God, I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. I can't even go commit a robbery because I'm terrible at that.
"No, I'm sorry, but I don't think it's advisable for me to let you go in the state you're in, especially when I'm the one who caused you to fall to the ground," I say to the man, thinking I had moved away from him, but he's still so close. "Tell me, do you have any problems I can help you with? I'm really sorry about what happened."
What? It's not like it's the end of the world. Is he really worried about me?
I come to a sudden stop, and before it's too late, I'll make it clear to the big man who, for some reason, affects me with his presence.
Once again, I'm close to him, and I tell him that he doesn't have to worry, that the fault could be shared, as I didn't have the opportunity to see the person in front of me, all because of looking at my phone.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm telling you the truth."
"Why are your hands shaking? Seriously, you should see a doctor," he says with concern, stepping back when he feels his hands against mine. "I have no intention of hurting you."
I lower my gaze and swallow hard when I confirm that I'm trembling. My phone is still in my hands, and the desperation for my mother to call me increases. I want to know the condition of my father.
Returning to reality, I ignore the presence of the man who is still with me. I dial my mom's number. I know she told me she would call me, but the truth is, I'm too worried.
"Not now, honey, I'm still talking to the doctor. He's giving me instructions on the medication your father should take. I'll call you back," she hangs up, leaving me devastated.
"Please, Mom."
"What's wrong?"
"I have to go, I need to get to my apartment urgently. I need to go..." I collapse completely, worried about my father.
"I'll take you, please, so I can be sure you're okay," he insists, this time making sure I don't move away from him. "I really don't see you well. I recognize that I'm a complete stranger, but I can also assure you that I wouldn't harm you."
No, he doesn't know him. I can't go with a stranger, I can't trust him. God, what should I do?
"Please, I need to get there on time," I fight back tears as a wave of worry washes over me. "I live in Charlot. Well, I'll direct you."
"Come on, there's my car... Wait, I have to take this call."
No, I can't wait any longer. I have to take a taxi. My mom urgently needs the money. I don't care if I spend all my savings, maybe everything. I take advantage of the opportunity while he's distracted, and with a quick movement, I stop a taxi. The car stops, and without telling him the address, I get into it, at the same time closing the door and asking him to take me to Charlot. The taxi driver doesn't wait any longer and starts the car.
"Goodbye, I thank you for being a gentleman with me, as I have been clumsy in everything," I whispered under my breath. I watched as he ran towards the taxi, trying to catch up.
"It seems the gentleman wants to take you," the taxi driver said in a playful tone.
"Please, hurry, I need to get home as soon as possible," I looked at the driver. I had no intention of conversing; I was not good at making small talk with strangers. "Excuse me, but I am in a hurry."
The image of that handsome man would disappear in just a few seconds, and now I had to worry about how much money I could send to my mother. Then I would have to find another job because I doubted I would have anything left by next month.
Oh, my mother is calling me, damn it, and I still haven't been able to get home. I just hope everything is okay.
"The doctor has recommended that your father stay for one more day, but he asked me to buy the medicine and pay for your father's stay in the clinic tomorrow."
"Mom, I will send you the money in a couple of hours. You don't have to worry. Everything will be deposited in the card, and you can pay for everything, the medication, the consultation, and the food that my dad should have from now on. Don't worry, mom, everything will be okay."
"Thank you, my dear, I knew you wouldn't abandon us. Your father didn't want me to call you, but the truth is, my love, that I couldn't handle all of this. You are the only one we have to get out of this."
My throat tightens, and before I burst into tears, I tell her not to worry, that I will deposit the money in a couple of hours. I don't want them to worry or feel like a burden because they aren't. They are all I have.
After telling her that I love her, the call ended, and she had to stay by my father's side. Aaahhh... why isn't this taxi moving? I should already be in my apartment. I can't leave them hanging.
I close my eyes and try to take a deep breath. I can't panic, not when I have the money. I just have to find a way to deposit it. Oh, I can go to a quick mart! One way or another, I must deposit that money as soon as possible.
"We have arrived, miss. I managed to get here as soon as possible," he says, stopping the car. I come back to reality and realize that he is telling the truth.
I thought we would arrive sooner, but this man got angry and took another route. Damn it, we were supposed to arrive in fifteen minutes, but he did his best. I pay for the ride and get out of the taxi with a "goodnight."
"Miss," he observes, and speaks with a mischievous smile. Shit! His smile looks so hot and exciting.
"What are you doing here?" I mutter.
I can't resist looking at this man. I don't know why he excites me so much, or why his presence affects me so much. Why is that? Yes, I'm stupid. He excites me because he is an attractive and hot man... I feel like my heart is racing a thousand miles an hour.
No, I have to push away these thoughts. I have to concentrate on what really matters.
"I had to make sure you were okay. I told you I would bring you. Why did you leave? Did you think I would do something bad to you?"
What? Is it possible that I heard correctly, or have I gone completely crazy from the adverse effect it has left on me? He is to blame, who made him so handsome and attractive? In life, you can't have everything, but he seems to have it all. How can he expect me to believe his intentions are good?
"I'm sorry, but I was in a hurry, I couldn't wait a second longer," I excuse myself, not wanting to admit the fear I feel of a stranger showing interest in me.
Oh my God! This man has hypnotized me, I need to regain my self-control and think with my head and not with desire.
"Do you fear me?" he mutters with a husky voice. "Don't take it the wrong way, I just want you to get to know me and meet the girl who fell to her knees half an hour ago," a playful smile appears on his mouth.
"I appreciate your kindness and sincerity, but I told you I'm fine."
Before I can say the first vowel, his phone rings. Seeing who the caller is, his face changes radically. Who could it be? Is it his wife? Is it someone important? Does he have a girlfriend? The intrigue of knowing takes over my mind, I have a thousand questions to ask him.
I watch his conversation closely, and without needing to be a psychologist, I can tell he has a problem from his tone of voice. Before he notices that I'm eavesdropping, I turn my gaze away, although inside, I scold myself for idolizing every part of that man's body. I suppress a sigh because I don't want him to know that I am melting for him like butter. My question is, do people fall in love at first sight? Or is it just desiring and not love?
"Miss," I hear a murmur close by, so close that I can feel his breath on my neck. I close my eyes and shiver at the smell that penetrates my senses.
"I'm listening."
"I have to go. The good thing is that I can leave now, knowing that you're already home, or do you need me to accompany you to..."
"Do you want to accompany me?"
What...? You're crazy Gisela, how dare you ask the stranger if he wants to accompany you, it's too obvious that he has problems and I have them too, yet here I am like a stupid waiting for the stranger to be the prince of the story. I shake my head and push away the thoughts from my imprudent consciousness, for now I don't need him to scold me, although he has put me in my place, as I now know what I need to do. "Do you think you could be in danger?" he says in a worried tone, alarming me with his good intentions towards me, I feel like he is not a man who would try to hurt me. "No..." I quickly shake my head, "what I mean is that there is no need for you to stay here any longer, I also have something urgent to do, so goodbye" I stutter, and before I can stop it, my cheeks start to burn and I turn around with a bit of discretion. "Again, thank you, although you didn't have to worry about me." "Hey, wait... please" I ignore his insistent call and like a crazy person, I climb the st
+Omniscient narrator+ For a moment, Adal Müller felt relieved upon hearing from his secretary that the girl he had recommended had accepted and was only waiting for him to indicate the time and place for them to talk and plan their contract marriage. One thing was on his mind - he could use the girl who would be his wife for special events, all for appearances, but he couldn't consider her his true wife. If there was one thing he was clear about with arranged marriages, it was that emotions would eventually ruin it. Adal took a big sip of his whisky as he pondered the pros and cons of the marriage until he suddenly came up with a couple of ideas to establish it in the contract. Without saying a word to his secretary, he went straight to his desk, got comfortable, and quickly took a pen to write down the main rules to maintain absolute control of the contract. A girl who has no feelings for him, who has no sexual desires, who does not fall in love, who always remembers that everythi
"Yes, I want to apologize for being late. It's not an excuse, but I had to ask for permission from my job and..." She trailed off as she realized she was rambling. "Please, sit down. Would you like some coffee? Tea?" He asked in a nervous tone. "Water, please," she pleaded, having run too much. "You can get comfortable on the couch, and we'll move to the table later." Gisela nodded, walked in that direction, and elegantly sat down on the cushioned couch, crossing her legs. The silky red fabric rose a little, offering Adal a good view of her smooth, athletic legs, or at least that's what her body showed to any pair of eyes trying to delight in them. "Snacks?" He asked politely, trying to be cordial. "No, thank you," she shook her head. "Are you sure?" Adal insisted, trying to be a gentleman. "Yes." Totally perplexed by the woman he didn't want to have any physical contact with, he started to bring her a glass of water. They looked at each other for a moment, letting the silen
+Gisela+ It took me a long time to decide, my pillow didn't let me think much, since it came to my mind that my grandmother will need more money for my father and his needs. Lucero's words kept going through my mind until I hit rock bottom and felt that my only way out was to sell my life to the devil, to that old man who would get me out of all my problems. However, I never imagined that the person I was waiting for was the same person I crashed into in front of the café. I remember perfectly what I said before she left the apartment; I told her that I would marry her boss, that I had no choice but to sell my dignity because I have nothing. Desperation has driven me to make that drastic decision. Her response was that everything I do is out of the love I feel for my parents, showing that I am capable of anything to not leave them on the street. Today, while at work, I received a sudden call from Lucero, telling me that my meeting would be today and that I could not make excuses or
I grabbed the pen and immediately signed the damn contract; at this point, it's useless to make things difficult for myself. "Okay, it's signed. Now, can you tell me what comes next?" I slid the document and pen to his side. "I expect a copy of this document, as I don't want to deal with a fraudster or someone who wants to harm me." "What?" He opens his eyes wide. "That must be a joke. I would never hurt you or deceive you. Remember, this is a business deal, and you can't tell anyone about it except for my secretary, who recommended you." "My intentions are not to offend you. I just want to be straightforward." "Yes, that's direct. I don't know what indirect is," he babbles. "What did you say?" "Nothing," he shakes his head. "The next step is that I'll give you this card, so you can send me messages. You'll receive information about everything we'll do from now on." "Perfect. If you need another meeting, please schedule it after work, as I doubt they'll give me permission to le
"I know now!" he exclaims after snapping his fingers. "I'll let you go with my secretary. Why is he trying to be nice?" This time it's not bad to accept, I want to talk to Lucero, I'm afraid of the next step and the lies I have to tell to achieve the damn marriage. He wants me to quit because I can embarrass him or ruin the plans. Oh, I want to scream because I got into this out of desperation for not having money, for sending everything to my parents and having the expenses here consume me. The relationship I am creating with this man is very peculiar, although it can be said that it is a business and that everything will soon end. Yes, this is what I wanted, to have the money to help my parents, to obtain economic stability and thus I can go to my place. Yes, it's not a bad idea to return to where I was born, with the money he gives me, I may live well for a while, all while I find a job or there is also the possibility of going on vacation. "Yes, it's a good idea, I need to ta
"My boss is a man of principles and unintentionally I have heard that my boss has a huge penis, I can even assure you that it must be up to his knee," she closes her eyes while biting her lower lip. My eyes pop out of their sockets to the point that my mouth is open with a little drool, simply because my imaginative side has already captured it. I am not a saint, so that morbid imagination excites me. "You're exaggerating," I give her a pat on the arm, taking the liberty of having more confidence with her. "If I weren't committed, I wouldn't hesitate to accept the deal, but it wouldn't be for money, I would propose that he give me a night of passion," she purrs near my ear. She's a pervert! "Sometimes I feel like his body is screaming for a daring woman to want to possess him, to leave him on cloud nine," she bites her lower lip. "Do you want to be with him?" "No, I can't, but don't worry, I occasionally betray my sweetheart in my dreams, and that's why I'm asking you to be brave
"Yes, mother, I kept it so hidden that now I have to bring it to light. I wanted a little time because relationships take time, but oh well, now it's time to introduce her to the whole world." "In that case, I'll catch up. Today, I have all the time for you. I'm going out with my friends right now, and they'll all help me with the organization and everything since there's no time, my love." "I like that, mother," I give her a kiss on the cheek to say goodbye. "Don't hesitate to tell me the details," I wink at her, walk away from her, and before asking more questions, I leave. "Alfonso, take care of my son and make sure the lawyer doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve. I'm sure he'll try to find a way to trap us in the will, all to make us lose everything that belongs to us." "Understood, Mrs. Müller," Alfonso responds while nodding. My mother leaves the office with a smile from ear to ear. I don't like lying to her, but in this case, I couldn't avoid it. I resume walking, head t
+ Five months later... "My love, we will soon reach our destination and I want you to do something for me. I want you to put on this blindfold and not ask why," the car comes to a stop, my eyes open wide, and a crazy smile appears on my face. I was expecting something like this, but not so soon. I had no choice but to agree, so I grabbed the cloth and obediently covered my eyes like a little girl. Ha ha ha, suddenly it made me laugh. Why is my beloved not so mysterious or someone who can pretend? I can detect his nervousness from here and his desire to surprise me. "Okay, but I warn you that sometimes things don't go as planned." Aaaah, inside, I want to scream with joy. I am a happy woman who just wants to enjoy all the wonderful things her husband is giving her. After I put on the blindfold, Adal keeps driving. I'm nervous, lots of things are going through my head, and I don't know which one of them will come true. After a few minutes, Adal tells me that we have arrived at ou
+ This must be a headache! For the first time, I saw my son cry in pain. As I was leaving work, I received a call informing me that my son had been admitted to the hospital and was being attended to by a pediatrician. I demanded to know what was going on and if Gisela was aware. My mother, crying, responded, "She's asleep. We didn't want to worry her, especially after seeing that he couldn't walk." I didn't say a word about the issue when I asked for the address; I just knew I had to be with my son. Within minutes, I arrived at the clinic, my breathing rapid and my heart racing. Seeing my little one only made me more desperate, as my mother's statement about his fever was still true. My child was suffering, and they weren't doing anything about it. All we could do was wait. Eventually, I picked up my baby and left the place. They weren't attending to him as they should have been. My mother screamed after me as I left, but I couldn't take it anymore. I told her that my son wouldn't
+ADAL+ I am disappointed. Last night was an unforgettable moment. We even promised to try again, but when I woke up, she wasn't by my side. She had left. I panicked and tried to contact her, but I couldn't find my phone anywhere. I remember locking myself in the shower for half an hour, thinking about what to do, or what was going through Gisela's mind. She had given me the opportunity I had been waiting for, and now my fear is that she will regret it. I decided to get out of the shower, get ready, and leave my room. I had to get out of those four walls before I went crazy. Part of me knew I had to find her and seize the opportunity I had been given. Just as I was about to leave the house, I ran into my mother. She told me that my phone had been taken by the person I was desperately trying to reach, and if I intended to find her, I should call my number or look for Lucero, the person who had been helping me without any commitment. My mother said, "run," and I flew. It wasn't long b
"No, I hope I didn't interrupt your sleep," my words are sincere, but his reaction is nothing - no emotion on his face, he's furious. Years may have passed, but I remember perfectly when his serious face means he's ready to kill, not to think. "I'll just have this little coffee, and then I'll leave, I have a few things to do at home." "I think we should talk first before you go," he says after sitting next to me. "Since it seems you're having trouble remembering, I want to tell you that I didn't like that you drank and let yourself get careless. Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't arrived on time?" I gulp, panic takes over me, I don't know what to say, and I have no arguments to refuse. Where were the girls? I'm sure he's lying, he just wants to scare me into submission. No, he's wrong if he thinks I'll reward him. "To be honest, I don't remember anything, and if we're going to talk about what happened yesterday, it's better if Lucero and Dolores are present. They kno
+ "Wait for me, don't go alone," I hear Dolores shout behind me. She wants to dance with me, and I hope the waiter doesn't bring the margaritas right now. God, I need those margaritas! "Baby, don't leave me alone," and boom, Lucero joins us. This is good because now we're really enjoying the night. We're the three friends, not rivals that everyone expects. Never ever forget this moment. Lucero and Dolores are two important pieces for my heart and mind. "Please wait for me here, I'll be quick in the restroom, you know, so the others can get in," I leave them there. I want to dance with them, but my bladder is the most important thing right now. I walked down a narrow hallway and reached the restroom, which was so bright that a pulse of pain shot from my eyes to the back of my head. When I arrived at the stall, I fixed my hair and shouted to the sky because it's empty and all the stalls are available for me. Ha, how funny, I just need one. After a couple of minutes of relieving my
"Hey, you're not supposed to drink it like that," shouted Lucero, trying to snatch the margarita glass from me. As she made the attempt, I tilted the glass further, taking advantage of its chilliness. "You have no remedy, dude. Please bring three margaritas. She needs more than two. Oops, sorry. She's already on her second one, and it's all because she wants to act tough and drink vodka when she can't handle it." "Lucero!" I complained, finishing the last drop of margarita, and placing the glass aside to pick up the next one. "You're right. I'm not a drinker, and if you know me well, you know my throat is burning." And I went for the second margarita, I'm sorry for Dolores, but my throat is on fire. No! This can't be happening. My tongue is... "You're already lost, woman. Nobody understands what you were talking about." That's it. I'm already feeling dizzy, but it's all because I took the two margarita glasses from Lucero. I thought things would be different this time, that becaus
+ The night bears witness to our madness, and it wasn't long before Lucero showed up. The three of us decided to leave the house together, of course, only if the babysitter stays with my baby. And since Lucero is one of those who swears that everything will be fine, Dolores and I came to accompany her to the first bar we found, not those shady ones as Lucero would say. She has that touch of superiority, which is normal, that's how she was raised. For me, it's the third time I've been to this kind of place, and I think it will be the first time I take any drink with alcohol. At this moment, each of us will share our story; what troubles and saddens us. We've come here to drown our sorrows. The music in the bar is completely soft, not the kind where you have to shout to be heard. The club has low lighting, deafening and full of contorted bodies: on the dance floor, in the hallways, against the bar. A DJ mixed music on a small stage, and posters plastered all over the front promised t
+ In the end, Adal got his way. The spoiled son of his father took us home because he said I was nervous and not in condition to drive. At first, I objected, but Dolores jumped on board to become friends with Adal. After Adal realized there was nothing he could do, he blackmailed me with the words, "Our son is waiting for you at home." He was being sly, as he brought my baby into our fight. I don't want him involved in my life anymore. I don't need him. Now that I'm home, I bite my tongue with the intention of staying quiet. I watch as my son plays with that man, because Gerald ate all the dinner the nanny prepared. Dolores approaches me and tells me I need to change my attitude. Whatever that man did in the past, it's better to leave it behind because time keeps moving forward, it doesn't stop or go back. Now she's becoming Adal's savior and defender. No, that man doesn't need anyone to intervene, he can defend himself just fine. "Mrs. Gisela, the child needs to shower, but..."
"No, I need them to leave," I replied angrily, "understand for once that I need to be alone." "Damn..." he muttered, and I felt like opening the door, "I don't know what happened to make you shut yourself in, but let me tell you one thing, woman, if you don't come out now, we're not leaving and neither are the employees because it's not fair for you to stay and for them to go to sleep." That man is insane, I had no choice but to open the door. I stumbled and half said that both of them were insane. "Hey, what happened to you?" Dolores comes to me with open arms, "why didn't you call me?" I stopped, a lump formed in my throat, and I burst into tears as I felt her arms around me. Between sobs, I told her that I was to blame for other people making bad decisions. "No, that's not true. We are all responsible for our actions, and you didn't put a knife to that person's throat to make them mess up, like we do with butter on bread." I didn't do it with a knife, but in a way, I pushed h