Chapter 4

• Eena kept staring at Ivana’s message, her fingers trembling around the phone. The contract photo still burned in her mind, but the new message below made her chest tighten even more.
• “Are we keeping secrets now?”
• Her throat tightened. The message didn't feel like a question, it felt like an accusation. So heavy coming from her best friend.
• She didn’t waste a second. She tapped the call button so fast her thumb slipped. The phone rang over and over again, but there was no response.
• “Come on… Ivana, pick up,” she whispered.
• But Ivana didn’t. The line rang until it cut off.
• Eena tried again. This time, it didn’t even ring twice before Ivana declined.
• The sound of that sudden disconnection cut deeper than anything she expected. She stared down at the screen and her heart sank low, so low that it dropped into her stomach.
• She dialed again, and again the call was rejected.
• “Ivana, please…” she muttered to herself.
• She dropped the phone on the bed and pressed both hands to her face. Of all days… of all times… this was when Ivana decided to shut her out.
• Eena pushed herself up suddenly. She couldn’t sit there and watch her friendship with Ivana slip right through her fingers. She needed to tell her everything.
• She rushed into the bathroom, showered quickly, dressed even faster, and grabbed her phone before heading out of the house without saying a single word to her parents.
• The air outside was intense, signaling rain, but she didn’t slow down. She got into her car, started the engine, and pulled out of the driveway.
• Traffic was moving slowly, but she kept pushing, switching lanes, trying to get ahead. Her heart wouldn’t stop racing between Ivana’s anger, the contract, and everything that she had to endure in the space of 48 hours.
• Then the fuel light blinked.
• “Great,” she muttered. “Just perfect.”
• She leaned forward, squinting at the meter. It was low, very low.
• She exhaled sharply and while trying to keep her eyes on the road, she checked for a gas station on the navigation screen. In her panic, she over-steered a little, just enough to scrape the car beside her.
• The sound made her jump. “Shit.”
• She held the break immediately, and her heart hit her chest hard as she got out of the car.
• There, towering beside her small sedan, was a black SUV. Its sleek body shone under the sun, even with the faint scratch she had just caused.
• Before she could fully panic, the passenger window rolled down, and she came face to face with her fate.
• Carlos Castillo.
• The smooth face of the young man stared right at her. This time, he wasn't in the news, nor a magazine cover. He was right in front of her.
• His presence was overwhelming. He wore a sharp suit that complemented his light complexion. And a posture that told the world it should move out of his way.
• He looked up from his phone slowly, his gaze sweeping over her face with absolute indifference.
• Eena froze.
• She knew him the moment she saw him. The entire world knew him. But he… he clearly didn’t know her.
• The girl he was about to marry.
• “I…I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I didn’t mean to hit the car. My fuel is almost out and I just…”
• He stared at her like she was a minor inconvenience.
• Then his gaze dropped, sweeping from her shoes to her hair and back down.
• “Then go and fill your tank,” he said calmly, “before you come on the road to disturb other drivers.”
• The tone cut more than the harsh words.
• Eena blinked, trying to hold onto some dignity. “I said I’m sorry.”
• “And I heard you,” he replied, already signaling the driver. “Now move your car.”
• The SUV slid forward smoothly, leaving her standing alone in the traffic.
• She swallowed hard, her cheeks burning.
• Her future husband didn’t even recognize her. Didn’t even see her as someone worth remembering.
• She got back into her car and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles whitened.
• His face flashed in her mind again.
• Those sharp, cold eyes. That perfectly structured jaw. The confidence he carried like a second skin.
• Why did he have to look that good?
• She shook her head violently as if that could erase the image.
• The fuel light blinked again.
• Then someone behind her honked loudly.
• “Move this car!” a man yelled.
• Eena dropped her forehead against the steering wheel.
• “Could this day get any worse?” she muttered.
• She tried starting the car again.
• To her surprise, it sputtered and finally came alive.
• “Oh thank God,” she breathed.
• She drove out of the way and kept scanning the road. It took her five more painful minutes before she spotted a gas station.
• She pulled in, parked, and practically jumped out of the car.
• While the fuel tank filled, she leaned against the hood and exhaled shakily. Her mind kept racing as the fuel pump filled her tank
• Everything was a mess. Her friendship. Her family. Her future.
• And now she had run into Carlos, literally.
• Once she paid for the fuel, she got back into her car and continued driving toward Ivana’s apartment.
• Her phone sat in the cup holder. She kept glancing at it.
• Finally, she picked it up and dialed Ivana's number again. It rang over and over, but was declined on the last ring.
• Eena’s heart squeezed.
• “Ivana… please don’t do this,” she whispered.
• By the time she pulled up in front of Ivana’s building, her eyes were burning from frustration.
• She got out of the car quickly, walked up the stairs, and knocked on Ivana’s door.
• There was no answer, she knocked again.
• “Come on, Ivana…” she muttered nervously.
• She grabbed the doorknob out of desperation even though she knew the door would be locked.
• She squeezed it gently, confirming her suspicion. Ivana was not around.
• Eena stepped back and pressed her hand to her forehead. “No… no, please…”
• She stood there for a long moment, fighting the urge to cry. She came all this way for nothing.
• Finally, she turned around and walked back to her car.
• She didn’t drive back immediately. She just sat there for a while, placed her hand on the steering wheel and stared blankly into the windshield.
• Everything was happening to her at the same time.
• Eventually, she drove home.
• When she pulled into her driveway, she spotted Ivana's cat parked right in her spot. Her breath hitched.
• At first, she didn't think of anything away from explaining everything to Ivana, but on a second thought, she thought why Ivana was in her house by the time despite not picking her calls.
• She quickly got down from the car and hurried into the house. A few steps in, she saw her standing in the living room with her parents.
• Her mother turned toward her with a calm smile.
• “Oh, Eena,” Catalina said. “Ivana came to drop off the marriage contract.”