He Wants Me Back

Chapter 5

Sofia's POV

I stared at the contract in my hands for the hundredth time. Three days had passed since Dr Adrian Cross dropped this bomb on me.

Marriage?

A fake one, but still a marriage.

"If you keep frowning your face like that, you're going to get wrinkles soon," Amaya said, sitting next to me on my couch. We were having our usual Friday night talk, and Viktor was asleep in his room.

"Amaya, this is insane. He wants me to marry him!"

"I know, but it's a fake one," she said, taking a sip of her tea. "A contract marriage, it's like signing a work contract."

I felt confused, and I shook my head in response. "I wonder how he knew about my identity, and about Damian."

Amaya bit her lip. "He probably has connections. You know, these Rich people, they always know things."

"What if he tells everyone? What if Damian finds me?"

“That's the main reason why you should sign the contract," Amaya said, putting down her cup. "If you marry him, he promised to keep your secret safe, and protect you."

I re-examined the contract, and it clearly stated everything. One year of fake marriage, and separate bedrooms.

He would take care of Viktor's and all our needs. After a year, we quietly get divorced, and I have enough money to start fresh with Viktor.

"Viktor needs stability," Amaya added softly. "This is a way to give him that. There's no need to read every word in the contract, just accept it."

She was not wrong. Viktor had recently asked questions about why we didn't have a daddy like other kids. This could protect us both.

"Okay," I whispered. "I'll sign the contract."

I had to do it for Viktor.

The next morning, I walked into Adrian's office with the signed contract. He was buried in his computer, but when he heard my footsteps, he looked up from his computer, and I saw surprise in his eyes.

"I'm sure you signed the contract," he said.

"Yes, but I have rules too."

He nodded. "Tell me."

"You are not Viktor's father, and you don't force anything on him."

"Agreed."

"Only you and I should know that this is fake, no one else should know."

"Of course."

"And lastly," I said, my voice shaking a little. "If Damian ever shows up, you must protect me."

He made a strange expression on his face, but it was gone so fast I thought I imagined it. "Alright, deal."

We got married the next week. It was quick and simple, just signing papers at the courthouse. Amaya was my witness, and Adrian's lawyer was his.

There was no white dress, no flowers, and of course, no kiss. Just signatures and done.

"Welcome to your new home," Adrian said as we stood outside a beautiful house near the hospital. It was bigger than anywhere I'd ever lived.

Viktor's eyes were huge. "Mama, is this our house now?"

"Yes, baby."

Adrian smiled, a real smile, not his usual serious face. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Watching Adrian with Viktor surprised me. He was patient and kind, showing Viktor the big bedroom with superhero wallpapers and tons of toys.

Life fell into a pattern, we left early for work and came home late. We ate dinner together sometimes, keeping up appearances. There were whispers about our sudden marriage by the hospital staff, but nobody questioned it.

Adrian kept his promise, and I keep playing pretence when needed.

***

Two years passed like this, and Viktor grew taller and started school. I became better at my job, saving more children.

Gradually, Adrian and I became friends. We could talk about work, about Viktor, and about other things.

But everything changed.

It started with whispers at the hospital. A very important and rich patient was coming from America, he needed special treatment.

"Sofia, you're assigned to the VIP wing tomorrow," my supervisor told me. "New patient, he collapsed at work. It's confidential, i'm sure you can handle this."

I didn't think much about it because rich patients came all the time.

The next day, the patient arrived. I put on my mask and gloves like always and walked into room 507. The patient was unconscious, and connected to many machines.

I checked his chart first, and it was alcohol poisoning, liver damage, and stress collapse.

I started my examination, checking his vitals, and drawing blood for tests. The man looked familiar somehow, but I couldn't see his face clearly with all the tubes.

For three days, I treated him with my mask on. And slowly, he was getting better, waking up more.

While I was changing his IV on the fourth day, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

"Who… who are you?" he mumbled.

"I'm Dr Langston, your doctor," I said through my mask.

His grip loosened and he fell back asleep.

On the fifth day, there was a mistake. It was hot, and I'd been working for twelve hours straight. While he was asleep, I pulled down my mask for just a second to breathe better.

That's when he opened his eyes, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

I was stunned as we stared at each other for a few seconds. I couldn't hear the beeping sounds anymore at this point.

Damian?

All this time, Damian was here, under my care, in my hospital.

His mouth opened but no words came out. His eyes were wide with shock, then confusion, then something else.

"Sofia?" he whispered.

I quickly pulled up my mask, but it was too late.

"Sofia, is it really you?"

Before I could answer, the door burst open. Viktor ran in, holding a picture he'd drawn.

"Mama! Mama! Look what I made in school!"

He jumped into my arms, and I caught him automatically. My mask fell off completely.

Then Damian's eyes moved from me to Viktor. I saw him studying my son's face, the black hair, the grey eyes, the nose that looked exactly like his.

"How old is he?" Damian asked, with a rough voice.

"Three and a half," I said quietly.

For a while, the room went silent. I saw him make a thinking face like he wanted to understand something.

With the expression on his face, I knew the next question he was going to ask.

"Is he mine?" Damian tried to sit up. "Sofia, is he my son?"

I wanted to tell him the truth, but what was the point? A man like Damian has no right to know the truth about my child.

"No."

His face crumbled, and immediately, I saw something like regret. "How is that possible, Sofia?"

"The only child you have is with Vanessa," I said coldly.

He flinched. "Who is the fath—?"

"You need to see your test results," I interrupted, then I handed him the folder.

He took it and read each line, slowly. His face was getting paler, then I saw shock and fear dancing around his expression.

I watched the realisation hit him like a truck. I know he deserved the result he got, but as his doctor, I had to act professionally.

His hands were trembling while holding the paper.

Then he finally said, almost to himself, “If this result is true, then the rumours were also true.”

I stood still, looking puzzled. What rumours?

“She lied to me,” he added, his face as white as the paper in his hands. “She said I was the father. Now I know, the kid is not my own.”

That was when I realised, and I did the math. I could see it already, what goes around comes around.

He reached for his phone like he was about to call someone until another boom shell dropped from his voicemail.

“Honey, I hope you're up now. I just found out that I'm two weeks pregnant.”