Sophia awoke to the soft morning light seeping in through her bedroom window, but the weight in her chest felt too heavy for the gentle rays to penetrate. She hadn't slept well the night before—Leon's conditions still lingering like a heavy fog in her mind. It wasn't just about the power struggle or the deal they made; it was about what he had asked of her. To give him something she wasn't sure she wanted to offer. Not just her body, but trust. And love.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, interrupting her thoughts. It was an unfamiliar number, but she ignored it. She didn't want to deal with more uncertainty. Instead, she scrolled through her contacts and found the number she needed. Xinyi.
The phone rang for only a few seconds before Xinyi's voice came through, groggy yet amused. "This better be gossip, or I'm hanging up."
Sophia's voice was soft, hesitant. " You need to come over Xinyi. I need you right now
Xinyi's laughter was loud and unapologetic, " " Is this still about what he asked for yesterday? Oh, Sophia! You're married to the man who's essentially carved out of marble and arrogance. You can't just avoid it forever. So, what's the real issue here?"
"I don't know if I can… Let him in, Xinyi," Sophia whispered, the words heavy with a vulnerability she'd never shared. "He's not just my husband. He's… someone I barely even know. We haven't even been married for up to two weeks. Besides you know I've….uhm…. Never done it before"
Lu Xinyi bursted out laughing.
But there was something in her tone that softened when she realized the deeper conflict. "I get it. But you know, you can't fight the chemistry, Sophia. If you want to love him, you have to open up. You can't hide behind sarcasm forever."
Sophia bit her lip, her thoughts racing. "I want to, but what if it ruins everything? I'm afraid of what will happen if I let him in completely."
Xinyi paused before responding. "You're already halfway there, girl. Just… don't forget who you are in the process. If you want love, let it happen. Don't let him dictate your every move."
The call ended with a laugh, but it left Sophia with more questions than answers. She wasn't sure what she wanted from Leon. Or what he wanted from her.
Sophia walked into her study, her eyes drawn to the safe she had tucked away her thumb drive and photograph in. The image haunted her, a reminder of a life before Leon. A part of herself she had buried deep beneath layers of ambition, secrets, and cold distance.
The photograph was of her with a man, one whose face was both familiar and distant. A chapter she'd closed long ago. She had never told Leon about him. Not because she was ashamed, but because she couldn't shake the fear of what Leon might think. Or worse—what he might do if he ever found out she had been close to someone else.
She stared at the safe, the photo burning in her mind, and wondered if she was ready to share everything with Leon. Or if the walls she had carefully built around herself would shatter, leaving her exposed in ways she wasn't sure she could handle.
Leon had been in his study when the picture came into his hands. His heart had twisted—not out of rage, but of something deeper. Something unfamiliar. Jealousy. The photo was an image of Sophia with a man. A past lover, perhaps? Someone she had let close? It shouldn't matter. They were married. He had claimed her as his legally. But the image gnawed at him. Who was he? Why did it feel like a threat, even though it shouldn't?
He didn't want to confront her about it—not out of anger, but because he was terrified of what that would mean for him. That this could be the crack in their fragile bond he was still trying to build with her, the thing that would expose the truth. That he didn't have her heart, but he found himself desperately wanting all of it. And that scared him more than he cared to admit.
He stood in the doorway of her room later, the photo burning in his pocket, but his eyes were focused on her, trying to decipher the distance in her gaze.
"Who is he?" Leon asked softly, his voice carrying a weight he didn't intend.
Sophia froze, her posture stiffening, but she didn't answer immediately. Her fingers brushed against the corner of the bed, tracing its edge as if grounding herself.
"It's… someone from my past," she said after a long pause, meeting his gaze. "Before all of this. Before you."
"Why didn't you tell me about him?" Leon's tone was calm, but there was a tightness around his jaw that betrayed his emotions.
Sophia looked down, taking a slow breath. "Because it's not relevant anymore, Leon. It's over."
"But it matters," he pressed. "Everything about you matters to me."
She looked up then, her eyes searching his. "Does it?" This was not the Leon she knew. He was not making sarcastic remarks or smirking egoistically. Now, he was talking to her ever so softly like he was walking on thin ice, being careful with every word and how he put them out.
Leon's jaw tightened again. "It does. I can't be with you and feel like there's a part of you I don't know. I don't want there to be secrets between us."
She stared at him almost mouth agape. She then took a step toward him, the air thickening with the distance closing between them. "It wasn't a secret. It was just… something I buried, something I don't need anymore."
He reached out then, his hand brushing her cheek with a tenderness that made her heart stutter in her chest. "But you're not the only one with walls, Sophia. I don't like seeing you with someone else. Not because I own you, but because I want to be the one you choose. Every time."
Sophia blinked, feeling something inside her soften. She didn't know how to respond. She wanted to say something, anything, but the words caught in her throat.
Leon stepped closer, his hand lingering on her face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers warm against her skin. "I'm not comfortable with you talking to anyone else. I want to protect you. All of you. And I will. Always."
There was a softness to his gaze now—something raw and vulnerable. She could feel it, the pull between them, the growing thread of connection that neither of them could deny.
She took a shaky breath, the weight of his words hanging in the air. "I received a threat from your ex," she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "She said she would annul the marriage if I didn't do it in three days."
Leon's gaze darkened, but his voice remained even. "I knew about the call. But I didn't know about the threat."
He cupped her face with both hands now, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "I'll handle her. You're mine to protect, Sophia. And I will protect you, no matter what."
Her breath caught, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know how it happened—when it happened—but in that moment, she felt the walls she had built for so long begin to crack. Slowly, carefully, like the dawn breaking through a long night.
Leon's promise hung in the air like a vow, a silent understanding between them. She didn't need to say anything else. He had already made up his mind. And for the first time, Sophia didn't feel afraid.
At least not of him.