Chapter 6 Useless Trick

• “I already told you, this trick won’t work anymore. It’s pointless bringing me to these meetings just to avoid the temptations of those women. To them, I have no value left as your wife.”
• Sophia turned to Albert and found that he was staring at her. She quickly averted her gaze, looking at the passing vehicles through the car window.
• “Why?” Albert asked.
• Why what? Sophia thought bitterly, hiding her resentment.
• “Why would they think that?”
• Sophia looked back at Albert, her gaze cold. “Obviously because you cheat and sleep with a different woman every week. Do you think my dignity as a wife and a woman means anything to them now?” she scoffed.
• Albert’s eyes sharpened, and in one swift motion, he cornered Sophia against the window, pinning her in place.
• Sophia’s eyes widened in shock, her heart racing from their sudden proximity.
• “If you have a problem with it, why don’t you start fulfilling your duties as a wife?”
• Sophia refused to let herself tremble or feel intimidated, as Albert clearly intended. “Why should I? Being the wife of a casanova like you is a curse. And why is it only me? Why don’t you start fulfilling your duties as a husband, hm?”
• The fury in Albert’s eyes grew more intense. He grabbed Sophia’s chin firmly, surprising her.
• “You cunning fox! You really don’t know anything, so watch your mouth!”
• Sophia broke free from Albert’s hold, her anger boiling over. “Why is it only me who has to watch my words and actions? While you can do whatever you want!”
• “Listen—“
• “No! You listen! Every time you mess around with those damn mistresses, I’m the one who pays the price! People blame me! They insult me! They call me a failure of a woman who can’t maintain her household! I’ve lost my freedom just to marry you! And now, even my dignity is at stake.”
• Albert was stunned by Sophia’s outburst, something he had never witnessed before. To be honest, it was the longest sentence she had ever spoken to him. Her tear-streaked face, struggling to hold back sobs, pierced through Albert with a deep sense of guilt.
• “Even now, they treat me like I don't exist. I... I’m so tired of being ignored.” Tears streamed uncontrollably down Sophia’s face. She instructed the driver to stop the car by the roadside, opened the door, and slammed it shut behind her.
• Albert, still dazed, finally realized Sophia was no longer in the car.
• “Shit!” he cursed, quickly stepping out and chasing after her. “Sophia! Sophia, wait! Listen to me!”
• Sophia stopped abruptly, turning to face Albert with a blank expression and cold eyes.
• Albert marveled at how quickly she could regain control over her emotions. On the outside, she appeared like an unshakable, strong woman. But he had just glimpsed her deepest vulnerabilities.
• Albert met her gaze directly, her eyes unflinching.
• “What?”
• What do you mean by 'what'? Albert thought to himself. “Let’s go home,” he said finally, “and talk about this properly.”
• “Albert, there’s nothing left to talk about. If you’re worried I’ll turn into a rebellious wife instead of the obedient one you’re used to, well... that won’t happen. Just pretend you didn’t hear anything I said in the car earlier, okay?”
• Albert clenched his teeth. How could she say that so easily?
• “No! You’ve always avoided talking to me. That was the longest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Albert glanced around, noticing the public setting where anyone could overhear them.
• “Let’s get in the car and go home together,” he said, grabbing Sophia’s hand and dragging her back toward the car.
• Sophia wanted to resist, to do what she had always longed to do, walk away from Albert and live her own life.
• But did she really want to?
• The truth was, Sophia realized she was too weak to rebel. She longed for freedom, yet all she had ever received was confinement.
• Albert lead her into the car, not allowing her to sit far from him.
• “Let me go!” Sophia demanded, trying to move away from Albert’s grip holding her in place. Her cheeks flushed as if Albert were embracing her.
• “You’re perfectly capable of running off at any moment. I’m not letting that happen.”
• “Why?! You wouldn’t care where I went anyway! So let me go!”
• Albert growled and, in one swift motion, lifted Sophia onto his lap. His arms caged her in, more intimately this time. Instinctively, Sophia’s hands landed on his shoulders for balance.
• She gasped, her heart pounding as if it were lodged in her throat. “W-what?!”
• Albert chuckled. “We’ll discuss this at home, Sophie.”
• “I already told you, there’s nothing left to discuss!”
• “There is.” His eyes sharpened, his gaze commanding as he looked directly at her. “This is important to me.”
• Sophia’s fist landed weakly on Albert’s chest. She lowered her gaze, her long hair falling like a curtain between their faces.
• Albert stared at her, questioning himself. Where had he been all this time? Why hadn’t he seen this side of Sophia sooner?
• “You’re lying. I’ve never been important to you,” Sophia whispered.
• “I’m not lying,” Albert replied softly. His hand reached out, tucking her hair behind her ear so he could see her face more clearly. He cupped her cheek gently. “If only, on the night of our wedding, you hadn’t refused to share a room with me, then maybe things would have been different. From the start, you gave me every signal that you didn’t accept me as your husband. So what could I do but follow your lead?”
• Sophia froze, staring at Albert in disbelief. “So you’re blaming me?!”
• “Sophie, I’m not blaming you,” Albert replied gently. “Don’t you understand? I also wish things weren't like this.”
• ***
• Throughout the rest of the day, Sophia kept wondering why Albert had said such things? Why had he also mentioned that he also wish things weren't like this?
• What confused Sophia the most, she felt like she had seen a version of Albert she had never known before, neither the one on the yacht nor the man she had married. Was Albert simply acting during their time in the car?
• Sophia hoped Albert wasn’t serious about his words. She didn’t want to hold high hopes when it came to him.
• But what Albert had said was true. At the beginning of their marriage, it had been Sophia who first rejected him. Acting like a haughty wife, she had even refused to face Albert on their wedding night.
• She recalled hearing whispers from the servants about how furious Mr. Albert had been lately, and how they blamed Sophia for his anger. From then on, Dana had decided not to use their services anymore, even though they had only been hired temporarily to help Sophia adjust to the household. Perhaps in Dana’s mind, Sophia was nothing more than a spoiled child, but in truth, she wasn’t. And it took quite some time for Dana to realize that.
• Sophia hugged her knees tightly, curling into herself on the bed. The sun was beginning to set in the western sky, casting a reddish glow through the window.
• Yesterday, Albert and Sophia hadn’t had the chance to talk. His work demands had taken priority, so he had only dropped her off at home before returning to the office. That night, while Sophia foolishly waited, hoping he would come home to continue their conversation, Albert hadn’t returned.
• Instead, he had promised to take her out to dinner tonight.
• Sophia didn’t want to go. She had the option not to. She wanted to prove to Albert that the Sophia he’d seen yesterday in the car wasn’t real. Because after that day had passed, Sophia hated herself, hated her tears, hated everything about herself. She shouldn’t have shown her vulnerable side to anyone, especially to Albert.
• In the end, however, Sophia still went.
• ***