Milo Hope is trapped in deep depression and hopelessness since the death of his wife. He lives as a synonym for misfortune and sadness, until one night his pain plunges him into an even deeper pit. In a moment of agony, Milo lets himself be carried away by his emotions and meets Maya Hart, the antithesis of his existence. As their relationship grows, Milo begins to question his view of life and finds a ray of hope in his dark world. His relationship with Maya, which begins as if she were his enemy, little by little becomes a deep desire, until they are unable to continue deceiving themselves and give free rein to their passions.
Epigraph
You don't find love, love finds you.
It has a little bit to do with fate, luck
and what's written in the stars.
Anaïs Nin.
Preface
Ariana has remained motionless lying on the bed for what seems like an eternity, although in reality, only a few minutes have passed. Anxiety eats away at me and I despair; however, I try to remain as calm as I can. Deep in my heart, I know that the unwanted talk must be done, and it can't be postponed any longer.
I get up from the recliner, which remains, on one side, of the bed, and squat down next to her to face her; a small tear rolls down her eye, as she tries not to burst into tears. I brush the bangs off her forehead and then place a tender kiss, just like when we were children.
Her skin is smooth to the touch of my lips, I feel her shudder at the tenderness of a simple act.
"I am here, princess; I am with you. You are not alone. "At my words, she takes my hand, cradling it to her chest, and bursts into tears.
I hug her.
Two days ago, the doctor told us that there were no more tests to be done. That all we had to do was wait for the definitive moment. He advised us to go home, to put everything in order and to enjoy our last days together, so we did.
"I'm scared, Milo," she confesses with sadness in her voice. Then he sniffles as he pulls away and meets my gaze. I don't want to die yet.
"I know baby... "I try to be strong and not cry, to be strong for her" "Don't be afraid, I'm here with you. You're not alone.
"I know I'm not alone, but I don't want to leave you either. "She puts her needle" scarred hand on my cheek and looks at me as if the words are piling up on her tongue. Remember all the plans we had? To go to Ireland, to see the Iguazu Falls..." "She pauses for breath before the crying stops her" "to have children.
The tears fall from her beautiful eyes like water in the rainy season, her perfect eyebrows turn red and so does her nose, and then I hug her. I hold her at this moment so hard, so cruel, so merciless. Whoever said that "there is no medicine that cures what happiness cures", lied. Neither the greatest happiness, nor the most advanced medicine, have been able to narrow that bridge between destiny and life for the woman I love.
Now, the only thing left for me to do is to love her and give her the peace she needs in these desperate times. No matter what I feel, no matter the helplessness, the frustration, the pain, the sadness, the only thing that really has priority in my life, in this life, is her, Ariana.
"Don't think about that, love. Don't torture yourself supposing what could have been, reflect on the now. "I take her hands and kiss them gently, "That we are together, that no matter what happens, if there is one thing you must be sure of, it is not tomorrow, but my love for you. Why I loved you even when I barely knew you, I love you despite seeing your scars and I will love you always, even if you are not by my side. Well, even if everything becomes unbearable, you must be sure that at the end of the road, when you look back, you will see that everything you lived, everything you did, the people you helped, the smiles you had, the tears you shed and everything, all the love you gave me was not in vain. You have marked many lives, you have marked my life, sweetheart, forever.
She holds my gaze with hers, she feeds on my words that little by little are soaking into her and transmitting the peace she needs to calm her fears. She needed me to remind her that I love her, not to tell her that she will not die, for she would be lying, and it is inevitable, but to soothe those waves that rise before her calm, she needed me to remind her that, for love, nothing is in vain.
Arya, needs money for her mother's surgery. Ayden, needs a surrogate mother so as not to lose her company. The only requirement is that she never touches him. “Are you a virgin?” “I mean, if a vibrator counts.” She notices how Ayden swallows hard and struggles to pass the water. “Number of sexual partners?” “Well I've only had a couple of dildos, turns out the latex ones are very sturdy” she replies smiling. Ayden stands up in annoyance and breaks the good mood in the room. “This is not a fucking game, Miss Arya” says the millionaire threateningly. “Get out.” “No, wait, I was just kidding” she clarifies seriously. “I said, what, get out!” he punctuates each word and slams the table. Arya, who sees her only chance, shattered, regrets having joked as she did, she never thought it would have such consequences. She walks devastated to the exit without expecting anything, now she doesn't know what to do or whom to turn to. She sees many cabs coming and tries to hail one, but instead a dark-colored Aston Martin pulls up in front of her. It is Ayden Emory. “Get in,” he asks, but she ignores him. “Is she always so hard-headed? Get in or no deal.” The hope that it wasn't all overtakes hold of her, and she gets into the sexy millionaire's car.
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"