Reflection

The married life was all she expected it to be: boring. The spark Sab once held was covered by his devotion to work. His work ethic left Sophia to her own devices. She had to get her poor, gentle hands dirty in an effort to keep herself from succumbing to starvation. Bah! The man was useless. That job of his didn't even pay much. He wasn't earning his keep. How could Sophia keep her lavish lifestyle if he refused to make an effort?

He was good at something, though. He had quite the artistic vision. It was the only profitable thing he did. He sold many of his smaller paintings for decent cash but seeing his latest piece, Sophia asked it be kept. It had a charm to it, she admitted. It would have been a shame to sell it. Not that she could blame anyone for wanting to have it for themselves. It certainly brought life to any room.

There were other perks that came laced in the workaholic package. He was gone much of the morning or was otherwise distracted. He hadn't a clue that while he read great literature in the living room, Sophia recited sonnets and odes to the first man her eyes sparked an interest in. He was puddy in her hands, nearly melting as her touch sent electrical waves through his body. Not so loud, darling. Wait till the ears can hear no more.

Not all her conquests were so easy to woo, nor were they all imbeciles. It had taken a long time to woo a particular blonde bombshell but finally, he accepted her offer to visit her estate. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on the fact Sabastian would be home. She should have kept better track of his work schedule. He thought nothing of the stranger, simply dismissing him as a man on a walk just passing by. But that couldn't be said for the man himself.

"Who was he?!" He sounded like a woman scorned. But Sophia isn't one to show nervousness. No. She is a smart cookie, you see. So she batted her eyes and apologized for not introducing the two. "My brother, you see. We share different fathers so we do not look alike." Whether he bought it then or no, she had to seal the deal. Pulling a rose from someplace unseen, she offered her apologiies. The rose's intoxicating scent was more than enough to set things right. Good show, Sophia. Good show.

Sabastian was easy to please. He required only a little management. A kiss here, a cuddle there...and he left her alone for a while. She had to admit, though, he was very warm. In the coldest nights, she'd find herself cuddling up to him. He made the bed so warm with his natural heat. She wondered if a heated blanket would be able to produce the same effect once his time was up.

She had started to notice some strange things occurring to her weeks later. She was far more tired. Sometimes, she couldn't even make it up the stairs and would simply crash out on the couch. Sabastian would come home and be shocked to find her on the couch, he'd carry her to bed. He became worried and told her to see a doctor. All this sleep couldn't be normal.

And it wasn't. There was a reason behind this madness. She was pregnant. A shock to both herself and Sabastian. They weren't careful by any means but a baby? Were they ready for that? Sophia had no choice, though. Abortion wasn't her game either. She knew she could be a loving mother. She only hoped the waiting period wasn't so fraught with bumps.

Her pregnancy seemed to go by quick, partly due to her keeping herself busy. Yes, not even pregnancy stopped her from seducing men. She used it to her advantage, playing the poor single woman who was abandoned once learning of her gift on the way. Men bought it like it was on sale for one day only. She wondered if perhaps she could continue to use her young one but seeing that sweet little face, she dismissed all mischievous thoughts. Roselle was the perfect mix of the two genes. She inherited Sophia's eyes and Sabastian's hair color. Had she inherited his strong facial structure was left to be seen.

That was one birth out of the way. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing. In the end, when her plan was over, she'd be left alone. So perhaps a child for each memory was a good thing, to keep her company in her elderhood. Yes...this was right. Though to be fair to her children, she'd try to find more attractive fathers, lest she doom them to a life of ridicule. She was a black widow but she wasn't heartless.