Contracted Love Affair

PROLOGUERUNAWAYSix years ago.As the music starts thumping, Valeria started to step onto the runway stage with effortless elegance, her silhouette perfectly poised. Her legs seemed to extend endlessly as her stilettos made a click-clack sound on that stage of the gallery hall. She was five feet and nine inches tall after all. She exudes confidence and grace with every flick of her hair and the tilt of her head. Her hips swayed as if she was gliding on clouds. Her facial expressions were fierce and edgy, yet feminine. She wanted others to see her as a work of art, a living canvas draped in fashion.Valeria strikes a pose, arching her back, as their final walk for their practice ends. She can’t make a mess right now. She had taken too many steps just to get where she is. She is going to achieve her dream and nothing can stop her. Even if it means telling a lie.“Okay, models!” the choreographer called out as she clapped her hands for their attention. “Tomorrow is a big day. Give your

CHAPTER 2CINDERELLAShe trudged wearily up to the stairs of her apartment building, her feet heavy and her shoulders slumped under the weight of a long grueling night. The hum of the city outside was muted by the thick walls, but the fatigue in her bones was palpable.As she fumbled with her keys and pushed open the door to her apartment, the stale air inside hit her like a wall. The dim light of the hallway cast a melancholy glow over the space. She was drained because of what just happened and the giggles inside the room lifted her soul.“I’m home!” she announced upon closing the door, kicking her shoes to the side.A girl in her messy bun and circle-framed lenses was sleeping on the sofa. Beside her was the five-year-old little boy who left his open bag of chips just to run towards her open arms.“Mommy!” he shouted in joy. With that, the girl on the sofa woke up and immediately stood up to recite some scientific words that looks like alien words to her ears.“Gwendolyn,” Ria utte

CHAPTER 4 CONTRACTED As she sat there, staring at her phone, Ria couldn’t decide whether or not to call him. She thought about all the possible outcomes and wondered if she was ready to take the risk. It has been days and her son was already discharged. The doctor reminded her to make an appointment upon finalizing her decision. The only problem is that she needed a bigger budget for the surgery. Her son had been a sickly child. They already tried a blood transfusion for his anemia but it was not enough. After a year, his unstable illness reoccurred. And the only person that she could call right now is the owner of the number punched into her phone. With a deep breath and a sudden wave of courage, she knew that she had to take the chance. She dialed and heard a few rings before someone picked up. “I’ve been waiting for your call, Ria,” said a baritone voice from the other line. Her jaw dropped even before she could say hello. “How?” she said not knowing what exactly to say. Ho

CHAPTER 6 RULES “The plan was changed. We will be having dinner at the restaurant tonight. Have you memorized the details?” Grant spoke in a full of tension. Ria could see that he was trying to maintain a calm and collected demeanor, but his nerves were beginning to get the best of him. Not only him, but bet she too also felt the tension. “I guess, I know most of the details already.” She was just fetched right after her duty at the Sweet Café and was told that she will be meeting that night his parents and not by the weekends. He began to loosen his necktie that he felt the knot tightening with every passing second. “Eunice talked to them to wait for your arrival. They were planning to set the date of the wedding by tonight. And I won’t let that happen.” He looked at her for a second. “We’ll be driving to the mall. You are a model. You shouldn’t show up like that, right?” She looked down at her uniform with the apron that she forgot to remove upon dashing out of the café. She h

CHAPTER 8 TOUR Ria opened her eyes slowly, feeling the warmth of the morning breeze in the province. She stretched her arms and legs, enjoying the softness of the bed. She reached for her phone as her first task of the day. As much as she wanted to savor this feeling of bliss, she knew she needed to get up that early. She got up and walked to the window, pulling back the curtains. She gasped at the sight of the vast green land of various fruit trees and a garden that was taken care of like children. She wrapped herself in a robe and headed downstairs, where a constant silence was heard and morning chicken crowing. No one’s still around that time of dawn, no staff to greet her a good morning. She wandered around the villa, clutching her phone like a lifeline. She had to make a call, but the signal was nowhere to be found. She tried every room, every window, every corner, but nothing. She felt like a prisoner in this luxurious place, cut off from the world. She began to walk outside