"What did you just say?" James froze, disbelief flashing in his eyes as Estelle's words sank in.
She stood beside Bryan in their living room, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "Bryan and I… we're getting married."
For a moment, the room fell silent except for the ticking of the clock. Rosette turned her head toward their voices, her expression unreadable.
James blinked, his brow furrowing as he studied the man beside his sister. He recognized him immediately — Dr. Bryan Sandoval, the physician who had been helping them arrange Rosette's cornea transplant. But marriage? That was something he hadn't seen coming.
"You're getting married?" James repeated slowly, his tone heavy with disbelief. "You don't even have a boyfriend, Estelle. You've been too busy working double shifts at the hospital. Then suddenly—" he gestured toward Bryan, "—you bring home a man and tell us you're marrying him?"
"James," Estelle said firmly, meeting his eyes. "I'm not a child anymore. I can make my own decisions. Bryan is a good man. I trust him."
"But you don't love him," Rosette said softly, breaking her silence. "You still love Dranred, don't you?"
"Rosette." Estelle's voice cracked slightly, but she quickly composed herself. "Dranred is part of my past. There's nothing left between us."
Bryan shifted, his calm tone easing the tension. "I understand this might be sudden," he said. "And I respect that your family is important to you. I'm not here to take her away from you, James."
James' eyes narrowed. "Are you serious about this marriage?"
"Yes," Bryan replied simply.
"Yes," Estelle echoed, her voice steady but her hands trembling slightly. Their eyes met, as if assuring each other to keep up the façade.
James sighed, crossing his arms. "You're both adults. I can't stop you. But let me make something clear." His voice hardened. "If you ever hurt my sister, no matter who your parents are, I won't let it go unpunished."
"James!" Estelle hissed.
"What? I'm just being honest," he said, glaring at Bryan. "With your looks and charm, I bet half the nurses at the hospital are after you."
Bryan only smiled. "You have nothing to worry about. I won't betray her."
"Good," James muttered, finally stepping back.
Later that evening, Estelle and Bryan met with his parents — the hospital chairman and his wife — along with James and Rosette. James had insisted that the marriage wouldn't proceed without the blessing of Bryan's family.
The meeting went smoothly, at least at first. Bryan's parents were composed and courteous, though his father's authoritative presence filled the restaurant. But when the topic of a prenuptial agreement came up, the atmosphere shifted.
James frowned deeply. "A prenuptial agreement? Why? Don't you trust my sister?"
"James," Estelle interrupted, forcing a smile. "It's fine. I understand."
Still, her brother's jaw tightened, his disapproval clear. Estelle, however, signed without hesitation. It didn't matter to her. She wasn't marrying for wealth or security — this was all part of an arrangement.
When the meeting ended, Bryan escorted his family to their car. Estelle waited at the table, lost in thought, until he returned.
He slid into the seat beside her. "You've been quiet. What's wrong?"
Estelle looked down, fiddling with the edge of her napkin. "I was just thinking… are we doing the right thing? We're lying to everyone, Bryan. To my family. To yours."
Bryan leaned back, exhaling softly. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I know it's not easy."
"Don't apologize," she said, shaking her head. "It was my choice too. But… your grandmother looked so happy earlier. What happens when she finds out this is only a marriage of convenience? It would break her heart."
He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "By the time that happens, we'll already be separated."
Estelle stared at him quietly, the weight of his words sinking in. That was the plan — a three or four-year marriage, just long enough to convince everyone. Then they'd go their separate ways.
"I'll take you home," Bryan offered, rising from his seat.
She shook her head. "No. There's somewhere I need to go first."
"Alright," he said, gathering his coat. "I'll head back to the hospital. Take care, Estelle."
"Thank you," she said softly, watching him leave.
For a while, she remained seated, staring at the flickering candle on the table. The reflection of its flame wavered in her eyes — a fragile light in the middle of a quiet, deceptive night.
Are we doing the right thing? she wondered. Or am I about to lose myself in another lie?
She stood at last, her heart heavy with guilt and uncertainty, and walked out into the cool night air.
Bryan walked out of the restaurant into the crisp night air, his polished shoes clicking softly against the pavement. The gentle hum of the city surrounded him — the distant rush of cars, the murmur of conversation from passing couples, the faint scent of rain that promised to fall.
He loosened his tie and paused beside his car, his reflection wavering in the tinted glass of the window. For the first time that day, he let the smile fade from his face.
Marriage, he thought. What a convenient lie we tell ourselves to escape the truth.
He rested his hands on the roof of the car and exhaled slowly. The evening replayed in his mind — James' suspicious glare, Rosette's silent uncertainty, Estelle's trembling hands as she defended their decision. She was brave, far braver than he had expected.
But bravery came with guilt. And guilt, he knew too well.
He climbed into the driver's seat and sat for a moment without starting the engine. The dashboard clock glowed faintly, ticking away the seconds.
His phone buzzed. A message from his father.
Father: "You did well tonight. We'll prepare for the engagement announcement next week."
Bryan stared at the message for a long while before turning off the screen.
Did he do well?
He wasn't so sure.
This arrangement — this "marriage" — had started as a calculated move. A way to silence his parents' pressure, to prove that he could control his own future. But somewhere between the proposal and tonight's dinner, something had shifted.
He found himself thinking of Estelle not as a solution, but as a person.
The quiet strength in her eyes, the sadness she tried to hide whenever her sister's blindness was mentioned — those details had started to cling to him in ways he couldn't ignore.
"Fool," he muttered under his breath. "You said no emotions. No complications."
He started the car and drove slowly through the city. The lights blurred in his vision, golden streaks against the dark. He remembered what Estelle had said — that she wanted to move on from her past. From him.
Dranred Masterson. The basketball superstar. The man who once held her heart.
Bryan had seen the way Estelle looked when Dranred's name was mentioned — that brief flicker of pain, quickly buried under calm. It wasn't love anymore, perhaps, but it was something deep, something unresolved.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. So that's the ghost I'm fighting, he thought grimly. Not a man, but a memory.
When he finally reached his apartment, the lights of the hospital were still visible in the distance — the building that tied them both together, where everything had started.
He sat in the parked car for a while, his eyes tracing the skyline.
"Estelle," he whispered into the quiet. "I promised this would be convenient. But the more I see you… the less convenient it feels."
He leaned back, closing his eyes. A tired smile crossed his face — one that held both surrender and longing.
If I'm not careful, he thought, I might start meaning every lie I told her.