Chapter 05

POV Miguel Carrascal

“This is your rich boyfriend?”

I turned my head and saw a young woman standing behind me, her eyes wide and her mouth open, unable to believe what she was seeing. I held Roberta’s hand, intertwining my fingers with hers, and she trembled at my touch.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Miguel Carrascal,” I said, extending my hand politely, having no idea who she was. “Judging by the dress, you must be the bride.”

“Carrascal? From Carrascal Enterprises?” she asked, her expression intensifying. “How can you be her boyfriend?”

The disgusted look she gave Roberta made many things clear to me. I glanced at Roberta, standing by my side, and noticed her shrinking into herself. Sure, she wasn’t dressed appropriately, and her clothes dulled the sparkle in her eyes, but she wasn’t as plain as she anticipated.

“Is there a problem with me being her boyfriend?” I asked, realizing Roberta wouldn’t defend herself.

She smiled, her face turning red, clearly embarrassed by my question.

“It’s a bit unbelievable, don’t you think?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied, gently squeezing Roberta’s hand, hoping she might lift her head. “You should hurry to your engagement party. Your fiancé is waiting.”

I looked to the other side and saw a man standing there with his hands in his pockets, staring straight at me. None of those people seemed to believe Roberta and I could be a couple.

When I looked back at her, I saw how embarrassed she was, how much those people had hurt her. I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around her waist. She jumped, her eyes widening in surprise. I smiled and led her to my car, opening the door for her to get in.

The surrounding whispers grew louder. Their eyes stayed glued to us. I walked around the car and got in. Next to me sat a woman shrinking into herself, utterly insecure, pressing her lips together and avoiding my gaze.

“For a moment, I thought you wouldn’t come.”

She was right. I had decided to show up at the very last minute, after my lawyer visited me that afternoon. His words had ruined my mood. He never came to my house with good news, and nothing he said this time was any different.

I felt powerless, trapped in a cage, accused unfairly, and like I was losing the only thing of value I had left. Determined not to go insane, I called Gregory and told him my decision. I drove there while memories of the day Amanda died in that car accident replayed in my mind. This time, though, those fragments were replaced by thoughts of Roberta and the fake boyfriend she needed to find.

“You paid for my company, didn’t you?” I started the car, watching the others drive ahead. “I’ll make sure your fifteen thousand dollars are worth it.”

I gripped the steering wheel and set the car in motion. A surprised gasp escaped her lips. When I glanced at her, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were fixed on my hand.

“Are you married?” she asked, bringing her hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe I hired a married man!”

“I’m not married. Not anymore,” I replied, watching her face twist with shame. “My wife died in an accident about a month ago.”

“Oh, God… I’m so sorry,” she said, exhaling sharply as if she truly felt pain. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you know?” I let out a faint laugh. “Besides, it wasn’t your fault. There’s no reason to feel sorry.”

I didn’t want to talk about it, not with a stranger. I was doing her a favor because I believed it might distract me and make me forget, at least for a while, the pain that tore through my heart every day.

She looked at me over her glasses, and I could tell she felt sorry for me. She opened and closed her lips several times, trying to say something, but no words came out.

I decided to change the subject before it was too late.

“Who were those people? And why did you need a fake boyfriend to impress them?”

“I would rather not impress them.” She adjusted her glasses and looked straight ahead, her expression changing drastically. “I want to embarrass them.”

I studied her in silence. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she bit her lips to hold back the anger that was clearly growing inside her.

“They must’ve done something terrible to you,” I said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I seemed unfair to myself, refusing to talk about my life while insisting she talk about hers.

“It’s only fair that you know everything, right?” She wiped her eyes before continuing. “You’ll be my company for the next few days, so you need to know who you’re dealing with.”

Roberta’s gaze drifted far away, fixed on the car ahead of us. I followed her eyes but saw nothing unusual.

“I made the mistake of sleeping with the most popular guy in college,” she said, and a strange tightness filled my chest. “They call me a slut, spread nearly naked photos of me all over campus, and use their popularity to get away with it.”

I turned to her and saw her face soaked with emotion.

“We’re going to the engagement party of the two people who reduced me to nothing. Having a fake boyfriend is the only way to make them stop.”

My eyes widened. My face burned, and my throat tightened.

“I don’t understand…” My words died for the first time, and I couldn’t go on.

“I just need you to pretend you love me, that I’m the most important person in your life,” she turned to me urgently. “Do you think you can do that, Mr. Carrascal?”