Love Contract: Secrets and Promises

bread and freshly brewed coffee permeated the small room, mingling with the faint aroma of vanilla frosting still in her hands. Be

inherited from her grandmother, ticked with cruel precision. She knew what was in that en

he muttered to hersel

a punch: eviction notice. Deadline: thirty days to pay the de

nter to keep from falling. Everything she had fought to keep alive for

grandmother was there, in her memory, wearing a floral apron, her hands steady, knead

, love, and a pinch of faith. The recipe neve

ool to reach the counter. Always fascinated by watc

pening her eyes again to the empty bakery. "I

stomer? At that time of the afternoon, hardly anyone showed up. T

ck tears. A practiced smile, even though no one on

street behind her. She had come to pick u

er cane on the counter. "Still here alon

orcing a smile. She took the white box decorated wit

ilo of pure chocolate filled wit

old woman laughed, squeezing Clara's han

hers, feeling the warmth she had

Mrs. Zuleide. You

as nothing more than a drop in a leaky ocean. After her neighbor left, Clara r

ng that echoed in the small room. Sh

Martins, go

ilence. Then, a mal

lara Ma

es

the handover of keys if the debt isn't paid within the legal deadline." Clara felt anger welling up inside her, burning her skin. It wasn't just a notice. It was a judgment. And who was beh

trying to keep her voice steady. "They're

we advise you to reach an agreemen

f the fogged-up glass, the old sign swayed in the wind: Confeitaria Martins - Since 1978. A piece of family history, a piece o

swallow my pride a

ccable suit, icy smile, eyes that always knew where to strike. The heir to all this. The man w

s if her grandmother could hear her. "I

jars and looked at the cash register. A small gesture, but enough to remind herself

Martins was no longer that scared girl hiding behind the counter. S