THE CONTRACT WIFE I NEVER WANTED

CHAPTER ONE The Life I Knew The alarm on my phone rang for the third time. I reached blindly across the narrow bed and slapped it off. For five precious seconds, I remained still. Then reality returned. I opened my eyes. The ceiling above me had a thin c***k running from one corner to the other. I'd been meaning to fix it for months, but there were always more important things to spend money on. Like food. Like electricity. Like medicine. I sighed and sat up. "Another day." The words escaped my lips before I could stop them. I wasn't complaining. At least, that's what I told myself. I had learned a long time ago that life didn't care whether you were tired. Bills didn't care. Responsibilities didn't care. And neither did the world. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and checked the time. 6:17 a.m. My eyes widened. "Oh no." I jumped out of bed. Twenty minutes later, I was rushing down the narrow staircase of our apartment building, holding my bag against my side while trying not to trip over my own feet. "Mia!" I stopped. My mother's voice came from behind me. I turned. She stood at the doorway of our apartment, one hand resting against the frame. "You haven't eaten." "I'm already late." "You'll get sick." "I'll eat at work." She gave me the look only mothers could give. The look that said she knew perfectly well I was lying. I smiled. "I promise." She sighed. "Come back early today." "I will." "And Mia?" "Yes?" Her expression softened. "Don't forget to take care of yourself too." I smiled again. "I won't." I hated lying to her. But I had become very good at it. Because the truth was, I couldn't remember the last time I'd taken care of myself. There was always something else. Something more urgent. Something that needed money. I hurried outside. The morning air was already warm, and the street was beginning to fill with people heading to work, school, markets, and wherever else life was taking them. I joined the crowd. My job wasn't glamorous. I worked as an assistant at a small consulting company downtown. The salary wasn't terrible. It simply wasn't enough. Not anymore. My mother's medical expenses had grown steadily over the past year, and every month seemed to bring another bill. Still, I was grateful for the job. It kept food on our table. It kept the lights on. And most importantly, it allowed me to tell my mother that everything would be okay. Even when I wasn't sure it would be. By the time I reached the office, I was fifteen minutes late. I hurried through the glass doors. "Mia." I froze. My supervisor stood behind the reception desk. Mr. Carter glanced at his watch. "Good morning." I swallowed. "Good morning, sir." "This is the third time this month." "I'm sorry." He stared at me for a moment. Then his expression softened slightly. "Just don't make it a habit." "Yes, sir." I hurried toward my desk. My coworker, Lena, leaned toward me. "You're lucky." "I know." "What happened?" "My alarm." "Again?" I gave her a tired smile. "Don't judge me." She laughed quietly. I sat down and opened my computer. For the next few hours, I buried myself in work. Emails. Reports. Documents. Phone calls. One task after another. It was almost lunchtime when my phone vibrated. I glanced at the screen. Hospital. My heart immediately sank. I answered. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was calm and professional. "Am I speaking with Miss Mia?" "Yes." "I'm calling regarding your mother's account." I closed my eyes. "I know." "There is an outstanding balance that needs to be addressed." "I'll make another payment soon." "We understand, but the hospital requires..." I barely heard the rest. My fingers tightened around the phone. "How long do I have?" There was a pause. "Miss Mia, you need to speak with the billing department as soon as possible." "How long?" "Seventy-two hours." My stomach dropped. Seventy-two hours. I looked around the office. Everyone was working normally. Phones were ringing. People were laughing. Someone was arguing over a printer. The world hadn't changed. But mine had. "Okay," I whispered. After the call ended, I remained frozen at my desk. Lena noticed. "Mia?" I forced a smile. "I'm fine." She didn't believe me. "You don't look fine." "I'm just tired." She studied me for a moment. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a sandwich. "Eat." I stared at it. "I'm not hungry." "That's a lie." Despite myself, I smiled. "Thank you." I took the sandwich. But I couldn't eat. My thoughts were already racing. Three days. Where was I going to find that kind of money? I had already used most of my savings. I'd borrowed from everyone I could reasonably ask. There was nothing left. Nothing except hope. And hope wasn't something the hospital accepted as payment. That evening, I returned home later than I'd promised. The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. "Mom?" No answer. I dropped my bag and hurried toward her room. She was asleep. I stood in the doorway for a moment. She looked peaceful. Fragile. I hated seeing her like that. I quietly closed the door. Then I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. For the first time that day, I allowed myself to cry. Not loudly. Just silently. Because tomorrow morning, I'd get up again. I'd go to work. I'd smile. I'd tell my mother everything was fine. And I'd figure something out. I had to. I wiped my face and stood. I didn't know that the next morning, a stranger would walk into my life. I didn't know his name. I didn't know what he wanted. And I certainly didn't know that within days, he would offer me a contract that would force me to choose between the life I'd spent years protecting... and a future I had never imagined. At that moment, all I knew was that I needed a miracle. And sometimes, miracles don't arrive looking like miracles. Sometimes... they arrive looking like trouble.