Sophie Dubois looked at the clock for the tenth time that night. The dinner, which she had prepared with such care, was getting cold on the table. Ricardo hadn't arrived, again. The suspicions she had tried to ignore began to invade her mind. At the age of eight, Sophie watched her father close the door for the last time and then saw her mother fall apart from her husband's abandonment; the woman spent years in depression until one day she couldn't take it anymore and ended her life.

However, with that, when she entered university, her grandmother and only relative passed away, leaving her alone. Since then, the fear of abandonment had become her constant shadow. Now, at 25, that fear was stalking her again as she waited for her husband, Ricardo, who wasn't coming home.

Every morning, Sophie woke up early to prepare Ricardo's breakfast. It was her way of showing him love, even though he rarely appreciated it. That night, as she prepared a special dinner, Sophie couldn't help but wonder if her efforts were in vain. She wanted to know what was wrong with her, that everyone needed to abandon her.

The young woman did everything to maintain her marriage, but Ricardo always found an excuse not to be present. His long work meetings until after midnight and weekend work days were some of the ones he used to avoid being home.

The dinner was getting cold and the candles were almost completely consumed. Sophie had made an effort to dress up a little more today. Her husband was right: she was no longer the same as before. She didn't dress up or look slender like before, and this must be the reason why Ricardo didn't love her like before.

Despite the shirts smelling of women's perfume and the calls to her house that only let you hear breaths and laughter, Sophie refused to believe that her beloved Ricardo was cheating on her.

She met him shortly before her grandmother's death. They quickly became boyfriend and girlfriend. Ricardo was a wonderful man, thoughtful, even a little intense and possessive, but she loved it. That's what she wanted: attention, someone who didn't want her away. What she feared most was loneliness; she couldn't stand another abandonment.

Sophie studied architecture and loved design and art. But when she got married, her beloved husband asked her not to work, as he couldn't bear to think of her near others. The young woman stopped working; she only did internships and worked for a few months, in which she proved to be a prodigy of architecture. But for the love of Ricardo, she gave it all up.

Sophie was cheerful and very friendly at university; she used to have many friends. But that was another thing she had to give up for her husband. He didn't like her going out with people he didn't know, and especially not with men. There were red flags everywhere. Did she see them? Of course, but she ignored them. She wouldn't let her husband abandon her like her father did.

She remembered seeing her parents arguing about her mother's job. She was a fashion designer at a company and dressed very well, but her father didn't like it. That was one of the fights she remembered. For that reason, Sophie told herself that she would do anything Ricardo wanted to keep him by her side. The traumas of her childhood had shaped her present.

Once again she looked at the clock. It was one in the morning. The food was still on the table, frozen, and the candles were just small, almost non-existent stubs. Her dress was already wrinkled from so much sitting, walking and sitting again, impatient because Ricardo wasn't arriving.

The door opened suddenly. A tall man, with brown hair and a worked body, entered through the door. He had his jacket in his hand, along with his tie and unbuttoned shirt. Sophie connected with his surprised look, who imagined that she would be asleep. He never imagined that she would still be awake at this hour.

Sophie sighed and smoothed her dress, trying to fix the wrinkles. She walked towards him and met the contemptuous gaze of her husband.

"What are you doing awake at this hour? And why are you wearing that dress? It even looks small on you. It's too short and tight. You've gained weight, I told you."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she wasn't going to cry to tire him out faster. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and spoke.

"I just wanted to surprise you with dinner. Today is our anniversary, did you forget?"

The man's face changed from one of surprise and even regret, but he quickly disguised it. He had forgotten their anniversary. Instead, he had gone to see Ivette Parisi, one of the models in his company. She was fire and passion. She had a monumental figure and a unique beauty. Ricardo calmed down and walked towards his wife.

He knew that any excuse he gave her, she would believe it. He came closer and grazed her cheek.

"I'm sorry, today was a very hard day. We closed several deals and then had a meeting with the partners to celebrate. You know I'm the president of the company and I can't miss it."

She knew it was a lie. Deep down, she was certain that he was cheating on her. And yet, she calmed down with such cheap words. She smiled at him and hugged him, but when she buried her nose in her husband's neck, a smell of women's perfume invaded her nostrils. She separated and looked at him fixedly.

"Were you really in a meeting?" Sophie asked, her voice trembling and her brow furrowed.

Ricardo let out an exasperated sigh and frowned.

"Oh no, Sophie, you really can't be dealt with. You just want to fight and I'm very tired."

Without waiting for an answer, he walked straight to his room, leaving Sophie standing in the dining room, feeling like a fool. Ricardo went into the bathroom and took a shower. The woman he had been with had left him exhausted and he needed to freshen up again.

Sophie felt a horrible pain in her chest. She knew it was going to happen at any moment: her marriage would expire; she could feel it. Fear and anxiety invaded her and she ran to the guest room, the same one she normally used to cry. Her husband didn't even notice when she didn't sleep with him. For Ricardo, Sophie was just another piece of furniture in the house.

She collapsed on the bed, hugging a pillow as tears began to roll down her cheeks. The sound of the shower water in the master bedroom echoed in her ears, reminding her of the distance that had grown between them. Each falling drop seemed to mark the passage of time, a time that Sophie felt was slipping through her fingers.

The guest room was her refuge, a place where she could let out her pain without being judged. The walls, decorated with soft colors and pictures of peaceful landscapes, contrasted with the turmoil of emotions she felt inside. She wondered how she had reached this point, how the love they once shared had vanished so quickly.

As she sobbed, she remembered the happy moments they had shared, the promises of eternal love and the dreams they had built together. But now, all that seemed like a distant illusion, something that had vanished with time and lies.

Sophie knew she had to make a decision. She couldn't continue living a lie, in a marriage where she wasn't valued or loved. But the fear of loneliness and abandonment paralyzed her. How to face an uncertain future without Ricardo, the man to whom she had given her life and her dreams?

With a broken heart and a mind full of doubts, Sophie stayed in the guest room, hoping that the pain would subside and that clarity would come with the dawn.

The next day, Ricardo Conti left early as usual. He didn't care about his wife's absence at his side; perhaps she had gotten up to cook as usual. "At least she's good for something." Ricardo was not wrong. When he went downstairs, the aroma of breakfast reached him, but his wife was nowhere to be seen. He didn't give it importance and ate quickly before leaving.

He was dying to see his beloved Ivette, a goddess incarnate. That stunning woman adored him; for her, he was an idol. She always called him and made a drama when she didn't see him. The workdays were exciting since she arrived. Ricardo locked himself with her in the photography studio and there they enjoyed passionate moments, something he didn't have with Sophie, and that was making him want to leave her.

Ricardo knew that his wife was delicate, soft, and besides, it wasn't like he had guided her either, although he didn't have time to teach her. He has been her only man and sex between them has always been monotonous.

While driving to work, Ricardo remembered how he had met Sophie. It had been at university, where she was a scholarship student. He, the heir to a wealthy Milanese family, had been attracted by her sweetness and disinterest. Sophie was only 19 years old when they got married, and he, at 21, already saw in her the perfect wife to meet the requirements of his family.

Ricardo was born in Milan and had studied at the best universities. His family owned a company that he would inherit only upon marrying. Sophie, with her romantic nature and her willingness to do anything for him, seemed the perfect choice.

The Italian knew the young woman's past and had noticed her weaknesses, including her dependence on him. With manipulation, he showed her unparalleled love through details and jealousy. He made her feel as if he couldn't go on without her. Once he showed her what it was like to feel worshiped and loved; he began to order and arrange her life.

When he met his now wife, she was extroverted and had many friends; he took care of eliminating that; she only had one left who was stubborn as a mule. Isabella Ricci, this 25-year-old woman, was an explosion of energy; she was one of those peelers and capable of setting the world on fire with her crazy ideas. Although at one time he wanted Sophie to distance her, he didn't succeed. For Sophie, Isabella was indispensable; she had been with her since she arrived in Italy, and they were best friends, so he chose to ignore her.

Ricardo once loved Sophie; at first, he loved her; it was a novelty, and he was excited about her scoop; apart from being attentive and sweet, he met her being beautiful and a natural romantic, and that fascinated him, although now it seemed cumbersome to him.

However, over time, the novelty faded, and Ricardo began to seek excitement outside his marriage, like the woman who was waiting for him in the photography studio.

When Ricardo came out of his memories, he had already arrived at the company; he parked and got out, imposing, handsome, and elegant; he received his agenda and then went straight to meet his ardent lover. He couldn't wait to have her close forever.

While that pair was enjoying each other, Isabella's phone rang; she was in her workshop as always and was working on a dress for her friend. Seeing the cell phone and seeing that it was her friend, she grabbed it immediately and answered.

"Sophie… how are you, why haven't you arrived?" Isabella asked. They had arranged to meet at Isabella's workshop to try on a dress and thus win Ricardo back, but Sophie sounded sad.

"I'm not going, that's why I called you, Isa." Isabella clenched her fists and sighed. She knew that idiot had something to do with it.

"What did he do to you now?" she asked sharply.

"Nothing, Isa, it's just that…" she tried, but Isabella didn't let her.

"You're coming here now and you're telling me what he did because I know you, and you need your friend." Sophie knew it was useless to try to argue with her friend; she wasn't going to win, so with a sigh she agreed to go to Isabella's workshop.

Isabella was a fashion designer and had her own chain of boutiques that Sophie designed; she was excellent at that, but Ricardo wanted her useless at home, or so he said. The blonde with green eyes and a model's body: she and Sophie were of the same build, but she didn't believe it because of her husband's derogatory comments.

Sophie's friend hated the broken GPS as she called him, because you never know where or with whom he is; this was one of the many nicknames she called him when she spoke to Sophie, bringing a smile to her friend's face.

The blonde knew that he was a wretch, but she also knew that Sophie wouldn't leave him, and if he left her, she risked losing her; the Frenchwoman didn't handle separations well, and Isabella was clear about that.

While waiting for her friend, she remembered when she gave Sophie a rabbit. Her mother had died a few years ago, and one day the rabbit died. The poor girl went into a state of depression and only repeated that she caused that. From that day on, Isabella takes care that her friend doesn't suffer so much, distracting her with her crazy ideas…

She advises her to make dinners and dress sexy, but the idiot remains just that, a reverend moron. She can't stand to see her friend disappointed every time he doesn't arrive.

The blonde has tried to make her go to see a specialist to overcome her traumas, but she doesn't want to, and she can't force her, that's why she's plotting a plan. She has heard of a very good therapist who is not only a specialist in psychology but also attends to couples.

Isabella's idea is to take her saying that it is a couple's therapy to save her marriage and present her friend's case to the professional so that he can talk to her in each therapy and make her see her problem, helping her without her opposing.

She has no idea if it will work or if the therapist will accept her proposal; she is willing to pay him whatever he asks, but she has to try so that her friend gets rid of that ballast that is her husband, as she also calls him.

The call from her secretary made her return to the present, to announce that Sophie had arrived.

The secretary had her pass to the design studio.

They greeted each other while surrounded by fabrics and sketches. Isabella, with her inexhaustible energy, set about continuing to adjust a dress on a mannequin while Sophie watched her.

"I can't believe that Moron keeps saying those things," Isabella said, frowning. "How can you stand it, Sophie?" the blonde expressed once Sophie told her what happened.

Sophie sighed, looking at her hands.

"It's not that easy, Isa. He… He makes me feel like I can't do anything right, I try everything and nothing makes him go back to being the same."

Isabella stopped what she was doing and approached her friend, taking her hands.

"Sophie, you're amazing. Look at all this," she said, pointing to the studio full of her creations. "This is yours. Don't let that graceless clown make you feel less. You are capable of doing whatever you set your mind to."

Sophie smiled weakly.

"Thank you, Isa. I don't know what I would do without you."

Isabella smiled and gave her a quick hug.

"Well, that's what friends are for. And speaking of that, I've been thinking about something."

Sophie raised an eyebrow; curious and fearful, she knew her friend's crazy ideas.

"What thing?"

"I've heard of a therapist who is excellent at attending to couples. I think you should go with the idiot. It could help you."

Sophie denied, laughing in her head at the nicknames she called him; her friend detested Ricardo.

"I don't know, Isa. Ricardo would never agree to go to therapy," she said, emphasizing his name.

Isabella smiled mischievously.

"Use your charms, make a drama out of anything, and when he wants to defend himself, you propose the therapy thing, and you'll see that he'll go." Isabella proposed; she was one hundred percent sure that he wouldn't go.

Sophie hesitated for a moment, but then nodded slowly.

"Okay, I'll try. I'm willing to do anything to save our marriage."

Isabella smiled broadly; now all that was needed was for the therapist to help her, although she still thought that because of ethics he wouldn't help her, but she would still try for Sophie.

"That's all I need to hear! Now, let's finish this dress. I want you to try it on and see how beautiful you look."

Sophie laughed and let herself be carried away by her friend's energy, feeling a little more hopeful. Maybe her marriage would change with this therapy.

Sophie says goodbye to her friend and leaves Isabella's workshop, where she spent hours talking and distracting herself. Isabella was her real support.

"Goodbye, friend. Take care and tell me how your date goes," Sophie says, smiling.

Isabella had given her the idea of ​​setting up a date with Ricardo so that he could make amends for yesterday, and he, to get out of it, accepted. That was the blonde's idea: that he would mess up again and so Sophie would have the perfect excuse to ask him for anything, and he would say yes. She was also very sure that he would stand her up, as always.

"See you later at Savini Milano," Ricardo warned Sophie by message, after she proposed another dinner.

Sophie arrives home and dresses spectacularly. She puts her hair up in a bun, puts on an emerald green dress designed by Isabella, puts on makeup, and sprays her favorite perfume. Once ready, she takes her car and heads to the reservation she made herself, as her beloved was "busy" for that.

Upon arrival, they receive her in a kind and cordial manner and take her to her table. Sophie only orders a glass of white wine to wait for her husband.

Sophie observes her third glass of wine and her husband still hasn't arrived. She is sitting at a table by the window at Savini Milano 1867, one of the most exclusive restaurants in Milan. She had chosen the place carefully, hoping that the elegant atmosphere and exquisite Italian food would help repair the cracks in her marriage. She looks at her watch for the umpteenth time. Ricardo had promised to arrive at eight, but it is already half past nine.

The waitress, an older woman with a warm smile, approaches for the third time.

"Shall I bring you something else while you wait, Signora?" she asks, with a mixture of compassion and curiosity.

"No, grazie. I'm fine," Sophie replies, trying to maintain her composure and smiling. She had even learned Italian for Ricardo, although it was not the only language she handled.

Sophie looks at her watch again. Another hour has passed; the diners look at her with pity; it is obvious that she has been stood up. Finally, she decides to send Ricardo a message. "Where are you? I've been at the restaurant for an hour and a half. She sends the message and waits. Ten minutes pass, then fifteen, and there is still no response.

Sophie sighs; her eyes sting wanting to cry. She decides that enough is enough. She gets up and heads for the exit, but just as she is about to leave, her phone vibrates. It is a message from Ricardo: "Sorry, Sophie. Something came up at work. I won't be able to make it.

Sophie feels a mixture of anger and sadness, but decides that she is not going to let the night be completely ruined. She turns to the waitress and says:

"You know what? I think I'll stay a little longer. Could you bring me another glass of wine and the dessert menu?"

The waitress smiles at her and nods.

As Sophie enjoys her wine and a delicious tiramisu, she begins to notice the conversations around her. At the next table, a couple argues heatedly about the best way to prepare an authentic carbonara. At another table, a man tries to impress his date with clearly exaggerated stories about his adventures in Tuscany.

Sophie can't help but laugh. The situation is so absurd that it almost seems like a comedy. She decides that, instead of feeling miserable, she is going to enjoy the human spectacle that is unfolding around her.

Suddenly, the door of the restaurant bursts open and Isabella, Sophie's best friend, enters. With her characteristic casual style and a radiant smile, she imagined that Ricardo would do that and didn't think twice about going to her friend's rescue.

"Sophie!" Isabella exclaims, approaching the table. "What are you doing here alone? Where is the broken GPS?" she says, referring to Ricardo.

Sophie tells her in detail, with a lump in her throat, what Ricardo has just done.

"Well, if Ricardo doesn't know how to appreciate a good dinner, we do!" she said, raising her glass of wine. "For us and for all the times we have had to put up with clueless men!" They clink their glasses and laugh at everything that has happened.

Sophie couldn't help but laugh. Isabella always knew how to make her feel better. The two friends spent the rest of the night laughing and sharing anecdotes, enjoying the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant.

At one point, Isabella got up and, with her usual sense of humor, began to imitate the tourists at the back table, who were trying to sing "O Sole Mio" with a terrible accent. Sophie was laughing so hard that she almost choked on her wine.

The scene was so surreal that Sophie couldn't contain her laughter. She realized that, despite everything, life was still unpredictable and, sometimes, hilarious. She decided that, even though Ricardo wasn't there, she was going to enjoy her night.

And so, Sophie spent the rest of the evening laughing and enjoying the company of her friend Isabella, promising herself that she would not let Ricardo's disappointments ruin her ability to find joy in the small moments.

The two friends, staggering slightly from the effects of the alcohol, supported each other as they walked towards the taxi. Laughter and conspiratorial murmurs filled the night air, but their steps were clumsy and uncoordinated. They decided to leave their cars and pick them up the next morning, aware that they were not in a condition to drive.

The taxi dropped them off at their respective homes, and when Sophie crossed the threshold of hers, the bubble of joy in which she had been immersed burst suddenly.

Reality hit her with the force of a hammer. The walls of her home, which had previously seemed cozy, now felt cold and empty. Every corner reminded her of her loneliness and the sadness she was trying to drown with each glass.

In her drunken state, Sophie allowed herself to question her life. Did she really deserve all this? Was so much sadness worth it? Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she headed to the guest room. She didn't have the strength to change, so she fell onto the bed with her dress still on, her makeup smudged, and her heart in pieces.

Despite everything, a spark of hope shone within her. She would use this situation to convince Ricardo to attend couples therapy. Although it was a bit low, at that moment, anything was better than continuing to feel so miserable and alone.

Sophie had her hopes on this therapy. What she didn't know was that the last thing that would happen would be saving her marriage.