CHAPTER 3

Sitting on his leather couch, in front of him the central glass table with a glass of wine upon this one, Diego had his sight lost into the darkness of his soul.

That was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but now he was there, sitting on his favorite couch, waiting for death to have mercy on him and take him with it.

The sleeves of his white shirt held up, the veins of his hands and neck were clearly shown and his mind was full of memories he couldn’t let just pass by.

Now he was married to some woman who one day sent her documents with one of his men and declared she was healthy to carry his baby. But nothing could come for free. She’d give him that baby he needed and he’d give her the money her family needed to save their name.

Neither that woman, who was his wife now nor his grandfather cared about the pain that was still in his heart. He had lost the love of her life, and no one cared about him.

Closing his eyes, Diego repressed his feelings.

“I love you, Elisa.” Diego said with a smile on his face.

“I love you, Diego.”

The air caressing their faces, the waves of the sea in front of them heating each other and Diego and Elisa had promised a destiny together.

“Be my wife. Marry me and I swear there’s nothing in life I won’t give you.”

“Be my husband. Marry me and I swear I’ll give you the son we’ve always wanted.”

And then, a kiss sealed that promise.

Somewhere he had lost his happiness and all that he had dreamed of with another woman. And being that way, wanting to forget everything, Diego stood up and called one of his men.

“Yes, sir? May I help you?”

“Go and pick her up. Scold her to the party. I’ll have been waiting for her.”

“Yes, Sir.”

7: 00 p.m., and Cameron changed for the dress that remained on the bed. She couldn't deny it, the man indeed had good taste. And a blank Mercedes Benz pulled over.

Eight thirty in the evening. She didn't show up. He was losing assurance that she would be able to attend this grand celebration. After all, they were husband and wife and as such, they had to behave in front of the world that already saw them and knew they had been married for days although the truth was that they had only been married for a few hours.

In his mind the last conversation he had had with her and the way he had told her that she should not believe the role of wife even though they were going to live under the same roof. How to do it? He didn't even know how to be a good husband if at the first challenge where he had to behave like a husband in love and look for the best dress for her, all he could do was take the first one he found when entering a mall, order the medium size and put it on a bed they were supposed to share.

Suddenly, Diego was taken by surprise to see one of her cars pull up right where he was doing his waiting. She was definitely doing her part and the least he could do was to do his if he wanted to make it all work.

Slowly, he watched his driver help the woman with long, blond, curly hair get out of the car and thank her with a beautiful smile on her face.

His breath caught even without his own knowledge. From the car, the elegant woman who was already his wife. Until that moment he managed to realize that rather than her arrival stealing his attention, it was that dress he had taken without even imagining how she would look in it.

The truth was that the dress fit her better than he would have thought.

"Are you ready?" Diego asked at once with an air of coldness. Cameron nodded. Even if she wasn't ready, it wasn't Diego's problem.

"I remind you that inside, everyone thinks we are in love. Behave like one." Diego informed her, giving her his arm so she could go in with him like that.

Cameron smiled. She wasn't going to let him make her feel less.

"Don't worry, Diego. I can fake it just fine."

And just like that, the doors seemed to open just for the newlyweds to enter. The smile that Cameron put on her face could have been the most beautiful and at the same time, the falsest one. She was married to the man by her side and the least she expected of herself was to believe that role. The role of unhappy bride perhaps.

In the blink of an eye, people came up to them just to express how happy they were for the young newlywed couple even though they hadn't been invited to the big wedding, surely.

The way the men admired Cameron's beauty did not take long to be said through words. All of them, every one of them didn't seem to see beyond the beautiful woman Diego Ferrer had chosen as his young wife, the same woman he would spend the rest of his days with whether he wanted to or not.

"Oh, it's good to see them so much in love!" said one of the women holding a glass of wine.

Cameron smiled as Diego thanked her.

"Diego, my friend!" He heard his name being called at once.

"Oh, my friend!" Diego called out.

And suddenly, the smile was wiped off Cameron's face little by little as she saw the man her husband embraced like that. That voice, that look, that smile. Even if the lights had been off, she would recognize him.

"Look, this is my wife," said Diego in the calmest way, "Her name is Cameron.

"How do you do, miss?" he extended his hand, causing her to react so that she could extend her hand to be kissed by him.

That man who never dared to look away while made his way to her hand had been the same one who had saved her from that embarrassment.

"Diego, son!" a third voice called, causing Diego to look behind him and lose himself in the caller.

"Sorry, man, I'll be back in a moment." Diego excused himself.

"Go easy."

By that time, it was just Cameron and that mysterious man who was no longer a mysterious man.

"So, are you Diego's wife?" He asked, still smiling.

Cameron nodded, trying to look cool.

"I never thought Diego would marry a woman... like you. You really surprised me.

That comment made her blood boil. "Is there a problem with that?"

The man took a drink from his glass. "No, it's just... You know, a man like him, it's hard for him to make a decision like that."

"If you have something to say to me, I invite you to say it without beating around the bush," said Cameron, resisting the urge to confront him loudly.

"No, I didn't mean that!" The man immediately changed his absurd attitude. "I'm really sorry, I've been a jerk who didn't know how to address a woman like you. Why don't you, to forget this bad moment, give me this piece? I doubt that Diego will come now." He looked at the man who seemed to be talking comfortably with two other men.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time. And those words being the ones that confirmed Cameron's suspicions, she realized that he had been the man she had danced with in the afternoon.

Cameron, thinking things over and looking at her husband, decided to continue with her life.

In the end Diego had been right, they were nothing more than a contract.

"Shall we go?" Cameron asked, extending her hand to him.

The man smiled. She was incredibly beautiful.

"Let's go." He answered, leading her to the dance floor. “Oh! By the way, my name is Ace.”

A dance was beginning, a life she was to live even within their marriage and a few feet away, that man who was awakened by the impulses of his heart that forced his gaze to the dance floor where his wife was dancing with her friend, that man named Ace.

Now that Diego realized it, there was something in that dance, there was something in the smile of the two of them, there was something in that dress she was wearing that showed the simplicity of her figure. He didn't understand how it was possible but his gaze was already only of the woman who moved naturally as she had done in the afternoon.