had completely drained of color. Her fingers tightened violently around her clutch purse as panic slowly settled in her chest.
Beside her, Jada looked equally horrified. “What is she doing here?” Jada whispered sharply. She had long erased the memory of ever being Sophie's mother. To her, she was someone getting in the way of her daughter's happiness.
Serena swallowed hard before quickly forcing herself to calm down. “Julian probably invited her,” Jada snapped bitterly. “I knew it. Even after all these years, he still can’t move on from her.”
“That’s not true,” Serena replied immediately. Her voice came out too quickly, almost desperate. She wasn't going to let anyone run with the narrative that Julian didn't love her anymore.
Julian had become distant over the years, but Serena still believed she had some control over the situation. She refused to believe Sophie’s sudden return could destroy the life she fought so hard to keep.
“He didn’t invite her,” Serena insisted quickly. “She probably came on her own.”
Jada frowned suspiciously. “She probably realized life isn’t easy outside,” Serena continued coldly. “She must have failed out there and decided to crawl back.”
A slow smirk spread across Jada’s lips. “That sounds more believable,” she scoffed. “She probably came back looking for scraps. We all know she's too stupid to actually succeed on her own. That was why she wanted to get married to Julian so much.”
Serena nodded quickly, feeling relieved by the idea.
After all, what else could Sophie possibly be doing there?
There was no way she had returned successfully after disappearing for years. Once a gold digger, always a gold digger.
Jada straightened her shoulders proudly and adjusted her necklace. “I think we should remind her where she belongs before she starts to get too comfortable."
Without waiting another second, both women started walking toward Sophie confidently.
Meanwhile, Julian finally snapped out of his daze. “Dan,” he called sharply.
His assistant hurried toward him immediately. “Sir?”
Julian forced himself to look away from Sophie even though every instinct in him resisted it. “Continue the event,” he ordered quickly. “Get the music louder or distract the guests somehow. I'll be back."
Dan looked confused by the sudden tension but nodded immediately. “Yes, sir.”
Julian stepped down from the stage almost immediately afterward.
He needed to speak to Sophie.
He needed to know if she was really standing there or if exhaustion had finally pushed him into madness. But before he could reach her, Serena and Jada got there first.
- Writer
