NIKOLAI
The doctor left, leaving us with that cursed number floating in the air. Three hundred thousand dollars meant nothing to me, but for Zoe, it was her brother's life.
I was going to pay her brother's hospital bill even if she didn't marry me. She was going through a very tough situation. Despite being a woman who spoke her mind, seeing her so broken made me uncomfortable and... yes, I felt a strong urge to protect her.
Zoe remained next to me, broken, her eyes shimmering with tears and her lips trembling, clinging to that chocolate as if it were her only saving grace.
My thoughts vanished the moment my phone vibrated in my pants pocket. I took it out, and the name lit up the screen like a nightmare.
"s**t," I muttered under my breath. I answered with clenched teeth.
"So now you
