WHEN PRIDE MEETS DESPERATE
695 Words
Sophia didn’t stop running until she reached the street outside Blackwood Group.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as tears blurred her vision.
People walked past her without paying attention, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.
She couldn’t believe what had just happened.
A contract marriage?
How could anyone think marriage was something to negotiate?
She laughed bitterly to herself.
“Unbelievable…”
After a few minutes, she hailed a taxi and headed straight to the hospital.
The familiar smell of antiseptic filled the corridor as she stepped inside.
She forced a smile before entering her mother’s room.
Grace looked up immediately.
“There you are.”
“I was beginning to worry.”
Sophia kissed her forehead.
“I’m sorry.”
“I got delayed.”
Grace smiled weakly.
“You look tired.”
“I’m fine.”
“You always say that.”
Sophia looked away.
She couldn’t tell her mother the truth.
She couldn’t tell her that a billionaire had just asked her to become his fake wife.
The nurse suddenly entered the room.
“Miss Carter…”
“The doctor would like to speak with you.”
Sophia followed her into the hallway.
The doctor’s expression immediately made her nervous.
“Is something wrong?”
He sighed.
“I’m afraid your mother’s condition isn’t improving.”
Her heart skipped.
“What does that mean?”
“The surgery can’t wait much longer.”
“We’ve done everything we can.”
“But without the operation…”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t have to.
Sophia understood.
She slowly leaned against the wall.
“How long do I have?”
The doctor hesitated.
“If possible…”
“Within a week.”
Everything around her suddenly felt heavy.
One week.
Just one week.
She thanked the doctor and walked out in silence.
Her legs carried her to one of the empty benches outside the hospital.
She sat there for what felt like hours.
The wind gently brushed against her face.
But she couldn’t feel it.
Her thoughts kept returning to the same words.
Contract Marriage.
“No…”
She whispered to herself.
“There has to be another way.”
She spent the next three days searching.
She visited three different banks.
Each rejected her loan application.
She called relatives she hadn’t spoken to in years.
Some never answered.
Others promised to call back.
None of them did.
She even tried selling the small jewelry her father had left behind.
The amount offered wasn’t enough to pay even a fraction of the surgery.
By the fourth day…
Hope was disappearing.
That afternoon, she returned to the hospital carrying homemade soup for her mother.
Before she could enter the room, she heard Grace speaking softly with one of the nurses.
“I feel like I’m becoming a burden.”
Sophia froze.
The nurse quickly disagreed.
“Please don’t say that.”
Grace smiled sadly.
“My daughter hasn’t slept properly for days.”
“She thinks I don’t notice.”
“I wish she would stop sacrificing everything for me.”
Tears filled Sophia’s eyes.
She quietly stepped away before either of them noticed she had been standing there.
She couldn’t bear hearing another word.
Outside the hospital…
She stood staring at the busy road.
Cars passed.
People laughed.
Life continued.
Yet hers felt like it had completely stopped.
Slowly…
She reached into her handbag.
Inside was the business card Ethan had given her.
She stared at it for several seconds.
Her fingers trembled.
“I said I would never go back.”
She whispered.
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’m sorry, Mom…”
She closed her eyes.
Then dialed the number.
The call was answered on the second ring.
“Miss Carter.”
It was Ethan.
She swallowed hard.
“I…”
There was a long silence.
Finally…
She forced the words out.
“Is Mr. Blackwood still willing to see me?”
Ethan smiled to himself.
“I’ll send the car immediately.”
Sophia slowly lowered the phone.
For the first time in her life…
She realized that sometimes…
Pride could be more expensive than poverty.
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