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 anything"."No, no, he didn't threaten me, in fact, I still don't understand what he wanted here. That guy... I met him at a wedding, at the wedding of one of my friends, he behaved strangely there too"."You said you didn't know him at all"."I know, and I was serious, just because I shared two words with him, doesn't mean I know him, but he was acting weird at the party, and a few days later he shows up at my work, and requests me, specifically me. Damn, if he had just come to order a coffee, he wouldn't find me like this, but he came and asked for me"."Do you think he came after you?""I don't know, as I told you, unless he stayed outside my house to see what time I go out, it's very strange, damn, how does he know where I work?""I have no idea, but to be honest with you, that doesn't look like the kind of guy who would stalk anyone"."I know, and that's what puzzles me the most, what the hell is a wealthy looking man looking for from me? Why do I feel like he's after me and it's not the last time I'll see him?"Fatima stirred, Amelia managed to convey her nerves."Do you want me to call the police?""It doesn't make sense, he didn't even do anything to me. Nothing at all, what would I go to testify at the police? That a man came to my work and looked at me strange? I can't go with assumptions, I can't just say I feel like he's stalking me"."And what are you waiting for? For him to hurt you?""You know that until you get hurt, the police here don't pay attention to you," said Amelia, sighing, resigned, still trying to convince herself that it was just a simple paranoia, maybe she felt better in that lie that her head refused to accept, "I have to go, see you tomorrow"."See you tomorrow," Fatima said goodbye, looking at her with maternal concern, "Take care, anything, you have my number, don't you?""Yes, sure, I have it, bye," she said goodbye, and then gathered her things and left the place at a fast pace. She felt excessively hungry, she felt her stomach roaring for some food. Her house was about forty minutes away from there, she could not make it there without her hunger making her weaker than she was already, so she decided to ask for a cab to the store."Good afternoon," greeted the man, a guy with a snub nose and a strangely friendly smile, "Where do you want to go?""To the nearest store," she asked, closing the door and letting herself go.The cab driver nodded and drove off. She had always felt that everyone was in front of her: all her friends had husbands, children, families, she was almost thirty years old and a spinster with a bad temper and problems to get a stable relationship, she knew she still had too much life ahead of her, but she couldn't avoid the social pressure that always rested on her shoulders.The cab driver stopped almost in front of a grocery store, she thanked him and handed him the money reciprocating, getting out and crossing the street to the store, not very big, but not so small either. She didn't mind, she just needed something to eat.She entered the store, found a small cart and began to fill it with knick-knacks to eat later. There weren't too many, but enough to fill her stomach later. She walked to the checkout, placing the products there and preparing to pay.It was at that instant that her eyes lifted, as she felt a gaze glance glued to her body.She froze, feeling immediately agitated, on impulse she stepped back, being unable to hide the sudden nerves that settled in her limbs.Those eyes watching her belonged to none other than Maximiliano, that same millionaire-looking man who seemed to be chasing her.Amelia began to feel the panic scratching her whole body, her trembling fingers revealed it, he was looking at her, he was standing there, looking at her, it could not be a coincidence, this was not a coincidence, that man was chasing her.Amelia ran away, leaving the products she had bought there on top of the box.Maximiliano began to run after her.All eyes fell on the woman who was being chased by that tall and elegant man."Wait!" Maximiliano shouted, trying to make her stop, but his words only made her feel more agitated, more nervous, panic took over her legs as she glanced back and realized that he was chasing her closely, "Wait, Amelia!"The woman came out of the store, she added power to her run, sweat began to slide down her forehead, her hair began to stick to her skin, fear was her only motivation not to stop, she was running hard, with a lot of power, a sob escaped from her, what was that man doing chasing her?She ran across the street, more than once being threatened with being run over."Please wait, I have something to tell you!" he shouted, roaring as a car almost ran over him, "Please stop!" She reached the other side of the street, looking at him, anxious that the cars would slow down and he could cross, he thought he could do it, he thought he could get her to stop and wait for him there. "Wait for me there, I'll cross soon!""Fuck you!" Amelia shouted at him, pulling her middle finger out and starting to run again.He knew it would be much harder than he thought.He crossed the street as best he could, listening to the angry horns of those who were driving and seemed to want to run him over.When he found himself on the other side of the street, it didn't take him long to keep up with the woman, who cursed loudly when she saw him again, why the hell was that man chasing her?"Please, just listen to me!"She boosted her speed, but felt her feet pointing to failure: she wasn't an overly athletic woman, she couldn't remember ever running like that, not even in her childhood.Suddenly, she found herself angry: she was hungry and sweaty, running down the sidewalk under the sun, while a stranger was chasing her for no reason.She clenched her fists, stopping her run and turning sharply toward the man, who soon caught up with her."What the hell do you want from me?!" she shouted at him, with fury glittering in her eyes, but also fear, of course she was afraid, she didn't feel her feet would resist any longer anyway, so the best thing to do was to face him."I need to... talk to... you," the man said, taking a breath, "I have... a proposal for you".She looked at him, incredulous."A proposal? What kind of proposal could you have for me?" Amelia stepped back a little, slyly looking for something to attack him with. She felt fear when she realized that she had stopped running just on the loneliest side, where only a couple of people in the distance could be seen, if he wanted to hurt her, he could do it.He took a deep breath, trying to regain his ability to speak, he had never run like that ever."I... I have a proposal you can't refuse" Amelia realized that he had stopped addressing her, she breathed more comfortably, still looking in her bag for something to attack her with, something sharp, she couldn't find anything."Why the hell were you chasing me? You have nothing to interest me! I won't accept any proposal from you!""Please listen to me," he asked, holding her by the shoulders."Don't touch me or I'll scream! What do you want from me?! Why did you come after me?! Let go of me, you fucking pervert!""Listen to me, I won't hurt you! I'll propose something that will change your life!" Amelia kept silent, looking at him suspiciously enough for him to know that she didn't trust his intentions. "It's that... I want... the reason I have pursued you is because..." Maximiliano took a deep breath, he still hadn't recovered from the race, he knew that all his dignity would be gone when he said those words, but he didn't have too much to lose anyway. "It's because I need you to be my wife".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
Maximiliano gave an indescribable look to Amelia, who stirred, uneasy. "We have to have evidence of everything," he said, from time to time, looking towards the door where his son was, as if he wanted to send everything to hell and just go to verify his son's condition in a more detailed way."Wh-what do you mean?" asked Amelia, who felt a sudden and intense desire to get out of there, she was beginning to understand what direction the conversation would take, which she hated.Maximiliano's mother sighed, as if the answer to the question Amelia had just asked was too obvious. "Amelia, now you are Maximiliano's wife, you have to prove it with evidence"."B-but I still don't understand w-what...""The first thing is that if my grandfather sees that you stutter so much when you speak, he will not believe anything, he is a very smart man who will know that it was a farce and everything will go to hell" The tone of voice Maximilian had used was unpleasant for a woman as rebellious as Ame
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