“Have a seat, Sienna” CEO Dante offered, and he was sounding rather polite, which seemed surprising to me.
I took a seat without any further talk.
Silence engulfed the room for a moment and there he was again, staring directly into my eyes and I couldn't look away. His eyes were so charming, I couldn't resist but look back into them. His stare was uncomfortable but soothing at the same time, it threw me into my wildest fantasies.
“Here you go”, he said, dumping an envelope on the table.
I was hit with an immediate flashback of the night with Marcus, the divorce papers and all that. I took deep breaths to ease off but I couldn't help it. Everything felt fresh in my heart again, I felt a tear drop down from my eyes and I immediately wiped it off with the back of my sleeve hoping Dante hadn't noticed but it was too late. He was looking at me, but this time, concerned.
“Are you alright?”he asked, reaching out to hold my hand on the table.
“Yes sir, I'm very fine thank you”, I responded trying to fake a smile and pulled my hand off the table.
“It's okay if you don't want to share. This can wait for another day, take your time off and go home and get some rest”,
“No sir, it's really not a big deal. I'm very much alright, nothing to worry about”, I said. I was curious about what was in the envelope, maybe I wasn't getting fired after all.
“Are you sure?”, he asked
“Yes sir, I am”
“Alright, here, read through this”, he said, taking out the papers from the envelope and handing them over to me.
I took them from him and the caption struck me. ‘MARRIAGE CONTRACT’ written in bold capital letters. ‘Was he getting married? If yes, what did that have to do with me?’ I wondered. I read through carefully and realized it was a fake marriage contract offer. I was still confused about it.
“What's this about sir?”, I asked, confused.
“Sienna, well there's a protocol that requires me to attend certain functions with a plus one and most expectedly with my wife. It's a code of conduct that I have breached over the years. But now my company and I need the publicity and considering that I have no intentions of getting married, I figured I could give the audience a show instead. All you have to do is sign the contract and pretend to be my wife and I promise to fulfill all the terms stated there”.
“Sir, me? Why? You could pick anyone else”, I said perplexed.
“Yes I know I could pick anyone and that's why I pick you, you'd be a perfect fit, plus you're already pregnant, it'll make a whole lot of sense. Please Sienna, just agree to this”, he begged.
I was in awe. I sat and thought for a while. I needed the money and I needed the support, but this was crazy. The plan coming to California was to just be low-key and take time to build a life again and this would demand a lot of media attention, I wasn't ready for any of that.
“Please Sienna, consider it. You'll be doing this company a really huge favor”, he further persuaded.
Jess advised me to do spontaneous things to fill up my time so I won't go into depression from being stuck in my own head. I guess this was an opportunity for that.
“Fine, I'll agree to this on one condition”.
“Okay go on, what's it?”Dante inquired.
I took a deep breath and let my words out. “We will have no form of sexual relationship no matter what”
He burst into a really loud laugh and was almost tearing up. I was consumed with confusion and embarrassment. ‘Why was he laughing?’.
“Excuse you Sienna, respectfully you're not the type of woman I'd ever be sexually attracted to, not to think of being sexually involved with. So you most certainly have nothing to worry about”, he said and continued to laugh loud and hard.
I was really embarrassed at that point. ‘What did he mean by that? Was I not good looking enough?’I was irritated by his ego. He must think very highly of himself.
I read through the papers again before signing to make sure everything was clearly stated.
“Thank you so much Sienna. And one more thing, this is strictly for the plot, strictly business. One year and we're done. Falling in love is not an option here, with me that would never happen”, Dante clearly stated and obviously I couldn't care less. Love was not even a word in my dictionary anymore. I was too broken to be thinking of falling in love.
“You'll have to meet my mom later today, I'll plan a surprise proposal, she'll be there. Just come looking pretty. If you want to shop for the dress you'll wear tonight, I can take you to the mall or just send you some money to go get it yourself or we could just order online and have it delivered to your house, what do you say?”
“Wait, what? Meet your mum?”
“Yes, Sienna, my wife-to-be has to meet my mom of course” he said demonstrating with air quotes.
I was already nervous.
We sat in front of his computer and looked through dresses online and how fast they could be delivered and we were stuck between two options, a black bodycon dress with silver beadings and a red sleeveless flare dress. I really liked the black dress simply because it was black but the red dress was also very pretty.
“I think you should take the red dress, it'll suit you better considering how highlighted your shoulders are and the color would suit your lips well, the cherry pop effect of your lips would be really breathtaking if paired with the dress” Dante said.
Silence swept through the atmosphere and I tried my best not to look away from the computer but I could feel his eyes staring lustfully at my lips.
There are nights when sleep refuses to find me, when the silence of the house grows so loud it feels like it’s piercing into my ears. Tonight was one of those nights. I lay on my side, staring out the window, catching a glimpse of the reflection of the streetlights outside. It’s strange how much life can change in such a short time. Sometimes it feels like I blinked, and two years of my life slipped through my fingers, dragging me into a whirlwind I never saw coming.Almost two years. Just two years and yet I feel like I’ve lived an entire lifetime.I thought back to Marcus. To the heartbreak. The gut-wrenching betrayal of realizing that the man I thought I would spend forever with didn’t love me the way I deserved to be loved. The nights I cried so hard my chest ached. The nights I stared at the ceiling, wondering what was wrong with me, wondering if I would ever be enough for anyone. That pain felt endless at the time, like I’d never climb out of it. But somehow, I did.Then came th
I don’t know how long I had been sitting there on the floor, folded into myself with my back pressed against the door. The tears had slowed but my eyes were still very heavy, and my chest felt like it was being squeezed by something unseen. I was trying to calm my breathing and help stop myself from spiraling further, when I heard the faint creak of the back door opening.For a moment, I panicked immediately. Could it be Dante? Did he forget something? But then I heard my sister's voice.“Sienna?” she called out almost like she was unsure. I quickly wiped my face with the edge of my sleeve, but it was no use. I knew my swollen eyes and reddened puffed cheeks gave me away. She stepped into the living room, her brows furrowing immediately at the sight of me crumpled on the floor.“Oh my God, Sienna.” She rushed forward, dropping her bag carelessly to the side, and crouched down beside me. Without hesitation, she pulled me into her arms, and the moment her warmth wrapped around me, the
The house was warm from the afternoon sun shining outside and I heard a knock on the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and my first thought was that it might be Marcus again, trying to force another appearance. My chest tightened at the thought. But when I pulled the door open, my breath caught for an entirely different reason. It was Dante.He stood there, tall and composed on the outside, but I could see it immediately. His shoulders seemed heavier, his eyes darker, like he hadn't had a good sleep in weeks. “Dante,” I whispered, almost in surprise.“Can I come in?” He asked, forcing a smile.I nodded and stepped aside. He walked in, and the moment the door closed behind us, I felt the shift in the room. He wasn’t just here for casual talk.“What’s wrong?” I asked softly, leading him toward the living room.We sat down, and he ran a hand over his face before finally meeting my eyes. “The court trials start in a few days.”My heart dropped. I had known this day would come, but hearing
The next morning felt oddly different. The house was too quiet. I stood in Abigail’s room, folding the little blanket she had tossed aside after waking up. Her small bed was already made, her favorite stuffed bunny tucked neatly on the pillow, waiting for her return. Yesterday had been her very first day at nursery, and to my surprise, and my heartbreak, she had adapted so quickly.So quickly, it almost felt like she didn’t need me the same way anymore.She had run into the playroom, found a new friend, and barely looked back when I left. I had gone home with my chest feeling like it was caving in. And today, as I held her tiny hand walking into the nursery again, she walked with a bounce in her step, humming to herself, eager to start her day again.When I kissed her goodbye and handed her over to the teacher, she smiled at me, waved, and then darted off toward the toys without hesitation. No tears, no clinging. Just joy.I stood there for a while, trying not to cry myself, watching
Ever since my discharge, life shifted into a strange pattern. It wasn't exactly unfamiliar, but the shift was just completely not what I had hoped for. Quiet mornings with Abigail, evenings where my mother spent her time watching over me and making sure I was doing okay, and nights lying awake staring at the ceiling, wondering how much more my heart could take before it finally broke for good.Marcus had been showing up more often than I expected. Not barging in or making a scene like the Marcus I used to know. This time he was gentler, and convincing. Like he actually cared and that wasn't something I was used to, especially not with Marcus. He’d leave toys at the door, sometimes with a small card that had no words, just Abigail’s name scribbled on it in his handwriting. Other times, he’d text me asking how she was, asking if she’d smiled today, if she’d eaten her favorite cereal. Little things. At first, I ignored most of them, but the toys piled up in the corner of the living room
I was still deep in sleep when I felt someone lightly shaking my arm. My body was heavy, unwilling to wake, and I groaned, turning over to bury my face into the pillow.“Sienna,” my mother’s voice whispered, soft but urgent. “Mom?” My voice was thick with sleep.“You have a visitor,” she said, with a soft smile on her face.I squinted at her, confused. “A visitor? This early? Who on earth would be looking for me?” I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. “Six-thirty in the morning?”She raised an eyebrow knowingly. “Why don’t you come downstairs and see for yourself?”I sat up slowly, still half-asleep, but the sudden rush of anticipation made my pulse quicken. I dragged myself out of bed, quickly pulling on a robe over my nightdress, and walked barefoot down the hallway.The moment I stepped into the living room, my heart stopped.Dante was standing by the sofa in his crisp suit, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers in one hand and a small bag of gifts in the other. The morning light