Episode 1

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.

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