PROLOGUE II
1052 Words
VALENTINA
I watched as his foot slipped on the mossy edge of the lake, and for one frozen instant I stared into those silvery eyes, wide and alarmed now, before he toppled backward into the water.
The sight made me laugh as he fell into the lake in his crisp suit and prince like look.
But then my laughter evaporated as I realised he wasn’t standing up or coming out.
The pond wasn’t too deep, but when I saw his arms flailing, his head bobbing and heard a muffled scream, I rushed forward.
“i***t,” I muttered, splashing in after him. The pond water soaked through my shoes, reaching my knees, making me shiver.
I grabbed his soaked jacket collar and heaved. He was heavier than he looked. But I pulled until we both stumbled on the solid ground. He coughed, shaking and dropping on his knees. Looking nowhere close to the angel I had thought of him, or maybe he was a drowning one.
I stood over him, shaking water off my arms and glaring down at my ruined clothes and shoes. If anyone found us, they’d blame me. They always blamed me. Girls like me didn’t get the benefit of the doubt, especially not from Mrs Magda.
I turned that glare at him, but when I saw how shaken he still looked, I asked, “You okay?”
He didn’t answer. Just stayed there, trembling, hair plastered to his forehead, lips paler than his face.
I sighed and decided to leave, go back to the dorms and change before anyone saw me. But the moment I took a step back, his hand shot out, clamping around my wrist.
His fingers were cold and trembling. And for some stupid reason, I froze instead of running.
“D–don’t go,” he croaked.
I sighed, my eyes darting back to the double doors. I asked, “Want me to call... someone?"
He shook his head hard.
“Fine. Suit yourself.” And then, without thinking, I lifted my hand and swiped his wet hair out of his eyes.
He stared back at me, his eyes now muted grey. He looked like he didn’t know why I’d do such a thing.
I tried again to leave, but he demanded, “Sit.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. Look at him ordering me about just because he was a rich brat.
I wasn’t going to obey, I hate orders. But when he sat down, all wet and looking so lost and lonely, I sat beside him, both of us dripping into the grass and staring at the lake.
“How much did you hear?” he asked.
“Enough.”
“Everything, huh?” He let out a humorless laugh. “Figures.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, because most visitors never left the main church.
“I was trying to get away from my grandfather.” He looked at me and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Valentina.” When he looked at me expectantly, I said, “I don’t have a last name.”
“Lucky,” he said. “Last names are nothing more than shackles and burden.”
“At least they mean you belong somewhere,” I muttered.
He smiled like he thought I was a fool. “If you want, you can have mine.”
I snorted. “And how does that work?”
“We can get married.”
I laughed. Laughed. And, laughed. I said, “Yeah, no thanks. I decided never to marry ever. Love and marriage are stupid things people do to hurt each other. Trusting a man, marrying one and loving one, are a sure way to get into a mental institute if not worse.”
“What could be worse than that?”
“Heartbreak. Losing yourself and the people you care about. Getting betrayed by the ones who are meant to protect you and love you.”
His lips parted and for a long minute he just stared at me.
I felt my cheeks heating up under his gaze, I had never talked so much ever. The one time I had said something similar to Sister Josephine, she had looked at me with sad eyes and said, “Girl, if you don’t believe in love how will you ever be happy?” And Mrs Magda had stated, “Abnormal. She is a cynic at such a young age. A devil!”
So I refrained from saying what I really thought most of the time. But I just told him everything that came to my mind without a second thought. He couldn’t really be a God or his minion, sent to make me learn, could he? No matter how much he looked like one, even as a dripping wet mess.
“What if it wasn’t about love?” His eyes glinted, once again flashing silver.
I raised a brow.
He said, “A contract. When I need a wife, I’ll find you. No love. No hurting each other. Just business. You get whatever you want. I get freedom from my grandfather and the expectations that come from his last name.”
I studied him. He sounded way too old like he’d already seen the kind of ugliness adults try to hide from kids. I recognized it because I sounded the same in my head.
“And if I say yes?” I asked.
He smiled. “Then, we will both have the world at our feet to do with what we please.”
It sounded too good to be true.
Still, I smiled. “You will give me whatever I want?” I looked down at his clothes, shoes and the watch peeking out. With his money, I might be able to find my brother.
“Anything. And, everything.”
“Deal,” I said, holding out my hand.
His hand was cold when he slid it into mine. Grip steady, eyes bright. “Deal.”
I didn't know it then, but it was a deal that will only take me from one cage to another. And in this, I might end up losing everything I’d left.
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What do you think? Are they both going to uphold their end of the deal?
A. Gupta
- Writer
