Chapter 3: Marriage Contract
His words hit me like a bucket of ice-cold water. For a moment, everything around me seemed to freeze. My fingers, which rested on the table, clenched involuntarily, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Had I heard him correctly? Had he really just said that? I swallowed hard, trying to process it, but my mind refused to accept how absurd the situation was. Finally, I blinked several times and managed to speak.
– A marriage contract? – I repeated, my tone full of skepticism, unable to believe what I had just heard. It was clear that he had no idea how ridiculous his proposal sounded.
He nodded with determination, as if he were entirely convinced that all of this made perfect sense.
– Yes, exactly – he answered firmly –. A marriage contract. I offer you stability, security, and a very generous compensation. Money won't be an issue, I promise. I know at first this may seem like a cold deal to you, but I'm sure that, in time, you’ll end up falling in love with me.
I remained silent for a moment, trying to absorb his words. How could he be so certain of something he didn’t even seem to fully understand himself? The fact that it was all just a transaction deeply bothered me, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of disbelief at his confidence.
– Do you really think I’m that easy to manipulate? – I asked, my voice now filled with disdain –. Do you think you can convince me to fall in love with you just by throwing money at me?
He didn’t show a single sign of doubt, his eyes remained fixed on mine, as if he were playing a chess game and had already calculated every one of my moves.
– No, I don’t think you’re easy. But I know time is on my side. – He smiled, with a mix of arrogance and sincerity –. And even if this deal seems like just business at first, in the end, you’re going to love me. That’s what happens when two people spend time together.
His words felt like a veiled threat, but I couldn’t help the growing curiosity about the certainty in his voice. Did he really think this would work? That I’d end up falling for him?
– This doesn’t make any sense. Besides, how am I supposed to believe you? – I replied with an ironic laugh.
He pulled out his phone, opened a banking app, and showed me the screen. The numbers were so large I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
– What… what is this? – I asked, confused.
– My bank account. So you can see I can pay you whatever’s necessary.
My first instinct was to reject him. I didn’t want anything from him or anyone. But then I thought of Mom, her treatment, the debts… and Eric. That money could change everything.
– What do I get out of this? – I asked finally, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
He looked me straight in the eyes.
– I’ll pay you more than you could ever earn here. Enough so that you won’t have to worry about anything for the next year.
My mind started racing. This was madness. Absolute and complete madness. But… what if I accepted? What if, just this once, I did something selfish—even for the wrong reasons?
I looked at him again, trying to decide if I could trust him. There was something in his gaze that made me feel he wasn’t playing around, that he meant every word.
– I need to think about it – I said finally, with a tone that didn’t make it clear whether I was willing to accept his proposal or just needed time to think more clearly.
He nodded with the calmness of someone who had already expected that answer. There was no surprise on his face, just an unsettling confidence.
– That’s fine. But don’t take too long – he responded, standing up from the table. With a mechanical gesture, he left a generous bill on the surface, which made me feel even more uncomfortable, as if everything had been perfectly calculated.
He turned around and left without saying another word, leaving a heavy feeling in the air. I remained there, watching his figure disappear into the distance, uncertainty crushing my chest. What should I do? Was fate playing a risky card, or was it just another trap set by chance?
I sighed and got up from the table, needing some air to sort through my thoughts.
I could picture it clearly. The sound of the engine breaking the night’s stillness as David arrived home. The way he turned it off carefully, closing the door quietly, as if that could prevent the inevitable. But his mother was not the kind of woman to let things slide. She would be waiting for him.
She was probably in the living room, sitting with her back straight, her sharp gaze, and her arms crossed, with that coldness that could freeze the air. Beside her, his father, frowning, a shadow of tiredness in his eyes.
– Where were you? – she would ask, with that dangerous calm that came right before a storm.
David would sigh, resigned.
– Out. Nothing important – he would respond, though they both knew it wasn’t enough.
She would narrow her eyes, her patience wearing thin.
– You know well that this marriage with Alexandra is what’s best for the family – she would say, firm, as if her word were law –. You’re not going to keep delaying it.
David would tense up. I could feel it even without being there. He was no longer willing to go along with the farce.
– I’m not marrying Alexandra – he would state without hesitation –. My heart already belongs to someone else.
I imagined the flicker of disbelief in his mother’s eyes, followed by a bitter laugh.
– Someone else? You’re still on about that? – she would sneer –. You’ve spent years looking for that woman and never found her. It’s time you let go of that childish illusion. The only thing that matters here is this family’s future.
David would clench his jaw, his frustration building up like a bomb ready to explode.
– That’s not a future, Mother. It’s a sentence.
The silence would grow thick. An uncomfortable, tense silence, until his father decided to speak up, perhaps with a shadow of nostalgia in his voice.
– Love is the only thing that makes a marriage worth it – he would say firmly, casting his wife a look that might be filled with bitter memories –. Without it, marriage becomes torture.
His mother wouldn’t reply immediately. She’d stay still, lips pressed tightly together, because maybe, deep down, she knew he was right.
And David, sensing it was his chance, would strike the final blow.
– I’ve already made my decision. And there’s no turning back.
There was no need to witness the scene to know his mother wouldn’t respond. But her silence would say it all. Though the war wasn’t over, he had won that battle.
And me… I didn’t know what to do with the whirlwind of emotions those words stirred in me.