Amelia was alarmed, on impulse she moved away from there, walking quickly towards the area where Fatima was, the woman's alarmed expression immediately alerted her companion, who was preparing to open the establishment completely.
"But what's going on, Amelia?" she asked, holding the woman by both shoulders, she trembled as she looked towards the back, afraid that the man would enter through there, although it was inevitable that he would: sooner or later the establishment would be opened, giving way to everyone.For an instant, the words remained stuck in her throat, when she saw how her other companion began to open the doors that Fatima did not open, panic appeared in her eyes, she told herself that she had nothing to fear, that it was no big deal, but the feeling that the man had followed her or spied on her to her work -she was not sure-, was deeply embedded in her, although she had no evidence that he had followed her, so she chose to remain silent, regulating her emotions and deciding to treat him as just another employee."Nothing," she finally said, when the entire establishment was open, "It's n-nothing wrong with me".Fatima looked at her, wrinkling her face, before she could say anything, Amelia withdrew, directing her steps towards the area where the sandwiches were prepared, hoping not to see that guy... Maximiliano, but unfortunately she could not stay there forever, hiding.She knew this when suddenly, Fatima came in, looking at her with a frown. Amelia thought she would talk about her strange action of preparing sandwiches so fast, or ask her a question about her behavior, but she was wrong."Isn't there something you have to tell me? Don't you think you should talk to me about someone?" Amelia looked at her with genuine confusion, she didn't understand her."I don't know what you're talking about," she admitted, placing her eyes on the sandwich she was preparing: she always used to prepare a lot of them, since the customers arrived at a very early hour of the morning, of course, not as early as that guy."The man, the rich-looking one, him"."What about him?" Amelia asked, waving her foot anxiously."He's looking for you".Amelia widened her gaze, turning her neck sharply towards Fatima when she heard her say that, she swallowed saliva, feeling it run down her throat, which suddenly felt dry."What are you saying?" she asked, breathing heavily, "Are you serious?""Of course I am! He walked over to the display case and said he was looking for a woman named Amelia".Amelia stopped preparing the sandwich and put her hands to her head, closing her eyes, why would this man be looking for her? She didn't know him, she didn't even know him a little bit, she was starting to get agitated, she wanted to believe that his presence was a coincidence, but the fact that he was looking for her directly didn't have much justification, it didn't have much coincidence."I don't even know that man," she thought aloud, biting her dry lips, "Are you sure he's looking for me?""Of course he is, you're the only one named Amelia here"."It could be another Amelia...""Please, Amelia, don't be unreal, it's obvious he's looking for you, you're the only one with that name in this place".She swallowed."Tell him I'm busy," she asked, "I don't want to talk to that man, we don't even know each other"."Well, he seemed very interested in you. Besides, I think he saw you"."I don't know him, Fatima, tell him I'm not here, tell him I went out suddenly because of a family emergency".Fatima shrugged her shoulders, retreating.But it wasn't even five minutes before the woman returned, looking at her with a mischievousness that aroused Amelia's concern."What happened? Did he leave? Please tell me he did"."Left? On the contrary, he said he wouldn't leave until you specifically served his coffee" The woman patiently adjusted a lock of her hair, then continued, "He said he knows you're here, and that he wouldn't leave, and that if necessary, he'd talk to our supervisor, who knows he arrives at nine"."What the hell?!""Now you're going to tell me who that guy is. Where did you meet such a handsome man like that?""I don't know who he is! I'm serious!""Well" Fatima made a comical grimace. "He's looking for you, I think it's best if you go and serve him the coffee, at some point you'll have to get out of here anyway, I think it's best to do it now and just do what he asks for, maybe he has a reason to do, in the end: the customer is always right," she said."I don't want to attend to that man, tell him I'm busy, I don't know...""But why don't you want to serve him? For heaven's sake, Amelia, he's a handsome, wealthy-looking guy, what I would give for him to ask someone who wants me to serve him coffee exclusively" Fatima looked out, seeing the guy once again. "That beard... damn, I would serve him coffee and other things".On another occasion, Amelia would have laughed at her friend's words, unfortunately, she couldn't do it, she felt that the laughter wouldn't even come out: that guy had not only watched her in a terrifying way the whole wedding she had recently attended, but somehow he had gone to her work, how did he know where she worked? She was starting to get scared, and not even the fact that he was handsome and wealthy didn't change that."What was his order?" Amelia asked, resigned to serve him the coffee and leave quickly, after all, if she didn't do it at that moment, she was sure that the guy would stay long enough to wait for his manager to arrive and make her do it.Fatima shrugged her shoulders."He told me he wanted you to serve him coffee, he didn't specify anything, you'll have to take an order from him".Once again, Amelia sighed, leaving what she was doing, taking off the gloves she had put on and shuddering out of there, immediately she did so, her eyes met Maximiliano's. She felt deeply strange to call him that. It felt profoundly strange to call him that in her head "Maximiliano", as if she knew him even a little bit.Filling herself with courage and saying that nothing would happen, she approached the man, taking out the small notepad they all kept in her pocket."What are you going to order, s-sir?"Maximiliano's gaze focused on her face, making her more nervous than she was able to imagine, but she was not a weak woman, so, even though she felt a paranoid fear, she stood her ground."Amelia," he greeted her, "It's good to see you again".The woman wiggled her foot nervously. He spoke as if he had known her for a long time, which only frightened her more."What are you going to order, sir?" she asked again, ignoring his greeting."Coffee," he laughed, "Isn't this supposed to be a coffee shop?""You don't sell just coffee in a coffee shop," she challenged him with her gaze, trying to scan between his eyes, "Just coffee?"He settled back in his place."Yes, just coffee, a medium cup"."I'll bring it to you right away," she said, her voice trembling, she turned around immediately, he grabbed her by the arm."No sugar, please".She nodded, looking at the grip on his arm, which he did not break until a strong tug from the woman, who went to prepare the coffee, with a speed she had not seen before. A few steps away, Fatima watched the scene, then approached Amelia, who gasped when she felt the sudden touch of her companion."What was that? The grabbing thing? Come on, tell me the truth, have you two known each other before?""I'm telling you no!""And why did he come specifically for you then?!""Do you wish he'd come for you?! You wish he'd come for you?!""Of course!" laughed Fatima, but Amelia still didn't think it was funny, "Come on, laugh, I don't think it's that big of a deal".Maybe it was a big deal, maybe not, Amelia had no idea, she only knew that she wanted to make him that coffee quickly so that he would leave, hoping that this would happen and that the guy wouldn't stay in the establishment until the woman's turn was over.When she finished with the coffee, she grabbed it as quickly as she could, almost dropping it, walking to Maximiliano and handing it to him with mock politeness."Here you are, sir," he mumbled, only because it was the policy of the place to do so.Maximiliano opened the coffee, smelling it with delight, then raising his face to her, who was still standing there, waiting for payment, the millionaire's eyes fell on the woman's legs, which were trembling. That day she was wearing quite tight jeans, not like that dress she had on the day of the wedding."I said without sugar, Amelia"."I'm s-sorry... if you want I can...""No," he interrupted her, taking a sip of coffee, then pulling out some bills, which he placed on the table, "It's delicious," he whispered, close to Amelia's face, causing her to pull away abruptly and look at him, not only disapproving of his behavior, but not understanding it.Then he stood up, letting her realize how huge he was, left the bills on the table, also the coffee and headed for the exit.Amelia saw everything, not understanding anything. It was obvious that he had intentionally left the coffee there, but why ask for it then?She took the bills he had left, realizing that they were in total, five hundred dollars, much more than what a coffee cost, she looked out the door of the establishment, watching as the man got into his car and drove away. Amelia formed a grimace on her face, turning away from the exit."At least he left," she thought, but she was wrong, for he had only walked away and from a distance watched her, he had something to talk to that stranger, something to propose, but he couldn't risk anyone overhearing them, and the cafeteria had already begun to fill up, so he would have to wait for her turn to end. He knew that what he was doing was not morally correct, but he decided to send that to hell, anyway, he was sure that she was going to accept.... if she did so, he could breathe in peace, for that was the only thing he needed to carry out his plan: to get a fake wife.It was almost time to leave work, she had not been able to concentrate even a little. She had only thought about that strange guy, about what he might want from her, and why exactly from her. The expression in his eyes was something Amelia could hardly get out of her head, as if she wanted to tell him something, but didn't have the capacity to do so. She chose not to, to tell him absolutely nothing, anyway, what could a stranger have to say to her?She sighed as she looked at the time, realizing that her shift was already over, she took off the gloves covering her hands and decided to get ready to leave."What did he wanted from you?" She turned around when she heard Fatima's curious voice behind her, the woman was looking at her as if she had been holding that one back during Amelia's shift. "Did he want to hurt you or something? Did he threaten you?" she asked, a little more worried, because since that guy had left, Amelia looked worried and thoughtful" "You know you can tell me any
Amelia looked at him with her eyebrows raised and her lips parted, released her clenched fists and looked at him once more as if a third eye was growing on her face. A minute of silence was allowed to pass, until the sound of Amelia's laughter broke it."What the hell are you saying to me?" she asked, guffawing, "Damn, I didn't know cocaine was so accessible these days"."Miss, I'm not kidding." He tried to grab her arm, but she warily prevented him from doing so, pulling him back. "Actually, I need you to agree to be my wife"."Have you heard what you are asking me? What the hell is wrong with you? You know what? I don't have time for this, I need to get my groceries back".She tried to leave, but Maximiliano grabbed her by the arm, preventing her with force."Let me go, damn it!" She was too hungry and too stressed to have to deal with a stranger who had chased her for more than ten minutes, even in the middle of the street, just to ask her to marry him."You don't understand, I'm s
The urgency in the man's eyes made her distrust him again, but despite this, she remained there, listening to his words, "It will all be a farce," he said, shaking tremulously."It will all be a sham," he clarified, shaking tremulously, "We won't get married for real, I mean... yes we will, but not because we love each other, nor know each other, it will all be a business"."A business?""Yes, I need a wife within a week, it's urgent, Miss. It's something that suits us both".She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms."Go on"."I need a wife to collect an inheritance" She looked at him from head to toe, her face was very expressive, she didn't bother to hide what she felt, and at that moment, she doubted his words. "I need you to accept".She stepped back when he held her by the shoulders, distrust was seen in his feminine gaze, which once again, looked at him from head to toe, of course she doubted the truthfulness of his words, she even doubted that this man was completely sane."Let
Maximiliano closed the door very carefully, making sure that no sound came out of it, so that his son would not wake up, it was easy to put him to sleep, most of the time at least, but when his sleep was interrupted, there was no human power that could calm his childish energy.When he finished closing the door, he saw how his mother was waiting for him, sitting on the sofa while drinking something from a cup. He approached her, he had an idea of what she wanted to talk to him about, it was as if he had the ability to read it in her eyes."How did it go?" asked the woman, drawing a bitter smile from Maximiliano, who finished sitting in front of his mother and sighed, that action did not send any good message to the anxious woman, "Did it go badly?""It was lousy," he said frankly, adjusting his back."What do you mean, lousy, Maximiliano? I need you to tell me what happened," she asked him, taking a trembling sip from her cup of tea. Her son had told her that he was going out to find,
Fatima's eyes filled with deep perplexity, if she didn't know that Amelia was a woman very uncreative for lies, she would have unthinkingly pointed her out as a liar. The woman stirred, even removed her gloves, her wide eyes riveted on Amelia."No, wait, wait, wait, what the hell?""That was my reaction," Amelia murmured, finishing preparing a coffee, the time to leave that place was coming, immediately she would go to her mother, she needed to read her results at the hospital, she had barely managed to sleep thirty minutes thinking about her mother's illness, "That man came up to me and asked me if I wanted to marry him, if I wanted to be his wife, what kind of madness is that? I had never seen anything like that in my life, besides, he chased me down the street, I almost got run over, he almost got run over, when I finally let him talk, he told me that it was all about a business deal in which I would have to pretend to be his wife in exchange for a few thousand dollars"."And you a
She felt like she was in a fantastic tale, one where reality and fiction were mixed until something completely unbelievable was left, that's how she felt at that moment, so strange, uncomfortable, she wanted to laugh at herself for the decision she had taken. More than once, she had thought of renouncing that decision, but she supposed that there was no chance to go back, besides, it was only necessary to remember her mother so that the motivation to commit that act would never abandon her.He had invited her to his house, Amelia had refused and had told him that they could easily do it anywhere else, Maximiliano's answer had annoyed her: "You have to go to a discreet place, no one can discover that it is a fake marriage". Amelia thought it was too obvious that it was all a sham, she was a simple and unattractive woman of low means, who would suddenly marry a wealthy man who belonged to high society. She scratched her head, her mother was the only reason she accepted this, she reminde
Amelia swallowed saliva with difficulty, her legs were losing strength and if she were not being held by Maximiliano, the floor and she would have become one. She had been awake since five in the morning, she had barely eaten anything, the whole process had been carried out in a hurry, with the intention of concluding as quickly as possible, to everyone's misfortune, the inconveniences had not stopped coming, making them lose at least three hours, but they were there: Amelia, Maximiliano, two witnesses, Maximiliano's son and his mother, all gathered in the same place.Amelia wore that white, low-cut dress that she knew had caught more than one eye, she had never had her hair so well groomed, the heels she wore were a torture that she couldn't wait for it to end. The woman raised her gaze when the photographer Maximiliano had hired took a picture of her. "I need to have evidence of everything," she remembered the words of the man next to her, her future husband. She laughed internally
A deafening silence had reigned throughout the car, Maximiliano's mother was looking out the window, while Maximiliano drove with a speed that only Amelia seemed to perceive, he looked worried, she did not know him at all, and therefore, she could not read his expressions, because she was not very familiar with them, but it was evident in his eyes that he was worried about something.Hearing how Maximiliano's son coughed sharply, was the only answer Amelia's quick thoughts needed, it didn't take her too long to tie it all together, she had heard the other woman accompanying them, say that the little boy was asthmatic, which explained a lot, rain was one of the worst enemies of asthma. The little boy coughed again, placing his weak little fist to his chest.Amelia watched through the mirror as Maximiliano closed his eyes for an instant."Does your chest hurt?" The man's voice sounded tremulous, weak, Maximiliano made a grimace when his son nodded, he dedicated himself to accelerate the
Amelia opened the door to the room they both shared. Dark circles under her eyes were all over her face.Maximiliano bit his nails, Amelia always told him that she would take care of the baby, but he wanted at least one day to put her to sleep.The clock struck three in the morning. The only thing that broke the silence was the baby's cry, which resounded intermittently."Did she fall asleep?"Amelia walked slowly to the bed and fell on her face.Maximiliano picked her up.That was a yes.He filled her face with kisses. She gave him a weak smile, though she could barely keep her eyes open."I don't know... how... a baby of... only four... months... gets so much... energy to... cry," the woman mumbled, closing her eyes without wanting to, sleep was stronger than her, she ended up asleep on Maximiliano's legs, who caressed her hair.The baby's cry resounded, once again.Aurora was so loud.Maximiliano's gaze slid to Amelia. She had completely fallen asleep.This was her chance.He left a
Life had given him an opportunity in the form of a contract, one that he had been moments away from discarding forever. Ironically, it had been her maddening decision that had saved her from losing that wonderful man who was giving her mischievous glances in the dining room.She compressed a smile, she wasn't supposed to do that when her mother and Dylan were there, though only they could understand her game of looks.Amelia lifted a spoon to Dylan's lips, who gave her a smile. The little boy knew how to eat on his own, he had turned five, but it was better when his mother gave him food. He said it tasted more delicious when it was in "Mermelia's" hands.Five long months had passed since that night when the two had decided to become a reality. A huge ring glittered on Amelia's finger, one that her husband had given her to seal their love.Maximiliano's hand slipped down Amelia's leg, drawing a depraved laugh from the woman.He took advantage of being next to her to whisper to her that
Amelia wiggled nervously. Something told her she had made the wrong decision.The right decision couldn't feel so bitter. So searing, so painful.She had fallen in love too soon with that place he had shown her, which was truly beautiful. The metaphor of the flowers had helped her to find some peace in her heart.She remembered how Maximilian had pointed to the sky with his thick fingers."Your mother is just another star, every time you look at the sky, she will be there, watching over you.""Mom... are you there?"Amelia's voice melted into the wind, her gaze melting into the sky.She had made a mistake, but she didn't think she could make it right.He'd surely noticed she was gone. Maybe he was better off that way.But... what if she came back? What if he wasn't better off?Amelia shook her head, shaking the thought away.There was no going back, even if her heart roared with pain. Even if she felt she would never forget him, and that in every man she would try to look for him.The
Maximiliano stopped his car, earning Amelia's gaze, it had been more than two hours of travel. That place seemed to be at the end of the world."We have arrived".They both got out of the car, walking towards the place where Maximiliano had built himself."I discovered this place when I was about ten years old," he said, "I have never forgotten it" The man held Amelia by the arm gently, helping her to enter the place, which looked like a mix between a park and a secluded area of society, she could not even identify what it was, she could only perceive that the stars seemed to shine much brighter from that place. "The first time I came, I was at school, the second time, I was drunk, on the verge of death".Amelia looked at him, uncomprehending. He didn't look like a liquor addict, she hadn't seen him even once drinking.They both went deeper into the place, full of beautiful flowers that seemed to caress the woman's heart.Maximiliano licked his lips, ready to tell the story he had kep
Amelia fell to her knees in that grave. The color of the night covered her body in a loose dress. Sadness took over her face, her gestures, her every limb, even her breathing. She had never seen herself experiencing such deep pain as that; thrown on that dark earth, feeling her knees being hurt and hearing her own cry, so loud that it seemed alien to her, as she felt Maximiliano's hand, seeking to comfort her.Amelia brought her trembling fingers to the grave, breaking down once again. She had never engaged in self-injurious behavior until this had happened. She couldn't see any color in life when her rainbow had died. To think that with a little more care, he could have saved her earlier, it killed her. It had killed her more than a hundred times that week.The woman laid her mother's favorite flowers on the grave, swallowing saliva, trying to regulate the flow of her tears, but they possessed a life of their own.Amelia's stomach roared violently: she had almost a whole week without
Dylan licked his parched little lips, looking up at his father, with what little lucidity he had, the man stroked his tousled hair."Where's mommy?" asked the little boy, with that innocence that always filled the man with enthusiasm for life.It was daytime, a sunny one. The party had left everyone exhausted, including the little boy who had not climbed on the roof because it had been impossible for him to do so, but his hyperactivity was the reason why he had slept late. It was eleven o'clock in the morning and little Dylan lay with his eyes barely open, asking for what he thought was his mother."She sleeps," Maximiliano answered him, although it made no sense and he knew it: Dylan was falling deep into another dream, he had not even heard his answer, "She sleeps like an angel".Maximiliano covered the little boy with a soft, thick blanket and then left the room at a leisurely pace.Last night had been the best night he had ever had in his bitter life. The woman had laid her head o
"Have a seat, Amelia," Maximiliano's mother asked.The woman salivated, doing so.The man's mother had approached her and told her that she had a very serious matter to discuss with her. It had even been worrying on her face, something that had prompted Amelia to get up early from her seat, leave Dylan with some children and go with her."What do you want to talk to me about, ma'am?"The loud, outgoing woman Amelia had met at the beginning had vanished, in front of her was only a woman with worries in her eyes."Amelia, the last thing I want is for my son to get hurt" The woman let out a brief sigh. "But I believe that certain things are inevitable"."Lady, I...""You don't leave my son indifferent, Amelia," the woman confessed. "You're not only his fake wife, you're the woman he hired with apathy and who now doesn't want him to leave" She played with her fingers tremulously. "Amelia, my son has a past that I don't talk about to almost anyone, but I think it's necessary for you to kno
No one had warned him that a party would take place in that mansion, only his mother had gone a few hours before to tell him to get ready and warn his "wife" because many members of the family would be coming to the property. He had waited only minutes before the event to have the courage to tell the woman.The man paced from one place to another. The atmosphere with Amelia had been as heavy as a rock after he had confessed his feelings to her. Although there was a peculiarity in the woman's behavior, she didn't seem at odds with what he felt, she seemed more distressed for herself; she had a storm in her head and he didn't even know it."Amelia" The man opened the door to the room where she had isolated herself, but there was no one there. "Amelia?"For an instant, he was seized by the fear that she had left without telling anyone. The panic that seized him was an unexpected, bitter and aggressive one."I am here" The woman's faint whisper did not allow the panic to grow any more in
The woman was possessed by the sudden and almost uncontrollable desire to flee from the car when she heard him say that; the air left her for endless minutes, her chest tightened, a tremor dominated each of her limbs, her saliva became her own enemy, suffocating her.A tremulous breath escaped her lips."I-I... Maximiliano..."The man closed his eyes, as if he were as restless as she was; he was not very talented with women, in fact, his late wife and he had ended up married because of the circumstances, and because the woman had shamelessly intruded on him, but with Amelia everything was so different that more than once he had felt like a teenager trying to conquer someone."Amelia, you need to know something"."No," the woman blurted out, playing with her fingers. "What y-you heard is nothing".Maximiliano slowed down the car, feeling a pressure in his chest."Amelia, I'm sure of what I heard".The woman thought of something quickly, she would not allow herself to be exposed."She's