Chapter Two

Sophia

My instincts told me to say no, to put on my clothes and flee while I had the chance, but my heart said otherwise. I had fallen head over heels for this stranger, and even though I knew about his dangerous job, I just couldn't stop now.

 

"What are you?" I asked in a whisper. He didn't reply, instead, he tilted his head to the side and signaled his men to get out. I watched as they dragged the body out of the room, then turned to look at the stranger, who was back to putting on his clothes.

 

"Leo," he said, and I shot him a puzzled look.

 

"My name is Leo," he stated, turning to look at me.

 

"Oh, I'm Sophia," I replied.

 

"Now, Sophia, back to my previous question. Are you sure you can handle being with me?" he asked again. I stared at him, unsure of what to say. I wondered what he would do if I said no. Would he kill me so that I wouldn't tell anybody about what I saw there?

 

"Yes." I didn't realize when the words escaped my mouth. He smiled again, this time more genuinely.

 

"Well then, let's get married," he offered. My mouth fell open. "Married? But we just met!" I exclaimed.

 

"Call it love at first sight," he used my words against me.

 

I thought about it, I really was in love with him, and I did want to spend my life with him. Plus, if I had spent all my money the previous night, I wouldn't have any money to survive on. "Sure, let's get married," I agreed.

 

He seemed shocked by my reply, he must not have been expecting me to agree so easily. "Let's go then," he said when he finally found his words. I got out of bed and got dressed, then he led me to a black car. We got in, and he drove us to a courthouse where we were going to get married while in our casual outfits.

 

The clerk who got us married was confused to see how we showed up but didn't question it. I was sure it had something to do with the stern look on Leo's face. We finally got married, and I returned home with Leo.

****

The next two years with Leo went smoothly. We barely ever fought, mostly because we barely ever talked. There were times when I wished he would spend more time with me, but I knew that his job required his time.

 

During those two years, Leo and I rarely ever went out on dates, except when it was about his business, so I was shocked when he suddenly informed me that we were going out that evening.

 

I spent more time than usual getting ready because I wanted to make sure that Leo wouldn't be able to take his eyes off me all evening. Since Leo had been out all day, he wasn't taking me to the restaurant, he asked Reggie, his right hand man, to bring me to the restaurant.

 

"Damn! You look hot," Reggie commented as I walked over to him. He was a nice and funny guy but seemed to transform into a different person whenever it was time for business.

 

"Let's go, Leo's waiting," I reminded him. He held the door to the car open for me, and I slid in. He shut the door after me and got into the driver's seat, and off we went.

 

Reggie drove me to a five-star restaurant that was very popular, it was said to be the best in the country. "Have fun,but not too much fun," Reggie teased as I got out. I flashed him a playful smile and made my way into the restaurant to meet the man of my dreams.

 

I saw him seated at an empty table. I expected to see at least flowers or something, but I decided to be content with what I got. "Hey hon," I called, and he turned to look at me. He scanned me from head to toe and signaled for me to sit.

 

I sat across from him and picked up the menu to order something. I hadn't even gone through the first item on the menu when Leo dropped a bombshell on me. "I'm getting married."

 

I looked up from the menu with a puzzled expression. What did he mean he was getting married? He's already married, after all. 

“You’re joking, right?” I asked with a scoff. The expression on his face showed that he was serious. “But we’re married! How can you be getting married when you’re already married to me?” I snapped angrily.

 

“That’s why I brought you out tonight,” he continued to talk calmly. “We are getting divorced.”

 

“Getting a divorce?” The words kept ringing in my head as I walked down the dark street. I had refused to get into the car after he broke the news to me.

 

My feet were hurting from walking for so long in heels, but the pain couldn’t compare to the hurt I felt in my heart.

 

For years, I’d forced myself to believe my marriage was perfect, that I was lucky to have a man like Leo. Anytime someone asked if Leo loved me, I would say, “Of course he loves me, he’s just not very good at expressing his emotions.” What a fool I had been.

 

I finally couldn’t bear the pain in my feet, so I took off my shoes and tossed them aside before continuing my journey barefoot.

 

It soon began to rain heavily, and I was drenched from head to toe. I finally arrived at the mansion and made my way into the place I once called home. The maids were all stunned to see me soaking wet, and they tried to help me, but one glare was enough to send them back.

 

I made my way to my room and pushed the door open, only to see a blonde woman standing there with luggage by her side. "Who are you?" I asked. She turned to look at me with a big smile on her face. "I'm Sam, Leo's fiancée," she replied. My mouth flew open immediately. What was she doing here?

 

"You must be Samantha. I'm sure you're here to pack your things," she said and went to my closet, flinging it open. "Get to work now. You should leave before he gets back," she suggested. I felt my blood boil and my fists clenched in anger. I grabbed the nearest object I could find, which was a vase, and ran to her with the intent of striking her.

 

I raised the vase as I reached her and was about to bring it down on her head when someone snatched it from me. It was Leo. He was staring at me like he wanted to kill me. "REGGIE!" he called, and soon Reggie came running.

 

"Get her out of here now!" he ordered. Reggie froze for a minute, he was probably as shocked as I was. He finally got a hold of himself and gently escorted me out of the house. He took me to his car and drove me to an old condo.

 

He pulled up in front of it and turned to me with eyes filled with pity. "I'm sorry. He doesn't mean any of this," he said. I turned to look at him in disbelief. After everything Leo had done, he was still trying to defend him.

 

"He's getting married! Did he also not mean that?" I asked with a scoff. "You don't get it, it's… it's complicated," he replied. "Then explain it to me! Explain why my husband is suddenly leaving me for another woman!" I snapped. "It's a contract marriage, okay!" he yelled.

 

"Contract marriage?"