THE CONTRACT TWIST
621 Words
The silence in the car was heavy.
After the charity event — after the stare, the hand on her waist, the question she had asked…
> “Am I really yours?”
Aiden hadn’t answered.
And Kiara didn’t know what was more painful — the silence, or what it meant.
---
They reached the mansion. Kiara went straight to her room. She needed space. But sleep never came.
At 2:14 a.m., she got up, grabbed a hoodie, and wandered into the study.
She found the folder.
The contract.
The one she had signed, eyes closed, heart guarded.
She flipped it open and stared at the words:
> “This marriage shall last for six (6) months.”
“No emotional entanglement is allowed.”
“Both parties must maintain the public appearance of marriage.”
“At the end of the contract, separation will be finalized. No attachment. No dispute.”
Kiara’s chest tightened.
No feelings. No future. Just fake love with an expiry date.
---
She didn’t hear him come in.
“What are you doing?”
Kiara spun around. Aiden stood in the doorway, shirt half unbuttoned, eyes tired.
“I… couldn’t sleep,” she said. “And I saw this.”
He walked toward her. “You’re not supposed to—”
“I signed it,” she said sharply. “Why can’t I read what I agreed to?”
Silence.
She held the contract in both hands. “You really meant all of this?”
“I did. When we started.”
“And now?”
Aiden hesitated.
“I don’t know anymore.”
---
Kiara felt her chest burn.
“You kiss me. You protect me. You look at me like I matter. But then I see this,” she said, waving the paper, “and I feel like I’m just a job.”
“You were never just a job,” Aiden said lowly.
“Then what am I?”
“I’m still figuring that out.”
“Figure it out fast,” she whispered, voice breaking. “Because I’m falling… and I need to know if you’ll catch me, or walk away.”
She left the room before he could answer.
---
The next morning, Kiara woke up early.
Determined to be strong. Professional. Like before.
She got dressed, tied her hair neatly, and went to the kitchen. Elise was there with her usual smile.
“You okay?” she asked softly.
“Just tired of waiting for something that might not happen.”
---
Later that day, Aiden called her into his home office.
She expected silence. Coldness.
But instead, he handed her something.
Her eyes widened. “You… rewrote the contract?”
“Yes,” he said.
She read the first line:
> “Clause 1: This marriage will remain in place until both parties agree to part ways — no fixed timeline.”
Then:
> “Clause 4: Emotional involvement is no longer forbidden.”
Her hands trembled.
“You’re removing the rules?” she whispered.
“I’m not ready to say the words yet,” Aiden said softly. “But I know I don’t want to lose you.”
Kiara stared at him.
And for the first time — there were no cold walls in his voice. No distance. Just a man… trying.
“You don’t have to say the words,” she whispered. “Not yet.”
She reached for a pen. And signed the new contract.
---
That night, they didn’t sleep in separate rooms.
And though nothing happened — no kisses, no confessions — they lay beside each other, listening to each other breathe.
Slowly. Softly.
As if their hearts were finally… on the same page.
---
- Writer
