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Ever wonder what can happen in days? Meeting your soulmate, and falling into the whirlwind of romance.
PROLOGUE
7 days.
168 hours.
10,080 minutes.
That is how long this story is. Our story, or what I thought would be our story. What started with a swipe of a screen, would end with swiping tears off my cheeks. Hopeful in searching for love only to end in heartbreak. A new-age Romeo & Juliet type of story. And so, it begins...
It was a warm and bright August morning. The glittering sound of a harpsichord played from my phone, awakening me from my slumber to let me know it was time to start my day. I rolled over and sat up half asleep to turn off the alarm. The screen displayed today's date: Thursday August 20th.
I had been on this search for a couple of months now, to get over him. It was my first real breakup from my first real relationship. The others before this didn't hurt this much, probably because I never cared for them as I did for him. He was the first person I had given my heart to, the first person I laid it out all for. The first person I changed for (other than myself) and the first person I regret doing it all for.
It had taken me a few weeks to pull myself out of that depressive trance the split put me in. I was surviving on nothing but bottles of wine and romance movies, which obviously weren't doing the job I thought they would.
When Vanessa had let me know she had found him on a dating app during those few weeks, I felt gutted. How could 3 years be thrown away so quickly? I guess it's easy when you secretly start pulling back from the relationship 5 months before its end. Also not letting me know there were issues that could have been resolved; a simple conversation would have kept this love going. As she sent me screenshots of his profile, my mind was beginning to fill with thoughts of revenge. How could I get back at him for looking for my replacement so soon? The only solution: create my own profile. He must know I was also ready to be back on the market and looking for my next conquest.
As I am pulling up my black trousers, I hear a notification go off on my phone. YOU HAVE BEEN MATCHED flashed across the screen. Hmm, I wonder who this is I thought to myself. I unlocked my phone and proceeded to the app. Who had appeared was someone I swiped right on the night before. Adrian: 6'4, with dark brown hair and eyes. He was built like a Roman god and well dressed, definitely a businessman. He liked sports, wine, and conversation. Someone that I could see myself with.
I felt flushed and nervous, as if I were meeting him for the first time in the middle of my bedroom. "Good morning beautiful" the message read. "Good morning to you too, handsome :)" Oh my god, I thought, I can't believe he messaged me this early. "What is a girl like you doing on this app?" He asked. "The same reason a guy like you is on here :P" I playfully replied. "Well, I am glad we matched. Here, this is my phone number. We can text more ;)" Whoa! I can't believe it's been 5 minutes and I already have his number. "Thank you!"
Thank you? THANK YOU?! Really, you reply with thank you? my subconscious questioned.
"Haha, hopefully I will get a message from you sometime today."
I pull up to work at the same time my work buddy Daren did. We were pulled from different teams at the office to work on a project. I would tell him all about my dates with guys from the apps and he would give me the male perspective I needed. He helped me a lot, actually he saved me from a lot of mistakes. As soon as we sat next to each other in our makeshift office in the boardroom, I pulled out my phone and showed him the messages. "This is a good sign, right? I didn't need to ask for his number!" "Well, yeah that's actually pretty amazing" he said, "you girls have it so easy, I swear". "Yeah yeah," I waved him off, yanking his attention back to my situation. "So, do I wait to message him? Is this still a rule or can I just do my own thing?" Daren was 5 years younger than me, and although there was that age difference, he was mature for his age. "I think you should message him. I don't get this whole waiting thing. If you like someone, let them know." I knew I could trust him. "You're right. What do I have to lose anyway?". I spent the morning thinking of the perfect message to send him, trying not to come off as desperate but also not wanting to seem cold. I figured I would just send a friendly check-in. "Hey, how is your day going?". Perfect, I thought. It shows I care without seeming like I am prying.
"Hey :) It's going great, just got out of a meeting actually. How is yours going?"
Wow, fast. But I guess he must have had his phone in his hand.
"That's great! I am just working away like a busy little bee." And you wonder why you're still single, my subconscious snarked at me.
"A sexy bee :P What do you do for work?"
"I work at FedEx, in customer service typically but right now I am working on a special project for the big guys. You?"
"Wow, that's great! I am a Business Account Manager." "Ooh fancy. So, you dress in sexy business suits all the time ;)" I flirted. But it was also a truth, he looked damn good in a suit.
"Oh you mean like this one?" A mirror selfie from this morning appeared, not too certain if it was meant for me or someone else but at this moment none of that mattered. He was dressed in a grey suit, with a white shirt and a dark blue tie. His hair slicked back but still a little messy. He looked damn good, and I stared at the picture for longer than I should have.
"Oh yes, definitely like that one. You pull off suits very, very well :)".
As I closed my laptop for the day, I glanced over at my phone. No new messages from him, just one from Sarah asking if I'm still attending tonight's weekly girls' dinner. I loved these girls' dinners every Thursday. It's helped me get out of the funk of sorrow, plus the restaurant turns into an ultra cool lounge after 8pm and the hottest guys flock there. I turn into the driveway at home and rush through the door. It's 5:30 I thought, I have less than an hour to get ready. I head to the kitchen where the smell of grilled chicken and corn waft through. My dad loves grilling in the summer, he'd grilled ice cream if he could.
"Hi sweetie. How was work?" my mother asked. "It was alright, the same as every other day" I replied and ran up to my room to get ready for the night.
On their wedding night, Rogelio wrapped his fingers around Marian's neck and spat at her, "Congratulations! From now on, you live in hell!" The reason for his wrath was that he believed she was responsible for the death of his elder brother. So, he married her but refused to touch her, determined to make her suffer for the rest of her pitiful life! However, due to an unforeseen accident, Marian was forced to sleep with Rogelio in order to save him, and she ended up getting pregnant. Concealing her pregnancy, Marian lived cautiously under Rogelio's watchful eyes. He hated her and relentlessly humiliated her, yet he would never allow anyone else to lay a finger on her— "Mr. Bailey, your wife got into a fight with someone!" Rogelio secretly took action, eliminating that person completely. "Sir, your wife claimed that all of your family's wealth belongs to her!" Rogelio quietly transferred all the shares to her. Unaware of all this, Marian only wanted to escape, but Rogelio pulled her into his warm embrace, whispering, "Mrs. Bailey, where do you intend to go with our unborn child?"
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.