All Chapters of Contract With The Ex That Left Me: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

SARAH PIERCE“Argh!” I squeezed my hair after Raya and I entered our room. How did we know it was meant for us? There was a silly, small signboard in front of the door. I almost thought I was at a club house showing me to the VIP section. “What was I thinking?” I sat on the carpeted floor. “It will take one million years to make that kind of money.”“Mummy?”“Mummy is thinking, Raya.” I sighed. “God, what do I do? I almost died paying off the other debt. How do I deal with this?” My heart squeezed at the thought of how hellish the past three years were for me. But I quickly erased the thought to avoid drowning into the depression that almost killed me after I had Raya. “Where do I start from?”“Mummy, I am hungry.”“Raya.” I chuckled with disbelief and a little bit of relief. “Five million dollars must mean nothing to you. Hmm. I envy you, my daughter.”“Five?” Raya spread her fingers and glanced at it. “Yes, five.”“Pix. Seven. Eight?”I laughed, but it was short-lived. The price of

SARAH PIERCEFive years ago, a twenty-year-old me joyously escaped my father's house in Lanville city thanks to a bachelor's degree programme I got in another country. This new country, United Zenna, marked a new beginning for me and my need to heal from the toxicity I grew up in. And the universe listened to my innermost desire, because two months into my programme, I met Nathaniel Storm, a businessman who had come to my school to deliver a speech. He was twenty-six years old then, and his company was making enviable strides in the entertainment industry.Like a dream, Nathaniel — who had asked for my number to replace the shirt he ruined with iced coffee — became a steady presence in my life.At first, I was suspicious of his affections, which deepened each time we met. I even thought it was illegal for a person to look at me the way he did. But my heart learned to trust him, and I realised that I desired him too. We started dating after three months. Nathaniel, to me, was like

SARAH PIERCEI clocked out on time, so I did not miss Raya’s drop-off by the school bus. “Mummy!” “My baby!” I lifted her into my arms and turned to her teacher, a friendly woman who heartily welcomed me three days ago when I came to inquire about the school. After collecting Raya’s lunch box and school bag, I said, “Thank you, Miss Sunshine. How did she do? Did she cry again?” Raya cried a lot yesterday, so much that I cried and struggled with an intense headache after. “Yes, Raya is adjusting well. I was proud of how she mingled with everyone today. She also seems to respect personal space.” Miss Sunshine flashed a grin that made Raya giggle. “I am very proud of her.”I breathed in relief. “That is good. I was constantly worried that she was struggling.”“However,” her tone increased as noise from the toddlers in the bus almost overpowered our conversation, “towards the end, something odd happened.”I felt a pang in my chest and hoped it wasn’t something terrible. “Is it bad?”“

NATHANIEL STORMI simply cannot believe it. For the first time in years, I slept soundly without incessant nightmares interfering. Though I briefly had just one terrible dream, Miss Pierce’s presence snapped me out of it. And despite the stunt that woman played, after recovering from her insolent words and unexpected kiss, I easily returned to bed and fell asleep.My theory was right. Though it is weird and difficult to explain, there is something about living with Sarah Pierce and her daughter that makes sleeping easier. Hmm… Interesting.I do hope my heart stops pounding now that I have figured that out.Now, back to Miss Pierce, and how she touched and… kissed me. God. That woman… Just when I thought I had her and her anger figured out, she went ahead and displayed a crazy side, openly defying the rules of our contract. Seriously, how could she kiss me? So easily?“Is there something stuck on your cheek?” Amir questioned, his head peeking from behind. “Huh?”He pointed at my

SARAH PIERCEI adjusted the wedding ring on my finger and ironed the pleat of the only fine dress I own. It feels great not to be dressed in my usual sweatpants and a t-shirt.And it thrills me that the next phase of my plan will soon activate.I can bet that Nathaniel would be pissed to see me, his lovely contract wife at his workplace. But what others would see is a beautiful, loving wife who came to deliver lunch to her husband. We might make it to the socials to Nathaniel’s annoyance. I wonder what the hashtag would be. Maybe hashtag newlyweds fever.From my seat in the lobby, I locked eyes with the receptionist, who clearly didn’t believe me when I introduced myself as Nathaniel’s wife. And it seemed the phone call she made to the upper room shocked her, because she and the other three at the desk could not stop glancing and whispering amongst themselves. While wondering if it was such a big deal that I was Nathaniel’s wife, the lobby suddenly became noisy. Nathaniel was the so