One Love, One Lifetime

Chapter 1

Maribel spotted the vacant and crumbling Opera Populaire as she ran far, far away from her father, her home, and her life. She couldn't move as fast as she once could, but she hoped that she was light enough on her feet to avoid being caught by Gaston Beaumont, her father. 

Rather, he was her stepfather. She had grown up knowing him as her father, but after her mother's death, Gaston gambled and drank away the family fortune, leaving them nearly destitute. At that point, Maribel was a woman, a beautiful woman at that, and Gaston decided to put a price on her beauty and lure. 

Maribel was the most beautiful woman in the village. She had perfect facial features set on a fair, but rosy complexion. Most of all, her gorgeous auburn hair made her unique. It was always done perfectly in long curly ringlets and hung at the small of her back. 

Gaston was meticulous about how he sold his daughter's body to the village men willing to pay the price. He scheduled the men and kept the books with such perfection even the stingiest miser would be impressed.

If only he had been that meticulous about finances before Maribel had to...

Maribel lived her life that way for a little over two years. At that point, she had grown used to it. Most of the men were "regulars," so she was no longer scared of what they would do to her. Gaston didn't treat her too poorly either, after all, she was his income. He had to keep her in the best condition possible. 

Which is when the problems started. Maribel knew what had happened. There had been a particularly rough client who hadn't listened to her and... 

She had a bad feeling about it. 

But when her body began to change, she knew her suspicions were true: she was pregnant. 

Of course, she hid it for as long as possible. Finally, there was no more hiding it. When she admitted to Gaston that one of her clients had gotten her pregnant, he went insane. He began beating her and yelling, shouting curses she had never heard before. 

When she finally broke free, she began to run and she didn't stop until she reached the doors of the Opera Populaire. Begging the vacant building to be open, she carefully and quietly pushed open the grand doors. 

Once inside, she slid down the huge doors and began to cry. It wasn't until now that she tasted the blood from her lip and began to feel the soreness from where Gaston had hit her. 

When she caught her breath, she would try to figure out where to go or what to do. For now, all she could do was cry and pray.