"Sophie, you were married. Oh I thought you and Oliver would make such a nice couple. Your children would have been so cute."

I was burning with rage and this old lady here was putting her face inside the crater of an active volcano. There was no escaping my wrath.

And when my hands started shaking Sophie held it tight and gave me a reassuring squeeze. I gave her my puppy dog eyes and she burst out laughing.

Her laugh was like a music to my ears. How much had I missed this sound. And looking at other people's expression I could bet that it was there first time seeing her laugh.

"Oh my god. You look so happy child. This is the first time I have seen you laugh. You must have really missed your husband."

And with that Sophie's laugh died down. Afterall the reason which stole her smile was her husband.

"Sophie before leaving you will complete your tenure as the village head, right? There is just a month remaining now."

"Yes ma. I am not going anywhere."

This wasn't for ma. This for me to know.

"Yes ma. She is going to complete her tenure. I am staying with her."

And with that Sophie passed me a deadly glare but nevertheless smiled to the elderly.

"Both of you look so much in love."

"Yeah, right. We are so much in love."

Sophie muttered under her breath but I heard it loud and clear. And it broke my heart again. But I was ready to win her back.

As we headed back Sophie turned to me and spoke.

"Xander, you don't have to stay here. My quarter certainly will not fit the type of lifestyle you are used to and there is no reason for you to stay here. I am sure you have a lot of work to do and you definitely can't afford to miss your meetings. About the residents I will let them no that you had an urgent commitment. I know they will umderstand."

I didn't bother reply. She knew that I was never bothered about the riches and I can more than adapt in any situation. Then what made her form this opinion of me. I was hurt.

She also thought that you will always trust her. That made her question everything she knows about you.

Damn conscience.

She gave my driver the address and we headed to the quarter.

It was a beautiful one storey house with a lake at its back and small garden in its front. I knew this was a kind of house Sophie always wanted. But owing to my reputation we had to live in a mansion.

As we headed inside her feminine smell hit me. It was small and cozy but most importantly it felt like home.

It was enough for one person. With one bedroom, kitchen, two hall, and a bathroom. A large tv in the hall with a couch in the center and a fire place in the corner. It had wooden flooring and wooden finish. In short it was beautiful. A floor to ceiling window at the back gave a perfect view of the lake. There were two chairs placed near the window and I was sure it was the place where Sophie had her tea time. Scratch that 'coffee' time.

"Its beautiful."

And Sophie just gave me a small genuine smile.

I sat on the couch and made myself at home. Even after two years the comfort we had with each other hadn't changed even a bit. Without saying anything Sophie headed to her room. I thought maybe she had gone to rest or stay away from me but she returned with a first aid kit.

She started unbuttoning my shirt and I had no idea what to do.

"Sophie,.."

"Shhhh"

She stopped me from speaking by placing a finger on my lips. She looked me in the eye and I could feel the sexual tension. But there wasn't any discomfort between us. It was all normal. I could feel I still belonged to her as she did to me. Our hearts knew it way to well.

Taking out my shirt she moved towards the side of my back. And that's when I realised what she was doing. She was tending to my wounds.

There was a light bruise and a little bit of dried blood. Near by abdomen there was a purplish black spot. When I saw her face I almost covered my body.

She looked guilty.

"I am sorry, Xander. I really am. I don't know what came over me. I never meant to hurt you."

Her voice cracked. And after that I didn't know what to do. Whether cry in happiness or console this little bird who was about to break down. Then I decided that the more important task in hand was to comfort her.

"Hey, hey. Its okay Sophie. It doesn't even hurt. You know I am much stronger than you."

The last line I said to divert her attention and make her react. But even that didn't work on her. I knew that she would never hurt me intentionally and that time I was doing all sort of things to annoy her. But at that time I couldn't stop myself. I was enjoying the show.

After disinfecting the bruise and placing a bandage she went to the fridge and got an ice pack for my abdomen. Quietly taking out my shoes, she assessed my toe for damage. And a feeling of relief washed over me when I realised nothing was broken. I couldn't see her feeling more guilty than she already did.

Finally when everything was done she went to the kitchen to make coffee like she always did whenever we came back from any outing. I switched on the TV and changed the channel to football match. Its been two years since I last watched it. It felt odd to watch a match with Sophie not with me. She was never a fan of football but always sat with me either on my lap or placed her head on my shoulder and kept me company.

"Here you go."

She handed me my coffee and settled down with a mug for herself. I saw her stifle a yawn and held myself from launging out loud. She hasn't changed even a bit. Sofie still hated watching games to the core but sat with me to keep me company.

"Go take a nap Sophie."

She shook her head but when she yawned again, giving me a sheepish smile she headed to her room.

I had completed three matches when Sophie came out and headed directly to the kitchen. It felt like old times. She preparing dinner for me. Although she was always tired she made sure to prepare atleast one meal in a day.

I took my seat on a chair near the kitchen and watched her cook. She effortlessly moved in the kitchen and within an hour she had prepared enough food for a feast. After completing the dressing it felt like we had ordered it from some high end restaurant. It looked a work of a proffessional.

"When did you learn this?"

"The first thing I learned after our divorce was how to cook. I know my food was barely tolerable. I am not a master now but I can guarantee that it is better than before."

Hearing the word 'divorce' made my heart sink. This was the first time she had mentioned anything about it.

I decided to not spoil the mood now and helped her set the plates.