Signed
626 Words
I stared at the handwritten note until the words blurred on the page.
If you sign, the first person you will see tomorrow morning is Xavier Rothwell.
My hands began to shake. I closed the contract quickly and shoved it back into the envelope like it was poison.
This cannot be real. Moving into that mansion? Seeing Xavier every single day? Sitting across from him at breakfast while his father, my husband, reads the newspaper? Elena living under the same roof?
The thought made my stomach twist into knots.
Yet a small, ugly part of me kept whispering.
Imagine his face. Imagine the shock when he realizes the woman he threw away is now his stepmother.
I left the cafe in a complete daze, walking home slowly through the busy streets.
Every happy couple holding hands felt like a knife in my chest.
Every luxury car that sped past reminded me of the world I had almost touched and then lost.
By the time I reached my tiny apartment, the weight of Robert’s offer sat heavy on my shoulders.
Seven days. That is all I have to decide if I want to sell my soul for revenge and security.
Seven days to choose between struggling alone or becoming Mrs. Robert Rothwell.
That night, sleep refused to come again.
I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling cracks, my mind racing.
Why am I even considering this? Xavier humiliated me. He chose Elena without a second thought. But marrying his father? That is not justice. That is revenge wrapped in a wedding ring. What would my mother say if she knew? She would tell me to be strong and walk away.
But she does not know what it feels like to have nothing while the man who promised forever moves on like I never existed.
The next two days passed in a blur of forced normalcy.
I went to my assistant job at the small marketing firm, smiled at my boss, ran coffee errands, and pretended my heart was not tearing itself apart.
But every quiet moment brought the same thoughts crashing back.
Xavier is probably planning his perfect wedding right now. Laughing with Elena about how pathetic I looked that night. And here I am, thinking about becoming his stepmother just to hurt him back.
I hated myself for the temptation.
I hated how good the fantasy felt.
On the third night, I sat at my kitchen table with the contract spread out again.
My phone buzzed.
It was my mother.
“How are you, baby? You sounded so tired last time we spoke.”
I forced a cheerful tone.
“I am fine, Mom. Just work stuff.”
How can I tell her the truth? That a billionaire wants to marry me for convenience and revenge? That saying yes would fix our money problems but destroy what is left of my soul?
I thought about my parents’ small house with the leaking roof, the medical bills that kept piling up, and the way they had sacrificed everything for my education.
Signing that paper would change their lives.
No more choosing between food and medicine.
No more late-night worries.
But at what cost to myself?
I picked up my phone and stared at Xavier’s old contact.
My thumb hovered over the call button for a long time.
What would I even say? Congratulations? Or maybe, guess what, I might marry your father?
I put the phone down without dialing.
Robert’s words from the cafe echoed again.
Why are you still protecting his feelings when he never protected yours?
They cut deep because they were true.
Xavier had not reached out.
Not one call.
Not one message.
He had simply erased me like I was nothing.
- Writer
