With the air feeling crisp, Bella and Rafael headed out for their very first interview as the city was slowly stirring to life. People were starting their day by gradually occupying the streets. There seemed to be an excitement in the atmosphere that bordered on expectation- hinting at unknown discoveries and unanticipated connections yet to come!Tucked away in an enchanting neighborhood was a petite pottery studio. This is where they were headed, eager to visit the haven of Elena's handiwork - she was a skilled ceramic artist whose creations had captivated them before. Her designs were celebrated for their innovative approach that masterfully married classic methods with contemporary aesthetics.Upon their arrival at the studio, Bella experienced a rush of anticipation. It signified the start of an innovative phase in their project - a crucial step towards interlacing and unifying different narratives within the community.With a sincere and inviting smile, Elena warmly welcomed the
CHAPTER ONE"I guess I'll see you later bro…" Anthony waved at Atlas as he exited the building of the factory he worked in."Yeah, later man." Atlas waved back at his colleague and friend without looking at him. After the day's work he was too exhausted to move anywhere but straight ahead.Atlas lets out a sigh of relief as soon as the outside breeze enveloped him, glad that he was finally away from all that toxic chemical in the factory.The only good thing about work these days was when Atlas got to go back home to his wife and sleep. Usually he would be on his way to his second job where he worked as a waste carrier by now but it was his day off and as much as he had pleaded with his boss to let him take up extra shifts today, he had vehemently refused, saying that he was taking too much space here and that he wasn't the only one that needed money.It would have been funny if it wasn't completely true. Atlas was in fact always there, picking up extra shifts every chance he
Confused, Atlas had walked up to her and she had glanced up at him, a distressed look on her face."Everything okay?" He had asked her against his better judgment. He knew well enough to never speak to the popular crowd except spoken to by then but he couldn't just ignore her."No, my car… it won't start." She had pointed at thel herb car.Her soft but clear voice had done something to him that day but he had refused to acknowledge it at that time. "I have tried reaching my dad but he's not picking up and the stupid thing won't start no matter how much I try." She had whined, almost at the verge of tears."Oh, I can take a look at it for you." Ii had shrugged.She had looked at him with so much appreciation in her eyes that he had been ready to do anything for her in that moment. The truth was that he had always had a little crush on her. Hell, every red blooded male and even female in and outside school had had a crush on her. She was the definition of soft and feminine beauty mix
Atlas stared at the document, unable to believe what he was reading. This couldn't be real! He thought. There was no way this was real. He re-read the document again, his hands shaking in the process and he hadn't been mistaken. These were divorce papers and Jessica had filed for it."You are home early."Jessica's voice took him by surprise.He glanced up to find her staring at him, a resigned look on her face.She was holding a laundry basket in one hand with only a few clothes in it."What is the meaning this?" Atlas asked, his voice strained as he put up the divorce papers for her to see.Jessica let out a sigh and dropped the basket of clothes close to the entrance of the kitchen."They are divorce papers, Atlas, isn't it obvious from what you read.""I don't understand…" Atlas confessed."Is this some kind of a joke? One of your silly pranks?" He said as he took a step closer to her.Jessica was known for playing random pranks on him but they were usually funny, this however
Why was Jessica breaking Jim like this? Why on earth was this happening? How on earth had he let it happen? These were the thoughts that plagued his mind as he tried to make sense of the situation.The more he looked into Jessica's eyes, the more he realized just how far gone she was. The spark that used to be in her eyes whenever she was with him was no longer there and it was all because of that stupid man. He felt humiliated in his own home. Jessica had brought in another man into their home and possibly bed.He hated to admit it but it was what it looked like. The strange man had not only been half naked but he'd also been staring at her as if he wanted to devour her right there and there but was restraining himself.He wanted to kill him,wanted to beat the man to a bloody pulp for daring to touch his wife in his presence. "Is that why you've been so distant lately? Why you barely want to cuddle or be around me?" He asked. He was aware of how pathetic he sounded but he didn't
Atlas paced the hallway of the hospital waiting for news of his mother's condition, his heart beating faster than a gym rat on a treadmill.He'd been here for almost an hour now and had still not gotten a response from the doctor and it worried him.The smell of disinfectant and other chemicals used to clean the hospital wasn't helping with his anxiety either.If the doctor did not come out from the emergency room to give him some news, he was fucking sure he'd collapse from a panic attack.The last thing Atlas had expected to see when he had arrived at his mom's hours ago was his mother lying face down on the kitchen floor with a bloody nose. After the shitty day he'd had, he'd wanted only to sleep but of course the universe was conspiring against him as always.Two nurses rolled a patient past Atlas that appeared to have a knife embedded in his arm and Atlas quickly stopped them, his intentions to ask about his mother's condition. He recognized them as the paramedics that had
Getting fired barely hours after his wife had left him by a man that wanted his wife had to be the most ironic circumstances Atlas had ever been a part of. The tears he had been holding back for so long came crawling out of his eyes of their own volition.His life had gone from not so good to terribly unfortunate in a matter of hours.First, his wife had decided to leave him and then his mother and now he'd lost his job.Without thinking, Atlas picked himself up from the ground where he'd been dumped and began to walk down the road with tears streaming down his face.How on earth was he going to cough up ten grand from? He had nobody to call, not Jessica, not his boss. His father had died before he was even born or at least that was what his mother told him.He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't bear to see his mother die. He just couldn't. He'd been through too much…The universe had to be playing a prank on him, a very sadistic one and he didn't think he could take anymore
Atlas got into her car, fastened his seatbelt and sat in silence, tired from all he’d been through today. He still didn't believe that the woman was going to send him twenty thousand dollars but it didn't matter either way. If she was some kind of kidnapper or con artist, she would be very sorry once she realized he didn't have a single dollar to his name.The strange lady parked her car properly then turned to face Atlas squarely.“So, tell me your account details” she said looking at a slightly annoyed Atlas“look if this is a joke, just end it right here and tell me what you really want, I’ve had quite the day already.” He let out tiredly“Account details?” she repeated not acknowledging everything he’d just said."Fine," Atlas gritted out and called out his details. He watched as the lady pressed a few buttons on her phone, a look of skepticism in his eyes.Few seconds later, his phone buzzed, he took a look at the message he'd just received and he froze.Staring at him was a mes