The Price is Always Right Pt. 01

He found her sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch. Sophie didn't say anything as he stepped out of the back door and sat in the chair beside her. She wore a light blue silk robe over her pajamas and looked exhausted.

"How long have you been up?" he asked her.

"A few hours," she said quietly, avoiding eye contact with him.

James observed her, but it was hard to read her expression. He felt incredibly guilty in the light of the morning. He had pushed his wife to break their marriage vows. No amount of money could change that. He sat down in a chair beside her own.

"Do you love me?" she asked in a tone that said she wasn't sure of the answer.

"More than anything," he said in his best attempt to reassure her. She looked as though she had been crying earlier that morning. "I adore you."

She gave him a weak smile and then focused on the trees blowing in the warm morning breeze.

"Did you mean what you said to him at the end?" he asked her. The question had kept him up half the night.

"Mean what?" Sophie's eyes dropped to the floor. She seemed nervous.

"He said he was going to... um..." he struggled to get the words out. He felt as though if he said them out loud, it would make them true.

"Oh," her voice trembled. Tears welled in her eyes, "I'm so sorry, James. It was overwhelming, and he just kept telling me to say things. I just felt so submissive in the moment..." she trailed off. "I didn't mean it!" James moved to kneel in front of her and wrapped his arms around her as she leaned her head into him.

"It's okay, we're okay," he whispered as he held his wife. He knew that whatever came, they would face it together.