"Happiness is not in money, but in shopping."
-Marilyn Monroe-
***
It was Sunday morning at Raphael's penthouse. Clara was awakened by the sunlight radiating from the window. She stretched her muscle while tossing her body to the side, as her arms reached out to feel Raphael beside her but he was not there. She had permanently moved every night to his room to sleep with him.
Most nights they did nothing at all but cuddling around each other, having light or deep conversations while watching a movie or resting without purpose. He had woken up half an hour earlier, thinking he did not want to wake her up since she had been exhausted from all the works she had been doing lately.
Clara spent ten minutes after waking up contemplating on her life. And somehow, she did not know what she did to deserve such amazing life. Yes, there were some unpleasant incidents which had occurred in her life, but for the most part, she was h
"Madness is a kind of mental suicide." -Stephen King- *** Marcel has just returned back from work when he heard Giselle screaming inside the house. He was immediately alert as he pulled out the apartment key, slamming the door open, he ran hastily into the house and was shocked by what he saw. The living room looked like a war zone. It was beyond messy. No, it looked like someone had actually come and tried to destroy everything. A bunch of papers were misplaced everywhere. The dining room had looked like something out of an action movie after the enemy and the main hero played chase inside the house. Broken pieces of plates were scattered on the floor. Sharp, smaller pieces of glass could easily injure anyone who accidentally step on them. He could see stains of dirt and food scrap also scattered all across the floor. He tilted his head back and forth trying to process what was happening. Once again, he heard a loud
"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances. If there is any reaction, both are transformed." -Carl Jung- *** "I have been expecting you" Renee stood before Clara who had just arrived in front of her mansion with a bright smile plastered on her face. That day she was seen wearing a soft white gown with a large bow on the back of her waist, even when she was inside the house, Renee always ensured that she was well dressed. Clara certainly could learn a thing or two from her. It was only a few hours earlier that Renee had called Clara to invite her to her place. Since it was weekend, none of them had any other plans and she thought it would be nice to have a company beside her brother. Clara seemed like a contrast to her, she was wearing a deep green sleeveless dress with a round beige sun hat. It was a rather sunny day, so she was also wearing a large shade. Once she saw Renee, she removed
"Time and memory are true artists, they remould reality neare to the heart's desire." -John Dewey- *** Time had passed by so fast, each year just seemed to go by faster and faster than the previous ones. For once there was peace in Clara's life. She felt like ever since she moved to Paris, things were a bit more complicated than they used to be, with Raphael and the lifestyle he had driven her into, quiet moments of solitude when she could just stay in her room while drinking a cup of warm chamomile tea felt like a blessing. Such serenity she had not felt in a long time, it almost made her lost track of reality. It was early December, the city had been painted with white hue of the snow. Some little children were seen playing outside and the shopping streets were filled with fashionista who needed to change up their looks. Winter had arrived in Paris and Christmas was making its way, the shops had been decorated with Christma
"Humans have both the urge to create and destroy." -Hayao Miyazaki- *** One could see somethingwas different for Corentin that day. He had woken up much earlier that morning. He usually woke up at 8 A.M on weekend but that morning he woke up at 6. Half naked, he brushed his teeth and worked out, working his muscles which had gotten slightly stiff thanks to work. He did not know what it was but he was feeling extremely nervous. That he had to release everything through sweat. Clara was going to visit him that day, per his invitation. It was not exactly the first time she came to visit. She had done it once or twice before as well. However, the understanding that it would be her last time there quenched his heart. He hated the feeling but he could not let it ruin their day. When she arrived, he had to appear fine, otherwise the mood might be ruined before it started. Clara arrived at around 10, she was dressed rat
"Each betrayal begins with trust." -Martin Luther- *** Raphael was laying on his bed typing something on his laptop when suddenly his phone buzzed. He usually had his phone on silent mode but it seemed her had forgotten to do so, he picked up his phone on the bedside counter and looked who it was. It came from an unknown number, he usually ignored unknown numbers but he had no idea why he was so tempted to open it up and he did. What he saw really tore him, it was a picture of Clara and Corentin kissing, he zoomed in the picture just to be sure and no matter how many times he saw it, it was still both of them. Any rational man would double check the picture, in case it was a Photoshop, but Raphael had his pride hurt before anything else. He threw his phone on the ground and it smashed, cracking it's screen. He tried to take several deep breaths, but his fury could not be contained. His emotion got the best of him. His
"Care shouldn't start in the emergency room." -James Douglas- *** Clara was walking on her own around the city of Paris with her luggage in hand, she cried and cried but since it was dark, no one could see her tears. Despite the strong wash of emotions, she was experiencing she knew she needed to find a place to settle for the night. She had no idea where she would go. She was lost. She could stay in a hotel, but it was only a temporary solution. She could not possibly walkaround any longer, cold started creeping through her garments and shecould feel it inside. But perhaps the cold did not come from outside, itcame from the inside. She decidedto check into a hotel and reserved a room. Dropping her luggage on the floor and sat still. She tried to contemplate her life. What should I do now? Claramissed home, she really did. All she could think about at that moment is her father. Sh
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools." -Ernest Hemingway- *** Raphael had drunk his pain away that night, he went to the nearest bar and indulged himself in alcoholic beverages, shots after shots went by quicker than the bartender could make them, usually he was not someone who would resort to alcohol to ease his pain. Yet the pain he was feeling was beyond anything he had been through before. He just could not take it anymore. Something inside of him knew he should not be doing it and it would solve nothing, but you cannot make reason with miserable people. He was half drunk when he realized he could not go home alone, with all consciousness he had left, he called Gilbert and asked him to pick him up as soon as possible, knowing fully that the last shots he made would make him completely drunk. Still, he ordered them anyway. The bartender seemed to be concerned but he had known Rap
"Take things as they are, punch when you have to punch, kick when you have to kick." -Bruce Lee- *** The next morning Raphael woke up with a heavy head and a petty hangover, he massaged his temple which was pounding like crazy. He could not remember how long it had been since the last time he got wasted, probably during his first year in college. He headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, his hand was shaking even as he did so. Gulping it down, he found it was not enough and added another. As his consciousness started to re-enter his mind, he realized it was not the weekend. He had to go to work in a few hours, spending thirty minutes to sober up was difficult for him. He should have read on how to get sober quickly before he decided to get drunk. At the moment he really hoped he could just stay home that day, but he could not. There were a lot of things he needed to settle at work. With his state though, he w