Strawberry Kisses Phavy Prieto (bookstand for reading TXT) 📖

was kicked out of the office, I felt much better even though I feared our company could lose a big client. Against all the odds, another auditor was sent.

I hadn't told Nerea about the incident with Steven in order not to compromise our friendship, since Mathews was Steven's cousin. I was confident that Damian would send that person far away.

A few days later I was going to return to my modest apartment shared with Nerea and find myself alone in my bed, so tiny compared to Damian's. That thought depressed me.

"Maria, this came for you," Ingrid said leaving a letter on my desk.

It was strange since I didn't usually get mail. After opening it, I found a purple envelope inside. It couldn't be true! It was impossible that they had been so fast. When I opened my supposed wedding card, I found the names of Damian Devoir and Maria Acosta written in large and embossed font. I smiled when I saw two figures with our features that were about to kiss but their mouths were separated by strawberries. The female figure tightly held a black planner under her arm. Above the two figures it said "Until the end of our journey". Two tears rolled down my face.

It was the most beautiful and romantic thing I had ever received. Why couldn't it be true? My heart and mind were no longer resigned to accepting that nothing would happen between me and Damian. I kept wondering why that invitation had arrived in my office. What did he think I was going to do? How did he think I would react?

When Damian showed up at my door three hours later to have lunch together, I was less talkative than usual. His proposal to live that fake love story all the way had exceeded the limit of my endurance. I had been able to tolerate our situation only because being away from him would have been more of a torture. But at that moment I no longer knew if the game was worth the candle.

"I got the wedding invitation," I said as we got off the elevator.

"Did you like it?" he asked enthusiastically.

"It's perfect," I admitted looking away. For some reason, I wasn't able to look him in the eye. "I’m surprised it was ready in such a short time."

"My mother did everything she could to have them ready as soon as possible so that she could give them to Michael and Rebecca at dinner tonight."

So all that effort only to prove to the silicone Barbie that our wedding was really going to take place. I then wondered if Damian had not taken into account that Rebecca would be happy about our imminent separation and the cancellation of our wedding. Maybe he didn't worry because I would be immediately replaced by another woman, a statuesque model who could compete with the busty giraffe, whom he would be happy to marry and from whose union he would have beautiful children.

"My God, I'll have to get lost in the desert in order not to see them in the gossip magazines," I thought since I took for granted that he would marry a famous model.

Just the thought of Damian with another woman caused me pain I had never felt before, so strong that it was hard to breathe.

"I just hope you can be happy once they're gone," I said softly since it was clear that my role was just to overcome the pain of betrayal.

"Of course I'll be happy," he whispered wrapping his arm around my waist and bringing me closer to him. "I'll have what I've always wanted," he added. He gave me a kiss on the forehead, and we got out of the elevator and went to the cafeteria.

We put the subject aside as one of the company partners joined our table. Actually it was better this way because I was not prepared to hear "what he had always wanted" and above all because at that moment I was in a state of profound negativity. I didn't know if it was because I was about to see the person who had played with Damian's feelings and who probably continued to manipulate him or because there were still a few days left to spend together and the fear of losing him was becoming more and more unbearable.

For that night I was going to look really beautiful. I went shopping to buy something elegant and sexy at the same time. I needed Damian to feel attracted to me and not to his ex-girlfriend's sculpted body. I knew that my attitude was absurd and I reproached myself for hating her for the way she had behaved with Damian, an evident symptom of my insecurity.

Wrapped in a jade green bodycon midi dress, I let my hair fall down on the heart-shaped neckline. The only jewels I wore were rather large hoop earrings and the engagement ring I always wore. I didn't know if he would ask me to return the ring to him, which would be legitimate. But every time I looked at it, I thought about how much I would miss the feeling of wearing it and what it represented.

"There won't be a more beautiful woman than you tonight," I heard from behind the mirror as I was putting the final touches of mascara.

"Sometimes I forget you're just looking for a way to make me feel good," I smiled avoiding looking at him because he had to look damn good in his blue suit. I would send everything to hell, including dinner, just to keep him at home.

"If I just wanted to make you feel good, I would have told you that you were very pretty. Instead, I said that you are going to undoubtedly be the most beautiful woman tonight. If I say it, it is because I am convinced of it."

His words were so