CHAPTERS

PROLOGUE: The Beginning

"I love you so much, Antonio!" a petite brown-haired, dark skinned Mexican actress screams toward the male standing a few metres from her.

He shrugs, looking down at the grassy field where they stood.

"Look at me?" Her tone less of a command, more of a plea. "I do everything for you!"

Tears stroll down her pretty face, her watery eyes focused on the dark, tall, brown muscular specimen standing before her.

He shakes his head, signalling his disapproval. "I didn't ask you for anything, Paloma. I never did."

"You didn't have to, Antonio. I do it because I love you. I love you, Antonio!" Her last words louder to convey her message.

"I don't love you!" he screams back. "...and I never will. My heart belongs to another, and you know this." His eyes pleading with her to understand.

He runs his hand through his brown hair in frustration, then rests his body on the wall with a sigh, in a way that highlights his smaller waist and his long muscular legs.

"You keep saying this," she starts sobbing, "...but your eyes tell me a different story. Your touch tells me something different. I am starting to think this love of yours is a fable. A story just to ward me off, Antonio!"

He looks at her, guilt in his eyes. "You were just a dare, Paloma, to prove my love to the one I love. You were nothing more."

"How can you love her? She is cruel and she treats you like an obj—"

"Look! I love Maria!" he screams defensively, looking straight into her eyes, his gaze strong, his stare cold. "I love Maria." He repeats it this way she knows for sure he is not lying.

...

I hear a hiss interrupting my movie flow. My gaze shifts to the person behind me, a family-sized pack of potato chips, a huge bowl of ice cream, and a bottle of diet soda in hand.

"Maria is pregnant, by the way. They end up together, he and Paloma."

I move my gaze to my beautiful sister. My eyes fall to her throat. I could just choke her.

A handful of popcorn in my mouth preventing me from shouting, bitch shut the fuck up.

I look at her, making sure my face conveys my discontent.

"Antonio and Maria break up after he finds out the baby belongs to Juan Manuel," she continues, ignoring me.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Popcorn in my mouth causes me to break into a dry cough. I pick up the bottle of soda from the wooden table beside me.

"I hate you!" I manage to get out after my series of coughs.

She smiles at me. "I thought you hate telenovelas. You say they are too dramatic."

"And I thought you were on a diet. Don't you have a date tomorrow?" I shoot back.

She smirks, gazing deeply into my eyes. "You hate telenovelas, don't you?" She wanted me to bounce.

"I do, but honestly…" A smile curves on my lips. "I get why you are always watching telenovelas. This movie is awesome."

"Riya." This was a gentle warning.

"I mean you never see it coming. He loves Maria, Maria loves him, he loves Paloma, Maria is pregnant, he is not the father, they break up, they marry, they divorce. I mean it has all the twists and turns!"

I dash another handful of popcorn into my mouth, a little falling from my mouth back into the popcorn bowl.

"Eww! Stop eating like that, Riya!"