The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the narrow hospital corridor as Elara clutched a worn-out handbag to her chest. Her heart pounded harder with every step, her mind filled with one thought alone: "My mother must not die".
Inside Room 206, the faint hum of the oxygen machine filled the silence. Her mother lay on the bed, frail, her once-bright eyes now sunken but still filled with warmth when they met Elara's. "Elara," her mother whispered, her voice barely audible. "You've done enough, my child. Don't break yourself for me."Tears burned at the corners of Elara's eyes, but she forced a smile. "Mama, don't say that. You're going to be fine. I'll find the money for the surgery."But the truth was, she had nothing left. The little shop she ran couldn't even cover hospital bills for a week. She had begged distant relatives, sold her jewelry, even pawned her late father's wristwatch. Still, it wasn't enough.The doctor's words from earlier that morning replayed in her head: "We need the payment before tomorrow evening, or we cannot proceed."Tomorrow. Just one day left. Elara stepped out of the room, pressing her back against the cold wall, her fingers trembling. She thought of calling her friends, but who could she really depend on? Everyone she knew was fighting their own battles.Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Mr. Desmond, the hospital's accountant:"There might be… another way. Meet me in my office."Her heart skipped. Another way? She didn't even wait to reply. She rushed downstairs, each step heavier than the last.
Inside the office, Mr. Desmond sat with his usual stiff posture, his glasses perched on the edge of his nose. But today, there was something different in his eyes—a mix of pity and hesitation."Sit down, Elara," he said.
She obeyed, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. "You said there's another way?"He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "There's a man. A wealthy man. He's looking for… someone willing to enter a contractual marriage. It's unusual, but he's willing to pay generously. Enough to cover your mother's surgery and more."Elara blinked, unsure she heard him correctly. "Marriage?" "Yes. A contract marriage. Six months, maybe a year. Strictly business. No strings attached. You marry him, play the role of his wife, and once the contract ends, you walk away—with enough money to save your mother and start afresh. Elara's breath caught. It sounded absurd, Insane, even. Marry a stranger? But then her mind flashed back to her mother's pale face, the machines keeping her alive.Her voice trembled. "Why… why would a man pay for something like that?""That's not for me to say," Mr. Desmond replied quickly. "All I know is, you're his best option right now. And he's yours."Silence fell, heavy and suffocating. Elara's world was crumbling, and here was an escape—one that demanded the very thing she never thought she'd gamble: her future.Her hands clenched. Tomorrow was the deadline. Her mother's life was slipping away.
And for the first time , she realised , she might have to marry a man she had ever seen before, never love but to save the woman suffered for her and she love the most , she has to do it