Love Contract
Chapter 56 See Things Through

There was a sudden warmth pressed against her mouth. When her eyes fluttered open, she saw Victor's delicate face and could smell his fragrant perfume between her breaths. A wave of uneasiness washed over her.

"What are you doing?!" Realizing what had happened, she pushed him away. Her face was wet with tears.

Victor stumbled back, caught off guard by her reaction. He looked up at her.

"I'm sorry," he said. His eyes were full of pain.

"I..." Mary started, her voice shaky. "I am his wife. This is my obligation until the contract ends..."

"What about after the contract?" Victor asked, frowning.

"After?" Mary blinked at Victor in confusion. Yes, what would happen to her once the contract expired? "After the contract ends, Mary," said Victor, clenching his fists, "you won't be his wife anymore."

"No...I don't suppose I will be," Mary agreed. She hung her head sadly.

"What about me? Will I have a chance then?" Victor heard himself asking.

It dawned on him that he wasn't scared of revealing his true feelings. What actually scared him was the possibility of rejection.

"Victor, you're this big star. You're always in the spotlight. I never thought that..." Mary trailed off.

"So what?" Victor said, anxiously. "It's all superficial glory. Mary...you know me. The skeletons in my closet, all my dirty secrets -

"Stop it!" Mary interrupted. She couldn't take it. She hated it when he brought that up. It broke her heart, being reminded of his troubled past.

"I need time." Mary couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. "We both need time, Victor. Do you really love me for who I am? Or am I just someone suffering the same misery? We're both 'victims' of William. You need someone who understands your pain."

A bitter smile pulled at Victor's face. "I can understand love."

His statement hung heavy in the air. Neither of them spoke. The sweet smell that had swirled around them became somewhat suffocating.

"Du, du..." Victor's phone was the first to break the silence. Mary let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Hello?" Victor answered, turning away slightly.

"Victor! Where are you right now?! Where did you go? Are you with Mary again?!" Jorge yelled. Victor held the phone away from his ear for a few seconds. "Don't you know what's at stake here? Don't you have any sense of responsibility? Come back this instant! Do you hear me?!" He boomed through the phone.

Mary frowned at the agent's rough tone.

Sensing her worry, Victor shot her an apologetic glance. "I had to deal with something urgent. Why are you rushing me?" he spoke into his phone.

"Something urgent?! Why didn't you tell me about it? Why run off by yourself? Come back here now! Do you hear me?!" Jorge gritted his teeth, stubbornly staying on the line. A part of him knew Victor had gone to Mary.

"You can go. You shouldn't make him wait too long," Mary mouthed gently.

Victor closed his eyes and massaged the area between his brows. "I'll be right back," he sighed and hung up.

Smiling ruefully, Victor explained, "That's just how Jorge is. As an agent, he's always afraid something bad will happen to his artist." "I know." Mary nodded.

"I should get going." Victor looked at the large trees in the distance. "I made you cry so sadly. I didn't even help you pick enough flowers." His words were burdened with guilt.

"It doesn't matter. I can do it myself."

"Mary," said Victor. He had put on his sunglasses to hide the pained expression on his face. "I care about you enough to be like this. I want to be the one you rely on, but you've turned me down. It hurts my self-esteem."

"I..."

"Hmm... How fragrant these flowers are!" Victor interrupted with a sunny smile. He turned around before Mary could reply. Stopping shortly a few feet away, he said, "I'll wait for you until your contract ends. You can tell me then if I'm the one you trust to be by your side."

She watched as his receding figure grew smaller and smaller, her chest bubbling with crushing desolation and guilt. Her head spun.

Could she forget about William when the time came? 'What does the future hold? Is it true that I'll never see William again once the divorce agreement is signed? Will I accept Victor then? Will I accept the reliance I always expected? The faith he's offered me?' Mary asked herself these questions one after the other.

Victor walked briskly. He didn't take off the sunglasses until he was out of the aromatic garden.

The stiff smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth failed to reach his eyes.

He paused as he reached the car. Mary picked flowers in the distance, her back to him. Watching her wistfully, he muttered, "Does my status bother you that much? If I wasn't a star, would you have accepted me?"

The sun had just started to set when Mary finished picking flowers. A warm blood-red sky accompanied her as she returned home.

Her neighbors, Uncle Ban and Auntie Bonnie, had insisted on her having dinner with them. They were awfully persistent. Unable to refuse them, she found herself at their table.

"Come on, Mary. Have some food." Auntie Bonnie piled more food into her guest's bowl. "Have you lost weight? Why do you look thinner? You should eat more."

"I will, thank you." Mary nodded politely.

"Are you worn from taking care of your mother?" Uncle Ban asked and glanced up at her from his meal.

Mary shook her head. "No, it's not that. The nurses at the hospital help me out a great deal," she reassured them.

"Well, that's good to hear," Auntie Bonnie said. "Young people like yourself can't predict what's going to happen. Life is only a few decades long. As long as you live happily, it's enough. It's not good for us to cling on to things like grudges."

"Yeah." Mary nodded, biting into a spoonful of the older woman's cooking.

"Our point is," Uncle Ban continued, "if you have something to say, just say it! Who knows what it will be like tomorrow?"

Mary stopped mid-chew.

By the time she bade her goodbyes to her neighbors, it was dark out.

The phone in her pocket rang. Fishing it out, she felt her eyes well up with tears. She blinked them away quickly and answered.

"Hello? William?"

"What are you doing?" William's familiar cold voice came from the other end.

"I just finished my meal," said Mary. "What's up?"

"Okay. You have to come back early. You have something to deal with regarding the company," William said stiffly.

"Alright. I'll be back soon," Mary answered without hesitation. "You..." William was surprised. He had planned to back her into a corner. Why did she agree so readily?!

"William," began Mary. He couldn't see, but she was smiling softly. "Let's live together peacefully in the coming days."

There was no sound on the other end of the line for a while, and Mary was nervous for his answer. She held her breath and waited.

"Okay, let's do that," William replied calmly. Mary's smile only grew.

'No one knows what tomorrow will be like, but I know I'll be devastated if I leave you. I should make the days we have together meaningful. So, when I leave, maybe I can give you a smile.'