Chapter 1 - Phone Call

As Sophia and Marvin headed in the direction of their car, to head to the French Restaurant. They were stopped in their tracks by a soft buzzing ring tone which originated from the pocket of Marvin's coat.

Sophia raised an eyebrow, wondering who could be calling her husband at this hour. Marvin took off his coat as he fished out his phone and glanced at the caller ID. He frowned and handed the coat to Sophia.

"It's work," he said apologetically. "I have to take this."

Sophia nodded understandingly and waited for him to answer. She could hear a muffled voice on the other end of the line, but couldn't make out what was being said. Marvin's expression shifted from concern to surprise, then back to concern.

"I see," he said at last. "Is everyone okay?"

Sophia's heart started to race. What was going on? Was there an emergency at the office? Marvin looked at her and shook his head, indicating that everything was fine.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he said into the phone. "Just keep me posted, okay?"

He hung up and turned to Sophia, his expression grim.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Marvin took a deep breath. "There's been a breach in our network. Someone hacked into our system and stole some sensitive data. We need to go back to the office and figure out what's going on."

Sophia felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. This was not how she had planned their evening. "Can't someone else take care of it?" she asked, hoping against hope.

Marvin shook his head. "I'm the only one who knows how to track down the source of the breach. I'm also the boss, Sophia. I have to be there. I'm sorry, my pretty wife. We'll have to reschedule our dinner for another night."

Sophia nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. She knew how important Marvin's work was to him, and she didn't want to be the one to stand in the way of his responsibilities. "It's okay," she said with a small smile. "Stay safe, and let me know if you need anything. You know, I'm always there. Right?"

Marvin leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "I will," he promised. "I love you."

"I love you too," Sophia replied softly. She watched as Marvin strode back to his car and drove off into the night.

She felt a pang of loneliness as she realized that she would be spending the night alone after all. But, she pushed the feeling aside and started walking back to the mansion.

How hard could it be to watch the person you love drive off leaving you behind just to stare at the fading view of his car?

She would find something else to do, something to take her mind off her disappointment. She might even order in some French food and eat it in front of the TV.

Though all of this could never be the same as a romantic night out with her husband that loved her so well despite her being dripped in flaws.

Her hand rested on the mansion's door knob as a sigh passed her lips.

How she wished her husband could have all the best things in the world. Yet, all he wanted was her, who was broken and frail and just couldn't remember all the things her husband had done for her.

Before she could have ventured inside her home, another soft buzz filled the air as the fished out her own phone from her purse, staring at the caller ID.

Mother-in-law.

Reading down the ID, a tremble creeped down Sophia's back as all the signals in her head went red. Nonetheless, she picked up the phone.

"Hello, mother-in-law," Sophia greeted, hesitantly.

"Hello, dear," came the sweet, cheerful voice on the other end of the line. "I just wanted to apologize for interrupting your evening, but I wanted to check in and make sure everything was okay."

Sophia couldn't believe her ears. Had she misjudged her mother-in-law all this time?

Little did she know that the most deadliest of poisons were often times sweet.

"Thank you for your concern," Sophia replied, feeling slightly guilty for her earlier thoughts. "Actually, Marvin had to go back to work, so our evening got cut short. But, I'm doing fine."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," her mother-in-law said, sympathetically. "Perhaps, we could a party schedule for today? I'm sure we could have a lovely evening together. Just us girls. With Alissa."

Alissa. The name made Sophia frown for a moment. How were she supposed to hang around with her husband's childhood love knowing that she still loved him?

How good would it have been if she didn't return to her husband's life three days ago?

The day was still crystal clear in the back of her head as she witnessed her husband smile for the first time at a woman that was not her.

They are just friends now, Sophia. How can you doubt your husband!?

Sophia scolded herself in the back of her mind as the sweet voice of her mother in law brought her back to earth. "Sophia?"

Sophia couldn't help but smile at the genuine kindness in her mother-in-law's voice. "That sounds wonderful," she said, feeling genuinely excited for the first time that day. She could just ignore Alissa though it was a little mean. But, what other options did she even have? She couldn't reject her mother in law when she was being so sweet to her for the first time since forever.

"Where do I have to come, Mother in law?" Sophia asked as she started walking in the direction of the car once again. As soon as the driver noticed Sophia. He immediately opened the car doors and got in. Ready to drive.

"Melvin Musgrave. Room 128." The voice came on the other side of the phone as Sophia motioned the driver to start the car.

"I'll be there in a bit, Mother-in-law."

"Great, I'll make all the arrangements," her mother-in-law said, sounding genuinely happy. "We'll have a wonderful time. I'll talk to you later, dear."

"Thank you," Sophia replied, feeling grateful for the unexpected turn of events. Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to look up for her after all.  

She looked up from her phone as she spoke to the driver for the first time, ever since she got into the car. "Go to Melvin Musgrave."

"Yes, ma'am." The driver responded before driving in the direction of one of the top-notch hotels of New York City.

As Sophia stared outside the window, little did she know this night would upturn her entire peaceful life forever.