The sky outside was a dull gray, the kind that made the city feel slower, heavier. Sophia sat in her parked car near the hospital's back exit. Her hands rested on the steering wheel, unmoving. She wasn't here for a check-up. She wasn't here for Ethan either.
She was here for them.
She watched as the staff trickled out for lunch. Doctors, nurses, interns. Then—she saw him.
Adrian.
He walked beside Cassidy, both carrying coffee cups. They laughed at something—his head tilted toward hers in a way that twisted something sharp inside Sophia's chest.
It wasn't romantic.
But it was close enough to feel like betrayal.
Sophia didn't realize her hand had gripped the wheel until her knuckles turned white. She leaned back in her seat and let out a long, tired breath.
He said he loved me.
So why did she feel like the other woman?
---
Later that evening, Sophia sat at her kitchen table, staring at her untouched tea. Ethan was fast asleep upstairs, and the silence of the house had become louder with each passing minute.
Her phone buzzed.
Cassidy Lane.
She stared at the screen, then answered. "Hello?"
"Sophia," Cassidy said, her voice smooth. "I think we should talk. Woman to woman."
Sophia closed her eyes for a second. She had expected this.
"Where?" she asked.
"There's a café on Belmont. Ten minutes?"
"I'll be there."
---
The café was warm, dimly lit, quiet. Cassidy was already seated by the window, stirring her coffee like she wasn't the storm waiting to happen.
"You came," she smiled.
Sophia sat down, not returning it. "Say what you came to say."
Cassidy leaned in. "You know, I used to think Adrian and I were endgame. He was brilliant. Ambitious. And when we broke up, it nearly killed me."
Sophia remained silent, her eyes steady.
"But then you showed up," Cassidy continued, "like a spark he didn't expect. He chose you. I hated you for it."
Sophia blinked but didn't speak.
Cassidy smiled faintly. "Now you're here again. And I'm wondering… how long until you leave this time?"
Sophia's jaw tightened. "That's not your concern."
"Oh, but it is," Cassidy said softly. "Because while you're unsure—while you hesitate—he still leans on me. Every long shift. Every coffee break. Every moment you're not there, I am."
Sophia stood slowly, voice low but clear. "He's yours during the day, Cassidy. But at night, when he's home, when he looks at me like I'm the only thing that's ever made sense… I'm the one he loves."
Cassidy's smile didn't falter. "Let's see how long that lasts."
---
Back at home, Adrian stepped into the kitchen as Sophia entered. "You went out?" he asked, surprised.
Sophia nodded. "Just needed air."
He walked closer. "Something wrong?"
She stared at him for a moment, then said, "Do you miss her, Adrian?"
Adrian blinked. "Cassidy?"
"Yes."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't. But I feel responsible. She was there when I wasn't okay. She stayed."
"And now?"
"She's still staying," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean I want her. I want you, Sophia. Only you."
Sophia looked at him, searching his face, looking for cracks, hesitations, dishonesty—but she found none.
She nodded once.
"Then prove it."