Chapter 12.
1404 Words
Chapter 12: Drowning in the Deep.
Devon Drawson.
Today marks exactly one week.
A whole seven days since I struck the most ridiculous, chaotic, and strangely satisfying deal of my life. And today is... surgery day.
It’s a beautiful Tuesday morning, the sun practically performing a striptease through the blinds, but my stomach is in knots.
I should be at the hospital already. In fact, I should have been there an hour ago. But instead, I was up till 3 a.m. reviewing a marriage contract. Yeah. A contract. Drafted by my very dedicated, mildly annoying lawyer, Mr. Brown Benson.
Miss Daunting Dream is going to sign today.
Or I’ll drag her down the legal deep end myself. Just kidding. Kind of.
"Bye Mum! I'm heading out!" I yelled over my shoulder as I buttoned up my shirt and made for the front door.
"Heading out?" she called from the kitchen. "Aren't you going to have breakfast? And what about work?"
I paused, halfway through the doorway. "I'll eat later, I promise. I’m going to the hospital. Today’s Doreen’s surgery—Miss Daunting Dream’s daughter."
Mum peeked around the corner, spoon in hand and an apron that said Queen of Sass. "I should come."
"NO!" I shouted, too loud.
She blinked, caught off guard. "Fine. I’ll stay," she muttered, clearly offended. Probably plotting my public execution.
"Bye, Mum!" I said, a little too cheerfully, and bolted out before she changed her mind.
Halfway down the driveway, my phone buzzed.
Leo.
Leopard.
"Good morning, sir."
"Yes, Leopard?"
"I’ll be late this morning, sir. I need to be at the hospital. Today is Doreen’s surgery."
"I’m on my way too. Meet you there."
"Okay, sir."
Call ended.
Let the circus begin.
---
Dream Dauntson.
TODAY.
The word slapped me across the face as I jolted upright in bed.
"Oh my God, the surgery is today!" I shrieked, yanking off my bonnet like it was the source of my problems.
I glanced at my phone.
One hour left.
"OH s**t!"
I launched into chaos mode—brushed my teeth like a rabid raccoon, took a two-minute shower (don’t ask how), threw on clothes that may or may not match, and bolted out the door.
In the car, I frantically started a group call.
My two unholy life-savers: Leo and Lucy.
"HELLO?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" I screamed, already panicking.
"No, the question should be directed to you, you lunatic! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Lucy barked, sounding like she hadn’t had coffee.
"Mother of the Year," Leo muttered.
"I’m on my way!" I screamed back.
"We’re already at the hospital!" they shouted in unison.
"Freaking traitors!" I snapped and ended the call.
I arrived at the hospital like a mad woman escaping a rom-com gone wrong. Hair wild, heart thumping, and barely coherent.
"WHERE’S THE DOCTOR?!" I panted.
A nurse blinked. "In his office."
Of course.
Five minutes later, the doctor came out and motioned for me to follow him.
In his office, I signed the surgery forms with trembling hands. He told me the surgery would last five hours.
Five. Whole. Hours.
After that, everything became a blur. Dorey was wheeled into the theatre on a stretcher. My heart cracked a little more with every step the nurses took.
She looked so small. So brave. So... mine.
"This will be the longest five hours of my life," I mumbled to Leo, Lucy, and—of course—Mr. Drowning Demon, who was now seated like he owned the damn hospital.
I wasn’t religious. I wasn’t even spiritual. But I prayed.
Hard.
I prayed until my eyes burned. I cried until my tears felt like they were leaking directly from my soul.
Lord, please. Just let her come out okay.
---
Five Hours Later
The doctor walked out... smiling.
"The surgery was successful."
The entire world froze.
"Thank you, God," I whispered.
Leo, Lucy, and I jumped to our feet.
"Can we see her now?" we asked in unison.
"She’s still sleeping. You can see her in about an hour."
"Okay. Thank you, doctor," we replied, voices heavy with relief.
Before I could collapse in an emotional heap, Mr. Drowning Demon stood.
"Now that the surgery is successful... Miss Daunting Dream, may I see you outside? We need to talk. Privately."
Lucy gave him a look that could kill.
"This better not be about what I think it’s about," she hissed.
"Oh, it is," he replied cheerfully.
I groaned.
The man really had the audacity to drag me to the hospital garden side like we were about to sip champagne.
"What is this about, Mr Drowning Demon?" I snapped.
You can call me Devon now that we are getting married.
He pulled out a stack of papers from a sleek black file and handed it to me.
"What is this?"
"A contract. The terms and conditions. You promised to marry me. Now that Dorey’s surgery is over, it's time to make it official."
I blinked at the document like it was written in Mandarin.
"You're serious."
"I’m a business man, Miss Daunting Dream. I don’t play about agreements."
You can call me Dream now that we are getting married.
I flipped the pages.
Clause 3B: The undersigned agrees to matrimony with Mr. Devon Damien Drawson within sixty days from the successful completion of the surgery.
This man really put a deadline on my heart.
"I can’t believe you’re doing this."
He shrugged. "I told you from day one, nothing goes for nothing."
I looked at the papers again.
Dorey’s alive. That’s what mattered.
With a sigh heavy enough to bend steel, I signed the contract.
As my pen hit the final stroke, a strange feeling washed over me. Not fear. Not regret.
Just silence.
The kind that comes right before you plunge into something... deep. And possibly dangerous.
I looked up at him. He was smirking, victorious.
"You just sold your soul to the devil," he teased.
"No," I said, voice low.
"I just signed it... while drowning in the deep."
---
But the story didn’t pause there.
While Devon tucked the contract back into his pristine black file like it was a priceless artifact, my knees almost buckled. It wasn’t exhaustion—it was the surreal reality crashing down on me. Dorey was safe, thank God, but I had just agreed to bind my life to a man whose favorite hobby was psychological warfare.
"Why now?" I whispered, clutching my chest. "Why couldn’t you wait? Just... one day, Devon. One day where I could breathe without a contract hanging over my head."
He tilted his head, his dark eyes glinting with mischief and something colder. "Because if I waited, you’d run. And you’re too valuable to let slip away, Dream."
My laugh came out shaky, almost hysterical. "You make me sound like a stock investment."
"You’re worth more than that," he said simply, and for a moment—just one fleeting, terrifying moment—I believed he meant it.
Behind us, Leo appeared at the doorway, looking like he wanted to break the contract in half and feed Devon the paper scraps. "Sir," he said stiffly. "Miss Dauntson needs rest. She’s been through enough."
Lucy wasn’t far behind, her arms folded, her glare sharp enough to decapitate. "You’re unbelievable, Devon. She just watched her daughter get cut open, and you’re here playing law and order like some billionaire judge."
Devon’s smirk deepened. "Jealous much?"
Lucy growled, and I had to physically step between them before she committed murder in broad daylight.
"Enough," I whispered. "I signed. He got what he wanted. Let it go."
But deep inside, I knew—this was only the beginning.
---
Back in the waiting room, I sank into the stiff hospital chair. Every beep, every echo of footsteps down the corridor made my pulse race. Time stretched, elastic and cruel, until finally a nurse appeared.
"You can see her now."
I shot up, nearly tripping over my own feet. The sight of Dorey, pale but breathing steadily, tubes hooked to machines, both broke me and healed me at the same time.
"Hi, baby," I whispered, stroking her hair. "You did so well. Mama’s right here."
Her tiny fingers twitched, and my tears came all over again.
Behind me, I heard Devon clear his throat. "She’s strong. Just like her mother."
For once, I didn’t argue.
Because maybe—just maybe—he was right.
- Writer
