Anastasia's POV

I stayed home all by myself in my study area with only a table lamp that illuminated my desk table. The weight of Blake's betrayal weighed down on me and broke the longing for the happy marriage that I once had so badly.

Where did everything start to go wrong? Was it a crime I committed or a thing I must have said that made him angry? Everything feels like a dream. A really bad dream.

It was raining outside and drops were pounding on the panes as if the external storm reflected the storm in my soul and my husband's betrayal.

A tap on the door interrupted my line of thought at last. I slightly turned my head to the side and cleaned the tears on my cheeks instantly, then I could clear my throat loudly and said, "Come in."

The door creaked open, revealing Sofi standing there with a sympathetic expression. She held a steaming cup of tea, a small gesture of comfort in my stormy world.

The girls came over after hearing what had happened two nights ago. Yes, Blake hadn't returned home.

"I thought you might need this," Sofi said softly, placing the cup on my desk.

"Thank you, Sofi," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. I took a sip, letting the warmth soothe me.

"You don't have to face this alone, Ana," Sofi said gently, taking a seat across from her. "Blake doesn't deserve you. You're stronger than this."

I nodded, grateful for Sofi's unwavering support. "I can't believe he kept this from me, and worse still he hadn't returned home since then," I admitted, my voice trembling.

Sofi reached across the desk, squeezing my hand. "You deserve someone who values you, Ana. Who sees your worth?"

"Or do you think it might be something I might have done that made him think of cheating? Let alone actually doing it?" I asked with anticipation.

"Anastasia, you and Blake are a married couple. If you truly did something to have made him angry, there should have been a level of maturity from him to start a conversation expressing his feelings." She pauses for a while before continuing. "I am sure you did not do anything wrong, the problem must be Blake, okay? Please don't think too much into that. Everything will be fine at the end of the day." She says as a form of reassuring me.

I managed to show a faint smile, touched by Sofi's words. But beneath my fragile composure, questions gnawed at me. What else had Blake hidden from him? How deep did his deception go? Why isn't he really back home?

Sensing my turmoil, Sofi asked gently, would you like to go out for the night?

I hesitated, uncertainty clouding my thoughts. "No darling, tomorrow is Monday," I confessed quietly while smiling slightly. "Don't worry I'll be fine. Maybe next time."

Sofi nodded, her expression serious. "Just promise me you'll stop worrying, Ana. Sometimes, worrying does more damage and may not get anything solved and settled at the end of the day."

I nodded indicating that I understood what she was saying. She continued "But you need to leave this study and spend time with us in the living room,"

A week had passed, and work had been stressful. We had external auditors come in for an audit and we found some discrepancies in our records that had my signature of approval which I had no idea about. Blake had returned home but we barely spoke. He would come in late and leave as early as possible.

I deliberately waited one night for him to come back home. "Hey," he said casually, as if nothing had happened. "How was Sofi's party?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. "We need to talk, Blake."

He looked at me, a hint of irritation in his eyes. "About what?"

I stood up, facing him. "About us. About that night. I saw you with Selene."

His expression shifted from irritation to surprise, then to anger. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Blake. I saw you two together. And I know this isn't the first time."

Blake's face hardened. "So what if you did? You're not exactly innocent either. I saw you leaving with that guy."

"Huh?!" The accusation stung. I couldn't believe he pulled that card on me.

"First you cheated, you didn't come home for like three nights, avoided me like I didn't matter, and now you are accusing me of cheating?!"

I slowly steadied my breathing and calmed my tone "You pushed me away, Blake. You've been distant for months. And that night was the breaking point."

"You're always blaming me, plus you got your revenge" he snapped. "Maybe if you weren't so cold, I wouldn't have had to look elsewhere."

The words cut deep, but I held my ground. "You made your choices, Blake. I pause for a while taking a deep breath "I think I need a break ."

You know the point when your brain just lets random flow out your mouth due to a particular emotion or hormone that you didn't mean to say or end up regretting? This was the moment.

His eyes widened in shock. "You're serious?" He continued speaking "Yes. I think that's what's best for both of us. I'm done trying to fix something that's beyond repair. Thanks for stating what I have always wanted to hear"

For a moment, I felt like my world was crashing. What he had always wanted to hear? What in the world had Blake been going through? Did he ever consider us a mistake? I know we didn't get married to each other for love, but we had trust, friendship, and companionship. We grew to be fond of each other, or so I thought.

For a moment, he just stared at me, then turned and walked out of the room without another word. The sound of the door closing echoed through the apartment, a comma on our failing marriage.