Episode 1

Vivian, a woman who, after marrying through an agreement between families, traveled abroad after being disappointed by her husband, Mark. The Valencia and Lauren families had been friends for years, and when they had their respective heirs, they decided to betroth them to seal their family friendship. Tragically, on the day of Vivian's birth, there was a major earthquake in the hospital and the babies were confused. They only found out about this when Vivian had to be hospitalized for appendicitis. This caused a great shock in the Valencia family, but after recovering from such a hard blow, they began to look for their legitimate heiress.

Years passed and, although nothing was yet known about the true daughter of the Valencias, the Lauren family began to pressure for the wedding to be celebrated. The patriarch of the Laurens was very ill and wished to see his grandson married to Vivian, whom he had always considered as a second granddaughter. Without further remedy, the Valencias had to accept, since their true daughter had not yet appeared, and also, the Valencia company was not going through a good time. They could not miss this opportunity for association.

Vivian was the most excited about all this. She had been in love with Mark for years, and although he had always been cold, distant and even rude to her, the love she had for him often made her completely blind to his actions. Unfortunately for Vivian, her happiness did not last long, since, as if by magic, Camila appeared, the true daughter of the Valencias and, in theory, Mark's true fiancee. There were only two months left for her marriage to the man she had loved since her childhood, but little by little Camila managed to make her wedding extend more and more. She brazenly approached Mark, and both managed to have a very intimate relationship. In less than two months, everyone in high society believed that it was Camila who would marry Mark and not Vivian.

Upon learning of this, Mr. Francisco Lauren summoned his grandson to ask for explanations, but all he found was a wall. Mark did not want to talk about the subject, and his grandfather, seeing that this could damage his plans, sentenced that if he did not marry Vivian next month, he would give all his shares to his cousin, who coincidentally was also Mark's declared enemy.

Frustrated and angry with his grandfather, but much more with Vivian, as he assumed that she was the one who had told his grandfather all this, he left the Lauren mansion to go to the Valencia mansion. Upon arriving, he asked to speak with Vivian. When the girl came down and saw him, she smiled widely, and approaching him shyly said:

"What's wro...?"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Mark took Vivian's arm, holding it tightly. With his face completely darkened, he continued, "You asked my grandfather to hasten our marriage."

"What? No... I don't understand what you're talking about..." Vivian frowned, a sign of pain, and looking pleadingly into Mark's eyes, said, "It hurts..."

Mark, realizing what he was doing, released her abruptly and stated:

"I know you're not going to acknowledge what you've done, but I want you to know that, even if you force me to be by your side, I will never love you."

Vivian's eyes filled with tears and, desperately, she asked:

"Why? What did I do to you? Why can't you reciprocate my love?"

Mark was surprised to see that, finally, Vivian was direct with her questions and said:

"Because there is already someone else in my heart. I'm sorry, Vivian..."

That was the last thing Mark said before leaving. On the other hand, on the staircase, hidden, was Camila, who, upon hearing this, smiled victoriously and whispered:

"I'm sorry, 'little sister', but it has been many years in which you took what belongs to me. It's time for you to know your place."

After that, Vivian heard nothing more from Mark. The days and weeks passed until, one day, a message arrived asking her to appear at L-Motors Company, the Lauren's company. This excited Vivian, as she hoped to be able to resolve the differences with Mark.

Upon arriving at the company, she went to his office and was received by Mark's lawyer, a man in his sixties, who, after letting her in, showed her a marriage contract. In it, it stipulated that she would join the Lauren family, have access to their fortune and surname, and that, once she signed, Mr. Mark Lauren would be her husband.

Vivian looked at the man, not quite understanding what he meant by that contract, and the man explained briefly:

"Mr. Lauren told me to give you this message. He said that this would be all, he has no intention of doing any kind of ceremony or civil act. He said that, if you don't agree with this, that it's fine with him, but that you will be the one who will have to explain to both families why you don't want to marry him."

Vivian, still processing everything the lawyer had said, said:

"I understand, can you give me a minute?"

The lawyer nodded and, after leaving, Vivian took her phone and dialed Mark's number. She waited for him to answer, but he never did. Tears rolled down her cheek and, looking carefully at the contract in front of her eyes, she signed it. Then she left the office and, seeing the lawyer, said:

"Tell your client that it's done."

Without further ado, Vivian left the place and went to the only place where, whenever she felt devastated, she could cry...

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***