The Christmas Contract のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The first day of Christmas always carried a certain kind of magic in Melody Hart’s small town, Snow Brook Valley. The weather, children laughing a little louder, every house setting up their beautiful Christmas trees. Melody always believed Christmas was magical, it was a time when God grants every single wish you make, to mark his son's birthday.This year, she didn’t feel any of it. The spark, the butterfly in her tummy, it was all gone.She woke to the soft glow of morning light slipping through the curtains and the muffled quiet that came with fresh snowfall. Normally, she would have smiled. Normally, the sight of December decorating the world would have made her heart swell with the childlike excitement she’d never quite outgrown.But this morning, all she felt was emptiness.Her hand reached automatically for the other side of the bed, expecting warmth, expecting familiarity. Instead, cold sheets met her fingertips.He was gone. Again.She blinked at the empty pillow beside her,

The moment Melody and Brandon stepped into the glittering hall of the Callahan mansion, she felt an immediate shift. The room was everything she had imagined and more, towering chandeliers dripping with gold crystals, a massive twelve-foot tree decorated with real glass ornaments, wreaths wrapped in red velvet bows, live violins playing soft carols. Elegance. Except Brandon didn’t hold her hand.And that was the first red flag she felt pierce through her chest.This was the same man who used to cling to her at parties, kiss her forehead in public, rest his hand on the small of her back as though she was too precious to lose sight of. He used to joke about her being “his Christmas miracle.” Yet tonight, right here, surrounded by hundreds of people, he walked beside her like they were nothing more than acquaintances.Melody forced a soft smile as they moved further into the hall together. Couples entered laughing, holding hands, giggling under mistletoe decorations. Meanwhile, Brandon

Two weeks later.The park was alive in a way Melody’s heart no longer knew how to be. Children were running wild in colorful jackets, their laughter echoing through the crisp Saturday morning air. Couples strolled hand in hand, taking in the beauty of the season. A man strummed a guitar near the fountain, playing little drummer boy. The sky was beautiful.But Melody Hart didn’t feel any of it.Her boots crunched slowly over the frosted path as she walked with her hands tucked into her coat pockets. Her heart felt like it was carrying brick, heavy and bruised. Two weeks in New York and still, everything felt foreign, too loud, too fast, too unfamiliar.Two weeks since she left behind the life she built, the business she loved, and the man she thought would be her forever.The betrayal still sat inside her like a fresh wound. She had no job. No plan. Just Tara’s kindness and a will to survive.She hated that she needed help. She hated that she didn’t know what came next, she hated that

The ride back home was quiet, Melody kept looking out the window, her fingers fiddling with the edge of Tara’s borrowed purse. Logan kept stealing glances at her like he was trying not to stare too long. Like she was made of something delicate and dangerous at the same time.When his car pulled up in front of her apartment building the slightly peeling brownstone, he put the car in park and turned to her.“Melody…” he started, his voice low and surprisingly soft.She held the purse closer. “Yes?”“I just want to say… thank you.” His eyes were steady when they met hers. “Really. Thank you for agreeing to do this for me.”She blinked. “Oh, you don’t have to thank me. You’re paying for my services, remember?” She tried to joke because seriousness made her chest tight.“I know,” he said, his lips curving slightly. “But still you barely know me. And you’re willing to help. I want you to know I appreciate that more than you think.”She smiled. The kind she wasn’t expecting. “You’re welcome,

Melody felt it in her gut, that this was the beginning of something great. Her signature on these papers were going to change her life forever. She almost called her parents to share the good news with them, but she figured that wasn't a good idea, especially since her mum wouldn't stop talking about it and I'm no time the whole town would know about it.She still thinks about home, she's been missing everyone but good thing she met Logan, because right now the only thoughts in her mind was the money. She's never gotten such a huge sum of money in her life before now.She exhaled slowly, rubbing her palms against her thighs. “Okay,” she whispered to herself. “Okay.”The word didn’t calm her. It never did. But it helped her breathe.She picked up her phone, she needed to let Logan know she's signed the papers. Hesitating only a second before tapping Logan’s contact. The phone rang once. Twice.“Hey.”His voice came through warm, relaxed, unmistakably happy.“Hi,” she said, suddenly awa