The rain hammered down, a relentless barrage against the windows. Inside the sterile white hospital room, Sophia lay on the bed, her face pale from exhaustion. Her body ached, and the emptiness inside her felt like a cold void, swallowing everything. The sharp pain of loss had already started to dull, but the betrayal was fresh. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the phone beside her bed. The screen lit up with a picture of Luke—her husband of three years. His face, so handsome yet distant, stared back at her. His last words replayed in her mind: "I have to leave for a few days. I'll be back soon." He hadn't even waited for her to say goodbye.

Her eyes flicked to the empty side of the bed. Luke was gone. He was traveling abroad with Emily, the woman he had once called his "white moonlight," the woman he'd always loved more than her. The woman who had haunted their marriage since day one.

Sophia closed her eyes, trying to shut out the pain, but it was impossible. She had loved him with every part of her being, and this was the price. She had stayed, silently suffering, believing that one day he would love her the way she loved him. But no. She had been nothing more than a placeholder, a duty.

The sterile white walls felt like they were closing in around her. She could still hear the hum of the machines, the constant beeping and clicking, as if they were mocking her. The room was suffocating. Her chest felt heavy, like someone was sitting on it, pressing the air out of her lungs. Every breath was a struggle, every heartbeat a reminder of how far she'd fallen from the woman she used to be.

A nurse entered the room, her face sympathetic. "You should rest now, Mrs. Anderson. The doctor said you're free to go home tomorrow."

Sophia nodded absently, her eyes still locked on the phone screen. It buzzed in her hand, breaking the silence.

Luke: "Soph, I—"

She didn't read the rest. Instead, she clicked the phone off and set it aside. Her breath hitched as she stared out the window at the rain-soaked world. The city below was alive, bustling with people going about their lives, oblivious to her heartache. How could everything feel so empty when the world continued on as if nothing had happened?

The door to the hospital room clicked open again, but this time it wasn't Luke. It was her lawyer.

"Mrs. Anderson, I'm so sorry for your loss," the lawyer said gently, his eyes scanning her face as though he could see through to the devastation behind her calm exterior. "I've prepared the divorce papers."

Sophia's heart hammered in her chest. Divorce. The word seemed so final, so impossible. But it wasn't. It was the only thing left.

The reality of it all crashed down on her. She had known this day would come eventually, but now that it was here, it felt like a weight she couldn't bear. The past few years of her life, the love, the hopes, the dreams—they all lay in tatters at her feet. Luke had broken her, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but an empty shell. She had given him everything: her trust, her love, her future. And in return, he had given her… nothing.

She took the papers, the weight of them heavier than anything she had ever carried. There was no more waiting. No more pretending. She would sign. She would leave him, just as he had left her. This was her breaking point. The moment she would stop being the woman who waited for a man who would never choose her.

Sophia's fingers brushed the pen the lawyer had left on the table, its sleek surface cold against her skin. She didn't hesitate. She signed. The ink was dark and final, sealing her fate. The door to her past slammed shut in that instant.

The lawyer left quietly, his footsteps fading down the hallway as Sophia stared at the papers in her hands. A strange sense of numbness washed over her. She felt like she was floating, disconnected from her body, as though the person who had signed those papers wasn't her at all. But it was her. And now it was over.

The sound of the rain outside grew louder, the world outside the window blurred by the steady downpour. She stared at it, trying to make sense of the emotions that crashed through her in waves. How could love fade so easily? How could he walk away?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Her breath caught in her throat. Could it be? Was it possible?

She turned slowly, bracing herself for something she wasn't sure she was ready for. When she opened the door, it wasn't Luke. It wasn't anyone she expected.

It was her best friend, Lucy, standing there, her face flushed from running through the rain, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a mischievous smile on her face.

"Ready for a night of celebrating your freedom?" Lucy teased, walking into the apartment without waiting for an invitation.

Sophia forced a smile, feeling a flicker of warmth in her chest. Lucy was always like this, always trying to make her smile, even when everything felt dark.

"Freedom, huh?" Sophia managed, her voice low. "I guess you could call it that."

They walked into the living room, the warm light from the lamps feeling like a small comfort in the midst of everything. Lucy poured them both a glass of wine, and they clinked their glasses together. As the wine flowed, the conversation drifted from lighthearted chatter to deeper emotions.

"I thought I could never move on," Sophia admitted, her voice cracking for the first time. She let out a shaky breath, trying to hold it together. "But I've changed. I've found my strength again."

Lucy nodded, her eyes soft with understanding. "It was never about Luke. It was always about you. You just had to remember who you were."

Sophia smiled faintly. She had never truly forgotten, but she had needed someone to remind her. Someone who understood what it meant to rebuild, to rise from the ashes.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Sophia let herself breathe. She had done it. She had finally let go.

As the evening wore on, laughter and stories filling the space between them, Sophia's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, and her heart skipped.

Luke: "Soph, I need to talk to you."

Her pulse quickened. The emotions she had worked so hard to bury surged to the surface. She wanted to delete the message, block him, pretend like he didn't exist anymore. But something stopped her.

She hesitated before typing back.

Sophia: "I have nothing left to say."

Seconds later, the phone rang.

It was him.

----

To be continued...