The Contract Marriage

Every morning, I stood beside the dusty roadside with baskets of fresh fruits in front of me. Selling fruits was not the life I had dreamed of, but it was the only thing I had. My mother was sick, and her medicine was expensive. I was her only child, which meant there was no one else to carry the responsibility. So every day, I woke up early, arranged my mangoes, oranges, bananas, and pineapples, and waited for customers. That afternoon, while I was arranging the fruits, a black car stopped directly in front of my stall. It was the most expensive car I had ever seen. I stared at it for a moment. The windows were dark, but I could see a little girl sitting in the back seat. She was crying. I frowned. The man sitting in the driver's seat seemed too busy talking on his phone to notice her. Without thinking twice, I stepped closer to the car. "Excuse me, sir." The man turned toward me. His expression immediately became cold. I pointed toward the little girl. "Your daughter has been crying for a while. Maybe you could let me give her a mango. It might make her feel better." He stared at me as if I had said something strange. Then his eyes narrowed. "Do you know who I am?" I shook my head. "No." "Do you know who my daughter is?" "No, sir." His voice became even colder. "We don't eat anything from strangers." I felt embarrassed. "I didn't mean anything bad. I only wanted to help because she is crying." He turned his attention back to his phone. "My daughter can't have food from the street." I stood there silently. Then I looked at the little girl again. She was still crying. Something inside me hurt. I picked up one of my best mangoes, peeled it carefully, and held it toward her through the open window. The man looked ready to stop me. But the little girl reached for it. She took one bite. Almost immediately, she stopped crying. She looked at me and smiled. "Thank you, aunty." My heart warmed. "You're welcome, sweetheart." The man stared at his daughter in disbelief. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he started the car. I stepped away from the road. The black car drove away without another word. I watched it disappear into the distance. I didn't know that the little girl would soon become one of the most important people in my life. The next afternoon, the same black car returned. I recognized it immediately. The little girl was sitting in the back again. As soon as she saw my fruit stall, she became excited. "Papa! Stop! I want fruits!" The man sighed. He parked beside my stall. The little girl quickly climbed out. I smiled at her. "Hello again." "Hello, aunty!" She pointed at the fruits. "I want mangoes." Her father came toward us. "Lily, don't touch anything without asking." She looked at him innocently. "But I want the mango." He looked at me. "How much?" I told him the price. He handed me the money without arguing. As I packed the fruit, I looked at the little girl. "What is your name?" "Lily." "Lily what?" She giggled. "Lily Amer." I froze for a second. Amer. So that was his name too. I looked at the man. "Mr. Amer?" He nodded. That was the first time I learned the name of the man who would completely change my life. Amer. He was rich, powerful, and intimidating. I was a poor fruit seller who spent every day worrying about whether I would have enough money to buy my mother's medicine. We were from completely different worlds. But somehow, his daughter kept returning to my stall. Within days, Lily became one of my regular customers. Sometimes she wanted mangoes. Sometimes oranges. Sometimes she simply wanted to stand beside me and talk. Her father never seemed to refuse her. One afternoon, after Lily had left, I noticed something I had tried not to notice before. She was lonely. Even when her father was beside her, there was a sadness in her eyes that didn't belong in a child's face. I understood that feeling. I knew what loneliness felt like. My own life had been filled with responsibilities for so long that I had forgotten what it meant to simply be a young woman with dreams. My fruit business was my only source of income. It paid for food. It paid our rent. Most importantly, it paid for my mother's medicine. Every week, I spent part of my earnings at the pharmacy. Some days, there was barely enough left for myself. But I never complained. My mother was all I had. Then, a few days later, Amer came to my stall alone. I immediately noticed that something was wrong. He looked more serious than usual. "I need to speak with you." I wiped my hands on my dress. "About what?" He looked around before answering. "About Lily." My heart tightened. "Is she okay?" "She is." I breathed a sigh of relief. Then he continued. "My daughter has been asking for you constantly." I smiled. "She's a sweet child." "She wants you to live with us." I stared at him. "What?" "Lily has been disturbing everyone in the house, saying that she wants you beside her." I didn't know what to say. Amer looked directly into my eyes. "My daughter needs a mother." I swallowed. "Mr. Amer, I'm sorry, but I don't understand why you're telling me this." He was silent for a moment. Then he said something I never expected. "I want you to become my wife." My mouth fell open. "What?" "I said I want you to marry me." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A man like Amer could have any woman he wanted. Why would he choose someone like me? "I think you've made a mistake." "I haven't." "But you don't even know me." "I know enough." I shook my head. "No. You don't." He continued as if he hadn't heard me. "This will not be a normal marriage." I stared at him. "A contract marriage." The words echoed in my mind. He explained that I would live in his mansion, take care of Lily, and become the mother she desperately wanted. In return, he would pay me every month. I didn't answer. How could I? I needed money. But I didn't want to sell my life. Then Amer said something that made me hesitate. "There was a day when Lily became very sick. She refused to eat, drink, or sleep properly. The only person she kept asking for was you." My heart ached. "She wanted you beside her." I looked away. I could already imagine the little girl's lonely face. "Why doesn't she have a mother?" Amer's expression changed. "Her mother left when Lily was only six months old." I didn't ask why. Something in his voice told me there was a story he wasn't ready to tell. "I need time to think," I finally said. "Take the time you need." He turned to leave. But before he reached his car, he stopped. "My daughter trusts you." He looked back at me. "That's why I'm asking you." After he left, I returned home. But something immediately felt wrong. The moment I opened the door, I saw my mother lying motionless on the cold floor. "Mother!" I rushed toward her. Her skin was burning, but she wasn't responding. My hands trembled as I lifted her. I called for help and rushed her to the hospital. As I sat outside the emergency room, I thought about Amer's offer. A contract marriage. A rich stranger. A little girl who needed me. And a mother whose medical bills I could barely afford. I closed my eyes. Maybe this was the choice I had been running from. Maybe my life was about to change forever. But I had no idea that marrying Amer would bring secrets into my life that were far more dangerous than poverty. And I certainly didn't know that the man offering me a contract marriage would eventually become the man who could love me forever.