Chapter 3: A Choice Between Love and Survival
497 Words
The cold night air brushed against Isabella's face as she stepped out of the car.
She looked down at the business card in her hand.
Ethan Kingsley.
His name was printed in elegant silver letters beneath the logo of Kingsley Group.
She tightened her grip on it before walking back into the hospital.
The bright lights of the corridor suddenly felt overwhelming.
Outside Room 307, her mother was still sitting on the metal bench, clutching a rosary in her trembling hands.
"Where have you been?" her mother asked, standing up immediately.
"I... I had to meet someone."
Before she could say another word, the doctor approached them with a serious expression.
"Miss Hart?"
"Yes, Doctor."
"I'm afraid your brother's condition has become unstable."
Isabella's heart skipped.
"What do you mean?"
"The medication he's been taking is no longer enough. We need to begin a more advanced treatment immediately."
"Then start it."
The doctor hesitated.
"We can't."
"Why not?"
"The hospital requires a deposit before we can continue."
He handed her another document.
Her hands shook as she looked at the figure.
$350,000.
Her vision blurred.
"That's impossible..."
"I'm sorry," the doctor said softly. "But we can only hold his treatment until tomorrow evening."
Tomorrow evening.
The same deadline Ethan had given her.
Coincidence...
Or fate?
The doctor walked away, leaving Isabella standing motionless.
She slowly leaned against the wall, trying to hold back the tears burning in her eyes.
"Mom..." she whispered.
Mrs. Hart looked at her with frightened eyes.
"What are we going to do?"
Isabella couldn't answer.
For the first time in her life...
She had no solution.
Later that night...
The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor.
Her younger brother, Noah, lay asleep, looking far too small beneath the white blanket.
Isabella gently held his hand.
"I promise I'll save you," she whispered.
"You've always protected me. Now it's my turn."
Noah stirred slightly but didn't wake.
A tear rolled down Isabella's cheek.
She quickly wiped it away before anyone could see.
At midnight...
She finally returned to the tiny apartment she shared with her mother.
Sleep refused to come.
The contract lay on the table.
She read it again.
One year.
Five million dollars.
No love.
No questions.
No future.
Was marrying a stranger really the only way to save her brother?
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
An unknown number.
With trembling fingers, she answered.
"Hello?"
A calm, familiar voice came from the other end.
"I assume you've read the contract."
Ethan Kingsley.
"I have."
"And?"
She closed her eyes.
"I haven't made my decision."
"You have until six o'clock tomorrow."
The line went silent for a moment.
Then Ethan said quietly,
"Miss Hart..."
"I never make the same offer twice."
The call ended.
Isabella slowly lowered the phone.
Her heart pounded louder than ever.
She had less than twenty-four hours to choose.
Save her brother...
Or walk away from the most dangerous deal of her life.
- Writer
