The Royal Contract

Eida, for the first time, walked on the street, finding her footing in her new home. The place where she would settle down and take roots.

“Is this your first time here?” Amelia asked as she accompanied her to scout the place.

She wanted to see the neighborhood that Evan had chosen for her. She did ask for a lowkey but safe environment. It seemed Evan perfectly understood what she wanted.

“In this place, yes. But in this state, I had been here a few times before due to work. But never did I imagine living here.” She admitted as her eyes took in every little detail of her new environment.

She was lucky. Amelia agreed to stay with her for a few weeks to help her settle. But she knew she also had a life somewhere else. She could not ask her to stay indefinitely.

So, she had to establish her new home and new life in this place as fast as possible. And apply for a local job and hopefully get one under her new name and credentials soon.

.....

“I am sure that you will find that this neighborhood is not so different from our town. Evan assured me this place is safe for you and your baby.” Amelia tapped her by her hand as they walked, with their arms entwined, on the slightly busy street towards the market.

Compared to the other places she had read on the internet, this seemed to be one of the best. It did not say that it did not have criminals living in the neighborhood, but compared to others, it had the lowest crime rates.

Although it was a bit expensive, she did not mind. She had enough money to support herself and her baby even if she did not get a job immediately.

Still, she preferred to work rather than stay home and mope around. It would put her mind distracted and not thinking of going back and begging Lance to forgive her.

That would not work in the end.

She had to stick to this plan. It was better this way for everyone involved.

“I like it already.” She answered her friend, smiling to convince her friend everything would be fine.

She was unsure about that, but she would try her best for her child. Their future would solely depend on how she would look at life. She just had to stay positive.

“Just remember that Evan and I are just here if you need us.” Amelia squeezed her hand. “Anything at all. We will always be here for you.” She nodded, glad that she had a friend like Amelia.

“What about you?” She stopped her friend from walking further, facing her in the middle of the street. “Don’t you like Evan? Are you just going to let him slip away from you?” Eida was through pretending that she should not meddle with her friends’ lives.

She could see that Amelia liked Evan. But of course, her other friend’s lifestyle was standing in the way. But she could also see that Evan was just as affected by Amelia.

She and Evan came from the same cloth. Scarred by an unknown past, they were afraid to commit to anything. Afraid that love would destroy them in the end.

But it was too late for her. There was nothing in her cards for love. But not for her friends. She could see that they still had a chance for happiness. She would not stand idly by and let them miss that opportunity.

“What are you talking about?” Amelia denied her words as if she was not speaking the truth. “We kissed, and it did not work out. Now, we are friends.” She reasoned, but her eyes had spoken to her differently as she avoided looking at her.

“You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can never lie to your heart. I don’t want you and Evan to suffer the same fate that I have. You still have a chance.” Eida continued, but this time, she turned around and strolled to the grocery with her friend walking beside her.

“Do you think Evan likes me enough to change?” She asked her, uncertainty laced in her voice. “Because I could not handle another broken heart.”

Now, she understood her hesitation to accept Evan. Suddenly, a pang of guilt pierced her heart. Not that she intentionally blamed her for her first heartbreak, but she still had something to do with it.

“All I know is if you don’t try, you might miss the opportunity and regret it for the rest of your life,” Eida stated, realizing that she had good advice that she could not apply to her personal experience.

As much as she wished to follow her heart, there was more at stake than her selfish desires. She had to do this for Lance and their child.

Eventually, if the truth had to come out, they would understand. But Eida hoped that nobody had to know her secret. She wished that her child would not want to meet her father and that she would die carrying her secret with her.

Lance would move on without knowing about what happened to her. And he would live a happy life with his new family. A new person that he would love and devote his life to for the rest of his life.

“I don’t know. I am afraid.” Amelia said. Still, she looked unconvinced that giving Evan a chance was the right thing to do.

Well, she could not blame her friend. The reality of life was never close to fairy tales. A happy ever after would always conclude one way or another with a sad ending.

She was not a pessimistic person, just realistic. She did not want to live in a world where people could walk on clouds, find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or play with unicorns.

She was the kind of person who believed that daily struggle was real.