Anxiety and confusion swirled in Carolina's mind as she reviewed the app she had installed. She had registered as "Rina," a pseudonym that gave her a sense of protection and security. Her heart pounded, and each new question she answered on her phone and pressed "next" made her jump.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before taking the picture. However, when she saw it, reality hit her: her tired face and deep dark circles spoke of the emotional storm she had been going through.
"I can't upload this," she thought, feeling like a complete disaster. If she did, no one would give it a second glance, because she looked truly awful.
She decided to search her gallery for a suitable image. Finally, she found one where she was smiling, the sunlight reflecting in her blue eyes. That image captured the essence of the Carolina she once was, before her boyfriend's betrayal and her mother's accident snatched her away from her world of happiness.
As she uploaded the photo, a wave of insecurity washed over her. "What am I doing?" she wondered, while the memory of her mother in the hospital bed urged her to keep going.
She had no other option, that was her only way out, and despite her determination, she began to flourish amidst the chaos.
She scrolled through the app, her pulse racing as her eyes scanned other profiles. That's when she came across a man who stopped her in her tracks.
He was a strikingly handsome man: brown hair, emerald-green eyes, and a square nose that gave him an air of sophistication. His bearing was elegant, as if he had stepped off a magazine cover. His profile name was Leo.
Carolina frowned, intrigued and suspicious. "Why is this man looking for an online partner?" she thought, wondering if he was genuine or just a fraud with ulterior motives.
"I don't think a man like this needs to look for a woman on this kind of app; women must be falling on him like flies," she muttered, leaving the profile behind and continuing her search.
Meanwhile, miles away, Leo, whose real name was Lisandro Quintero, was in his office, reviewing profiles on the same application.
His gaze fell upon a woman with eyes as blue as the ocean. "Who is she?" I wondered, and with a click, I decided to open the dialogue box to learn more about the mysterious woman.
"Hi, Rina. I'm interested in you. I want to hire you for three nights," he wrote directly, and waited for the reply with an impatience that gnawed at him from within.
That wasn't one of his strengths, and the tension in the air seemed to intensify.
Carolina was still exploring the app when she suddenly received a notification on her screen. It was a message from Leo. As she read it, her heart stopped for a moment.
"Is he really hiring me?" she thought, adrenaline coursing through her body.
She sat up straight, torn between disbelief and excitement. "Three nights? And what's in it for me? How much will I have to do?" she wondered, before answering.
Carolina took a deep breath, her fingers trembling on her phone screen. After several failed attempts, she managed to type a reply:
"Hi Leo. Thanks for your interest. Could you give me more details about what those three nights entail?"
As she sent the message, anxiety gripped her, while her heart pounded.
The answer came almost immediately.
"Three nights in my company. Intimacy, in exchange I offer you three hundred thousand dollars."
Carolina gasped, a mixture of surprise and terror coursing through her body. It was exactly the amount she needed for her mother's operation. But the idea of spending three nights with a stranger terrified her.
"It's a lot of money," she replied, her hands trembling. "Why me?"
"Your photo intrigued me," Leo replied. "There's something about your eyes... a mixture of innocence and determination. I'm interested in getting to know you better."
Carolina hesitated. Everything inside her screamed that this was madness, that she should reject the offer. But the image of her mother in the hospital, fighting for her life, spurred her on. "What if this is what I need?" she thought, as desperation became an engine that propelled her toward the unknown.
"Okay," he finally wrote, with a mixture of fear and determination. "I accept your offer, on the condition that you pay me in advance. I need the money urgently."
He sent the message and waited, feeling like his heart was going to jump out of his throat and his hands were sweating profusely, having to wipe them on his clothes.
"Okay, I accept, but you must sign a contract that I will send you. Read it carefully and sign it if you agree to the terms. We'll meet tomorrow at 8 pm at the Hotel Royale," Leo replied.
A chill ran down Carolina's spine. What was she getting herself into? Uncertainty enveloped her like a heavy cloak, but there was no turning back. For her mother, she was prepared to do anything. "What have I done?" she wondered, feeling the shadows of her decision begin to close in around her.
As she checked her message one more time, urgency and fear overwhelmed her. Was this really what she wanted? "It'll only be three nights," she tried to convince herself, but the voice inside kept screaming that she was crossing a line of no return.
Finally, when the contract arrived, her heart pounded. The words seemed to dance before her eyes, each clause drawing her closer to the abyss. With a deep sigh, she forced herself to read it, each word making her tremble more.
However, her mind was far from focusing solely on the document's contents. She was thinking about her mother, about the urgency of the situation, and that drove her to keep going.
She picked up the phone again, her hands trembling as she prepared to press the accept button. "This is for Mom," she reminded herself, and a spark of determination ignited in her chest.
When she finally pressed "send," she felt a whirlwind of emotions: relief, fear, but above all, a disquieting sense that her life was about to change forever. And although she knew she had made a dangerous decision, she also knew she had no other choice.
Night fell upon her, and with every beat of her heart, she wondered if she could really do this. Her mother's life hung by a thread, and in that instant, Carolina understood that she was about to enter a world from which she might never escape.
With the phone still in her hand, she felt the anxiety turn into a palpable rush of adrenaline. "Tomorrow at 8 pm," she murmured to herself, as uncertainty took hold of her thoughts.
She leaned back against the wall, struggling to find some peace amidst the storm that had erupted in her life. Her mind was filled with questions: "What if this goes wrong? What if I regret it? Can I even do this?" The questions flooded her mind, but deep down, she knew there was no turning back.
"Please, Mom," she whispered to the air, as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I promise I'll do everything in my power to help you," she thought, wishing time would slow down so she wouldn't have to face this new reality.