Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom

113 The truth about Valen

“Ehm…Maverick, I’ve been thinking… Well, uhm, I wanted to ask. What happened to Valen’s mom?” She looked at his side profile. She knew they weren’t close enough to talk about these things but curiosity got the best of her. D

“Why?” He asked without looking at her.

“I just… I’m wondering what would happen if she returns while we were still… you know, married.” She lowered her eyes at her wedding ring, then shifted her gaze to his fingers but there was no wedding ring on it.

This wasn’t the first time she noticed it. He doesn’t wear his wedding rings. Not that it mattered though, after all, the ring was never his size, so… but then, why was she feeling…disappointed? 3 Wait! Is this the feeling of disappointment? But why? It never mattered to her, so why is she suddenly feeling bad about it? This is stu pid. It must have been that she’s unknowingly stressed out because of Valen’s condition, yes, that’s right. She concluded.

“She left. She won’t return…she doesn’t want to return.” He replied with his eyes still on the road. He had searched everywhere for Vera but it’s like she disappeared into thin air. 5

Did he just explain to her? Like, he really answered her!

Jeslyn was elated. She immediately started to test the waters with the questions she had in mind for a long time, hoping he would answer a few, if not all.

“Did you two have a fight?”

“Hmm,”

“Oh…that’s bad. But you shouldn’t have let her leave. Why didn’t you go after her?”

his lips into a thin line. After a long time, he parted his lips: “I did.” He

so she changed the topic. “Valen missed her a lot. Although he looked tough, that child is a bunny inside, just like me.” She smiled bitterly. “He doesn’t deserve to be treated that way by the both of you.” She paused to rein in her

that that boy has so many traumas? He is literally like every other child that wants to cuddle up in the middle of his parents. Deep down, that boy wants to run around the compound laughing out loud with you and his mother playing with water guns. He wants to attend a regular school like every other kid out there. That child wants to wear colored clothes, and he wants to eat what

ranting, that was when she realized Maverick had pulled up and was staring at her. Jeslyn coughed awkwardly and blushed due to embarrassment. She knew

“I’m

12:35

raise your son, but I couldn’t help

1/3

He didn’t

not sure.”

you could change him.”

“Huh?”

her because I wanted him to see the difference between you both and make a choice on how he wanted to live his

his actions one day.

so why? He used to ignore her when she asked personal questions. So what

mean by ‘his remaining days’?” It finally hit Jeslyn that Maverick’s words were ambiguous.

After a long silence, he finally

you mean?”

biggest shock of her life after hearing that. “Wh- wha-

stand. With one hand on the steering, the other scrolled through

him and matt.

threw the phone on her lap and

said the child only has between a year and two to live. He