Chapter 02

Avery woke up when the sun bathed her. She was feeling more refreshed and relaxed than she had ever felt in years and that made her smile to herself. But… who is sleeping beside her?

Her eyes shot open to find a man sleeping with her on a bed and she panicked as she looked around. They were in a fancy hotel room and the sun was shining through the large windows, which gave an amazing view of the city below.

Then it dawned on her. Meeting Caden at “Palm Beach” and the conversation she had with him, how he made her feel comfortable, and how she opened up to him so easily… and the kiss… and… everything after that.

Avery facepalmed. No wonder she felt so relaxed after a while. She suddenly had a one-night stand and shared her personal feeling with a total stranger who didn’t judge her a bit. Unlike what she faced every day. And it is very rare for her to drop the conventions and be unhinged like yesterday.

“Hey. Get up.”

She shook the man beside her to wake him up and Caden groaned as he opened his eyes. For a moment, he looked like he couldn’t process anything but then looked at her and smiled.

“Hey.”

He said so casually that Avery broke into laughter.

“Get up. I think we should get going. Didn’t you say you’re a CEO? Shouldn’t you get to work?”

She asked as she got up with the sheets wrapped around her body and walked towards the bathroom.

“I’m the CEO of my own company. So, no one’s there to call me out.”

Caden said, chuckling as he placed his arm under his head and leaned on the headboard of the bed. Avery’s mouth turned to an “O” shape when the realization hit her and that made Caden laugh before he shot his question.

“What about you? Don’t you have to fly?”

“I’m on a break today and tomorrow. So, no.”

She replied as she got inside the bathroom and Caden shook his head as he smiled at her antics. She is cute and beautiful. He had to admit.

He thought about last night when he vented all his emotions on a random woman he met in the pub and he thought of how good it felt. He wondered if it would be the same if he poured his heart to another woman and he guessed it probably would.

They were both strangers to each other and didn’t know each other personally. So, no strings attached and no judgments. He guessed that is why he was feeling so good.

For a moment, he got thoughtful and the next second, an idea clicked in his head. What if…? He got up from the bed, walked to the large windows and, while looking at the city below, he decided it was the best option.

When Avery came out of the bathroom, he walked in front of her and then said,

“I have a deal for us.”

Avery raised her eyebrow in question at the sudden suggestion and then looked at the minimum distance they had between each other before pointing it out.

“Can you like… move? I want to get dressed up.”

“Huh?”

Caden, who was expecting a question in return for his suggestion, was dumbfounded but then he realized they were too close and was blocking her way so he stepped away quickly. 

 “Sorry.”

He muttered, embarrassed, and Avery rolled her eyes before turning back to him and then pointing at the door of the bathroom.

“Why don’t you get washed and put some clothes on? We can discuss your deal afterward.”

She said with finality in her voice and Caden looked at her with a smile and nodded before disappearing into the bathroom.

About fifteen minutes passed before Caden came out of the shower, freshly dressed and still drying up his hair with the towel. He looked so casual and laid back, unlike the man Avery saw first in the pub yesterday, who was too stiff and proper. That made her smile.

He was breathtaking.

She sat on the chair near the little table to the right side of the large windows and when Caden finally looked at her, she gestured to him to sit on the opposite chair. He didn’t say a word as he walked and sat on it.

“Can we talk now?”

He asked with a wide smile, almost mocking Avery and she playfully glared at him.

“Deals are important. You know about it more than me as a businessman. So, I wanted to give the proper respect.”

She replied with an animated tone and Caden grinned.

“You sure it wasn’t because you were scared that the sheet would fall off and you wouldn’t be able to handle me?”

“I handled you just fine last night, didn’t I? Now stop being cocky and get to the point.”

Said Avery as he side-eyed him and both of them broke into a burst of laughter before Caden sat properly on the chair and entwined his hands together.

“So, you said that your mom wants you to settle down with a man, right?”

“That and quit being a pilot. She wants them both.”

Avery replied flatly as if reciting something by heart, and Caden nodded as he leaned a bit forward.

“But if you do at least one of them, she would stop rambling for a while, won’t she?”

“She might. What’s your point?”

This time Avery asked directly and Caden took a long breath.

“How about we come up with a contract marriage?”

He asked, unsure of how she would react, and after a long pause, Avery spoke carefully.

“Does this come with a divorce? Because I don’t want to be tied to someone I don’t love for the rest of my lifetime. Marriage might not be my priority right now but I also do want a good family and kids.”

“Of course, it comes with a divorce. We can marry first and then divorce after six months or something saying it won’t work. We just have to pretend that we are something in front of our families for the time being. That’s it.”

Avery’s face lit up as he looked at Caden with them glistening as if he suggested the best thing in the world.

“And then when we divorce, I can act heartbroken and keep my mom out of the radar from bothering me to marry again for a while.”

“Exactly. I can do the same. So, it’s a deal then?”

“It’s a deal”

Avery replied and Caden smiled, glad that they were on the same page. By the large window that day, they decided on their six months contract marriage.

--- Back to present ---

Caden smiled to himself as he looked at the divorce agreement in his hands. He could see Avery’s signature at the bottom of the page and he didn’t know why, it was so painful in his heart.

They both knew this was nothing but an arrangement to fool their families to make it easier for them to chase after their dreams. They were expecting this and counting the days for this to happen so they can be free from conditions.

But now that it finally happened… Why doesn’t it feel free? Why does it feel like something was missing from his life?

He looked at their wedding photo, which was taken on their big day, which was a simple yet exquisite wedding with only their closest present. That is how they wanted it because the fewer people involved, the easier it made for them to separate later.

Avery was smiling beautifully in the photo. She was looking into his eyes and they shined as if the feelings were genuine. He clutched the divorce agreement in his hand and walked towards it.

It has been hanging in this condominium, which they shared for a whole six months but this is the first time he looked at that photo so closely. They looked happy, gazing into each other and he could see why their families believed them to be in love. Because they really look like it. Like they are goner cases for each other.

But in reality. They are not. It was just a deal out of a one-night stand. A deal that was created on the mutual understanding of having the same problems that needed the same solutions.

He took a step away from the photo, something breaking inside his heart. And then he turned away from it. He looked at the divorce agreement, which was now signed by both of them. He smiled.

Caden took his phone out and dialed his lawyer’s number.

“We have signed the papers. Can we proceed?”

He listened to the instructions from the other line and nodded in silence before hanging up and walking around the condo for one last time before he handed it back to the company they bought it from.

When he confirmed everything was in place, he put the agreement safely in a file and walked towards the exit. He wondered if Avery felt as heavy as him when she went out of this door, but he guessed he would never know.

He closed the door behind him and locked it. He walked away without looking back because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to take it. Maybe she was fine leaving everything behind. Maybe… he was the only one that fell in love.