ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ

Heartache

Sofia felt like she had been punched in the gut. She had just heard those same words from Xavier himself, only moments before. She didn't know what to do or say, so she simply turned and walked towards the waiting limo.

"Sofia, wait, where are you going?" Xavier asked, following her.

"I... I just want to go back to the hotel," Sofia stammered, her eyes filling with tears.

The ride was silent and tense, with Sofia staring out the window, lost in her thoughts. She couldn't believe that she had let herself fall for a married man, even though Xavier had assured her that his marriage was over in all but name. But now, seeing him talk to his wife, Sofia felt like a fool.

"Sofia.."

"Please Xavier. I have a headache."

Once they got to the hotel, she immediately left his side.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I want to be alone, Xavier."

Sofia retreated to the pool area to clear her mind after the tense ride with Xavier. She dipped her feet into the cool water and gazed up at the sky, lost in thought. She couldn't help but wonder about Jenna. She knew that he was still married, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was unhappy in his marriage.

As she was lost in thought, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She turned to see Xavier walking towards her, his expression softer than before. He sat down next to her, and they both sat in silence for a while, watching the ripples in the water.

Finally, Sofia spoke up. "Xavier, do you think you'll ever leave her?" she asked softly.

Xavier's face tightened, and she could see the pain in his eyes. "I don't know," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's complicated."

Sofia could tell that this was a topic that he didn't like discussing, but she felt like she needed to know more. "Why is it complicated?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Xavier took a deep breath and looked at her. "Jenna and I have been together for a long time," he said. "We have a lot of history."

"Do you really love her?" she asked softly.

Xavier hesitated before answering. "I care about her," he said finally. "But I'm not in love with her anymore."

Sofia's heart skipped a beat at his words. "What about us?" she asked, looking at him directly.

Xavier turned to face her, his eyes darkening. "Sofia, I care about you too," he said, his voice low. "But it's not that simple."

They sat in silence for a while longer, lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Xavier stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on," he said. "Let's go inside and have some dinner."

Sofia took his hand and stood up, feeling a sense of warmth spread through her body.

Sofia tried her best to shake off the disappointment she felt after Xavier's response, but it lingered within her. As they entered the room, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration at his indecisiveness.

Xavier noticed the change in her mood and tried to put his arm around her, but Sofia pulled away, not wanting to be treated so casually. "Don't touch me," she said, her voice cold and distant.

Xavier looked taken aback by her response, and he tried to apologize. "What did you jus..," he started to say, but Sofia cut him off.

"You can't just string me along like this. You are the one who brough me here," she said, her voice rising with anger. "I deserve to know where I stand, Xavier. I won't keep waiting around for you to figure things out."

Xavier looked at her with frustration in his eyes. "Sofia, I know this is difficult for you, but understand that I'm trying to do the right thing here," he said.

Sofia wasn't having any of it. She pushed him away and hit him in the chest with her fists. "I don't care about what's right for you, Xavier," she yelled. "What about what's right for me? You can't just keep me in the dark like this!"

Xavier looked hurt by her outburst, but he didn't back down. "I'm sorry that you're upset," he said firmly. "But I can't make any promises right now. I need time to sort things out."

Sofia stood in front of Xavier, her eyes filled with tears as she struggled to control her emotions.

"Why won't you leave her?" she asked, her voice shaking with anger.

Xavier looked at her with a pained expression on his face. "Sofia, you know how complicated my situation is. I can't just leave my wife like that."

"But you said you loved me," Sofia said, her voice rising. "You said you wanted to be with me. How can you say that and still stay with her?"

Xavier stepped closer to her, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "I do love you, Sofia. But it's just not that simple. We have been married for a long time, I'm going to leave her but I can't tell you when."

Sofia shook her head, her tears streaming down her face. "I can't do this, Xavier. I can't live this sort of life. To just wait for you to make a decision. To watch you go home to your wife. I deserve better than this."

She turned to walk away, but Xavier grabbed her arm, pulling her back towards him. "Don't you dare walk away from me," he said, his voice low and menacing. "You know how much you mean to me. Don't you ever forget that."

Sofia looked at him with a mixture of fear and defiance. "I'm not going to be the other woman."

Xavier's grip on her arm tightened. "You can't just walk away from me, Sofia. You're mine. You belong to me."

Sofia's eyes widened in shock and fear as she realized the true nature of their relationship. She pulled her arm free from his grip and backed away from him.

"I don't belong to anyone," she said firmly. "I am my own person, and I deserve to be treated with respect."

Xavier grabbed her and pinned her to the wall. "You're mine, Sofia. You're not leaving me. Ever." He whispered into her ear.

She looked away from him but he grabbed her face and wiped her tears. "No more crying, Sofia. I promise you I will sort out my marriage."