Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 40

Clarissa sat stiffly on a couch in the middle of the living room at her elder sister Sophia's house.

Her arms were tightly folded across her chest, and her eyes were fixed on the floor as she seethed with anger and fraustration.

Sophia watched her younger sister with a furrowed brow, concern etched on her face as she tried to find the right words to soothe her.

"Clary," Sophia called out, her voice a gentle whisper. Clarissa shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "No," she whispered in a broken voice.

Sophia's eyes softened, and she reached out to gently touch Clarissa's arm. "Everything is going to be alright, trust me," she said, her tone filled with warmth and empathy.

"Clary," Sophia called out again, watching as Clarissa's tears spilled down her cheeks.

Clarissa shook her head, wiping away the tears with a delicate handkerchief. "No," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sophia waited patiently, her heart aching for her younger sister. Finally, Clarissa spoke again, her voice thick with tears. "I've tried everything possible," she said, her voice trembling.

"I've talked to him, I've asked him if I did anything to upset him, but nothing seems to work."

Clarissa wiped away another tear, her breaths coming in short, ragged gasps. "I even tried sex," she said, her voice breaking.

"Reynold never refuses me, not even when he found out about the contraceptives and abortion. But now...now he's just so cold towards me. It's like he's not the man I knew back in the university, the man I fell in love with and married."

Clarissa paused, shaking her head. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as Clarissa looked up at her older sister.

The two sisters stared at one another for a long moment.

Eventually, Clarissa broke the silence, looking back down at the ground. Her voice was small as she muttered, "I feel like my marriage is coming to an end," and then let out a shuddering breath, the weight of the past two months settling heavy over her shoulders.

She buried her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.

Sophia sighed, pulling her little sister into an embrace. She held her, rocking her side to side in an effort to comfort her. "That's not true because I know for a fact that Reynold loves you very much."

Clarissa sniffled as she raised her head to look at Sophia. "But what if he doesn't anymore?" she asked, her voice still shaky as she fought back more tears.

"What if he has found someone else to give that love to?" Sophia felt a pang in her chest at Clarissa's words.

She empathized with the difficulty of coping with uncertainty and the fear of losing a loved one, having experienced it herself.

Despite still working through her own divorce from a husband who had married her solely for her family's wealth and feigned love, she recognized that Reynold, her sister's spouse, was a sincere and loving man.

The mere idea of him cheating on her sister was something she vehemently disagreed with.

"Clarissa," she spoke firmly, "you must let go of that thought. Reynold has been by your side for years, remaining faithful and devoted to you through thick and thin. Even when you made mistakes that could have given him an excuse to stray or abandon you, he stayed true. Why would he suddenly stop loving you and seek another partner?"

Clarissa bit her lip, her eyes brimming with new tears. "I don't know," she exclaimed, filled with doubt and anxiety.

"But what if he's grown weary of me, and he's found someone else who gives him unwavering attention, is always there when he needs her, and never forgets his birthday like I often do?" Clarissa's voice was barely audible as she voiced her fears.

"What if..." Her sentence trailed off as she struggled to articulate her doubts.

Sophia shook her head, tenderly wiping a stray tear from Clarissa's cheek. "I don't believe that's the case," she reassured her in a soothing tone. "You're just overthinking things."

Clarissa's head shook vehemently in disagreement, her eyes filling with tears anew. "Sophia, I'm not overthinking," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.

Sophia gazed at her younger sister, perplexed. "What do you mean?" she inquired softly.

After a deep breath, Clarissa began to speak. "Last night, not only did he return home late after I confronted him about infidelity, but I smelled his clothes, and they reeked of women's perfume," she recounted, her voice choking with despair.

"Are you certain about this?" Sophia inquired, her voice gentle but hesitant.

Clarissa nodded, her eyes still wet with tears. "I'm certain," she whispered.

Sophia felt uneasy and troubled by Clarissa's allegations, recognizing the magnitude of accusing her husband of cheating. "It could have been a friendly hug," she suggested tentatively.

Clarissa's head shook fiercely in dissent. "No, Sophia. If it were just a hug, the scent would have dissipated before he got home."

"And what about the lipstick I found on his collar?" she countered, her voice tinged with a hint of anger and determination.

As Clarissa presented more evidence, Sophia's unease grew stronger. She had desperately wanted to believe that her sister was just being paranoid, "Lipstick on his collar?" Sophia echoed, her voice heavy with concern.

"That's... not a good sign," Sophia murmured, her voice trailing off momentarily, trying to process the implications.

Clarissa nodded solemnly. "We haven't been intimate in any way and it's not a shade of lipstick that I wear," she confirmed, her voice barely audible. "So it could only mean one thing."

Sophia took a deep breath, endeavoring to maintain her composure and rationality. "Let's approach this logically. There might be alternative reasons for the perfume and lipstick." She paused.

"Perhaps he embraced a female colleague at work or a female friend who wears a strong or an excessive amount of perfume, which could explain why you could still detect the scent. Similarly, the lipstick could have accidentally transferred during the hug."

Clarissa's features stiffened. "Sophia, do you honestly believe that I'm that gullible? I confided in you that he's been behaving oddly and has become distant and unaffectionate. How could this be mere happenstance?"

Sophia placed a consoling arm around her sister's shoulder. "I understand that this is a challenging situation, but let's not jump to conclusions prematurely."

"We need to handle this with a calm and rational approach and gather more information before making any accusations."

Clarissa nodded, though her troubled expression persisted. "Okay," she said, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty, her lips pursed tightly together.

After a moment of hesitation, she relented and spoke again, "Alright."

She let out a heavy sigh, and tears continued to glisten in her eyes as she wiped them away with her handkerchief.

Sophia gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "There you go. You're going to be alright. I promise."

Clarissa nodded silently, appreciating the support. "Thank you," she whispered, letting out a deep sigh.

"I've been so self-centered that I've only talked about my own issues since I got here," she confessed.

Sophia vehemently shook her head. "You're not selfish, Clarissa," she insisted, her eyes brimming with compassion. "And I'm grateful that you trust me enough to confide in me."

"You know, not many sisters keep in touch after marriage and children. Just look at Diana, ever since she married William, it's just been her, her husband, and kids. It wasn't until Violet and Clara grew older that she started involving them with Mom and the rest of the family."

Clarissa nodded glumly, "Yeah."

"So please don't call yourself selfish, Clarissa," Sophia pleaded, her voice filled with sincerity.

"Remember how unbearable my marriage to Robert was and all those times when he would hit and beat me? I isolated myself so that no one would know, but despite your busy modeling career, you still made time to ask how I was doing."

"Even though I lied all of the time, you kept asking until I finally told you the truth. And if you hadn't involved Mom, despite my resistance, who knows what that monster would have done to me by now? So I'm happy to be a listening ear for you at this time as well."

Clarissa gave a feeble smile to her older sister. "And I'm overjoyed that you're finally away from him."

"You've always deserved someone kind, caring, and who makes you happy. I hope you find that person soon," Clarissa added, and Sophia's lips curled into a small grin.

"Well, maybe I have," Sophia said bashfully, and Clarissa's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" Clarissa asked with excitement, and Sophia chuckled softly.

"Yes," she replied.

"Oh my goodness! Does Mom know? And is he someone we know?" Clarissa inquired eagerly, and Sophia shook her head slowly.

"No, not even Charles knows about him. I want the divorce between his father and me to be finalized before I reveal his identity to anyone," she explained, shrugging nonchalantly and giving Clarissa a wry smile.

Clarissa hummed thoughtfully. "Yes, that's a good idea," she said, nodding in agreement, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I can't wait to meet this special someone of yours. But most importantly, I'm glad that you're happy," she added, winking at her sister.

Sophia smiled before giving Clarissa a tight embrace and whispered, "I'm happy that I'm happy too."