Maria lay on her bed, completely eaten up by the thoughts of what had happened the day before. That question was the eye clearer she needed to realize she bore no connection with anyone in the world, she was all alone, a chess piece in a huge game of scramble. How awfully unfamiliar that felt. The only person she could mention she had severed their connections in the hopes of becoming something bigger, something better. Maria thought if her craving for relevance was what drove her, or if her passion was driven by the insatiable urge to be seen. It was on days like this that getting out of bed was tasking, and she had no interest in performing any tasks, so she slept there, allowing the thoughts to drift her farther away. Thinking about who her parents were had always ended with the notion that they weren't alive, but what if they were? What if both or one were alive somewhere living their best lives with no thought of the poor kid that was dumped in the orphanage? What if the reason s

"Hi, I'm Maria and I'm getting married today," To the mirror before her, Maria said as she tucked her hair away, not sure of what to do with it. It was finally D-day to finally seal the contract. Nervousness rose from the pit of her stomach, but she only had herself — she was her support system. In about thirty minutes, she'd be headed to Jackson's, and just like he had indicated in the text he sent, it was nothing extravagant, all they had to do was recite the fake vows and hit the nail on the bull's eyes. The most important part was the certification made available, nothing else mattered.Maria felt less and less enthusiastic as she fell on her back, lying straight up with urgent eyes rummaging through the ceiling. There were times when she almost faltered, wondering if all of this was worth the struggle, and there were times when she felt like she really couldn't go on anymore, but she knew she had to, she'd come this far already. She styled her hair into a quick ponytail

Her eyes fluttered open to a blinding ray of light, after which she felt a throbbing ache in her temple. She pressed her limp hands against her head, groaning as she sat up, looking around the unfamiliar environment and the king-sized bed on which she sat. The room was twice as big as hers, dulled with matte oil paint, and the bed she was on rested at the edge of the spacious room. She couldn't collect her thoughts, or how she ended up there. Maria struggled to the edge of the bed, steadying her leg against the plush rugs that tickled her feet, more waves of nausea hit her as she stood to her feet which made her rest on the wall for balance, trailing it until she was halfway out of the room."Maria!" She heard, images flashing in her mind as she began to recollect what had last happened. Piece by piece, the fragments of her memory became a full image in her head. Harry, it was Harry. Fear washed over her as a shiver skittered down her spine, she had passed out in the car, then here sh

"I only tell you what you need to know, Maria." From the other end came his voice, piercing hard into her chest before the sound grew static. The rest of what he said she couldn't decipher, he had pulled her into a foggy state with that sentence.Maybe she'd placed herself on a pedestal that he didn't put her on. Who was she to demand an explanation from Jackson Jones, a person who was merely her boss and a business partner? Maria realized she had made the mistake of thinking he'd care about her just as she cared about him. It wasn't her first time doing that, thinking people change or people get better. Even if she had made such a mistake, was it supposed to hurt this much? She sat in fear, glued to the bed, not wanting to take a step out of the room she was in. There was an illusion of lurking doom that haunted her fragile mind. A lot of 'what ifs' she wouldn't dare take her chances on. Fervently reminding herself that they were nothing but business partners, just two people who had

Should she like it? She didn't know. It happened unexpectedly, but for many reasons, it was the best thing that had happened in months, her face flushed as she watched him angrily unplug the kettle. It made her wonder what would have happened if it hadn't made a sound. He came rushing back to her, she could tell how nervous he was just by looking at his face, and the way he stole glances at her without directly making contact. Then again, anyone would, especially after kissing someone they should be platonic with."So...breakfast? I don't know how you like your pancakes but I made them to the best of my abilities," he said with his lips curved upwards in a smile, those warm welcoming lips that Maria would like to savor again."Yeah, sure," she said as she walked towards the dining table with nothing better to say, she wore her hair down which made it easier to hide her red, rosy cheeks. She stared in awe at the food displayed on the table, some of the pancakes looked like victim