Chapter Two: The Contract
1572 Words
Amara stared at the document in Damien's hand.
For several seconds, she could not move.
The room suddenly felt too quiet. The soft ticking of the clock on the wall became strangely loud, while the city beyond the windows continued moving as if nothing had changed.
Six months.
Marriage.
Money.
She looked at the contract again, then slowly lifted her eyes to the man sitting across from her.
"You cannot be serious."
"I am."
Damien's answer came without hesitation.
Amara let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
"Do you normally invite women into your house and ask them to marry you?"
"No."
"Then why me?"
"Because you fit what I need."
She frowned.
"What exactly do you need?"
Damien leaned back in his chair.
"A wife."
"You already said that."
"And you need money."
Amara's expression hardened.
"So this is a business transaction?"
"In simple terms, yes."
She pushed the contract farther away.
"I am not for sale."
"I did not say you were."
"Then what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm offering you a solution."
"A solution?"
Damien nodded.
"You need money. I need a wife. We can help each other."
Amara stared at him.
It sounded ridiculous.
It was ridiculous.
Yet the more she tried to dismiss it, the more her mind returned to the hospital.
Her mother's face.
The unpaid bills.
The deadline.
Seven days.
She hated that he knew exactly where to press.
"Why can't you just get married normally?" she asked.
Damien's jaw tightened slightly.
"Because normal is not an option for me."
There was something in his voice that made Amara pause.
For the first time, she noticed the slight change in his expression.
Whatever the reason was, he clearly did not want to discuss it.
She looked back at the contract.
"What happens after six months?"
"The marriage ends."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"And you expect us to pretend none of this ever happened?"
"That is the agreement."
Amara shook her head.
"This is insane."
"Probably."
His calm response irritated her even more.
"You don't even sound concerned."
"I have considered every possibility."
"Except the possibility that I might say no."
Damien looked directly into her eyes.
"I considered that too."
"And?"
"I prepared for it."
Amara folded her arms.
"How?"
"I won't force you."
That surprised her.
He reached for the contract and closed the folder.
"If you don't want the arrangement, you can leave."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"Just like that?"
"Yes."
"And my mother's bills?"
"That is your responsibility."
The words hit harder than she expected.
Amara looked away.
She knew he was right.
Her mother's bills were her responsibility.
She had simply hoped that perhaps there was another way.
A better way.
She stood.
"I need to go."
Damien nodded.
"Take the contract."
She stopped.
"I don't want it."
"Take it anyway."
She looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because you will read it when you're ready."
Amara hesitated before taking the folder.
She tucked it beneath her arm.
"I am not promising anything."
"I know."
She walked toward the door.
Her hand had barely touched the handle when Damien spoke again.
"Amara."
She turned.
He looked at her with the same unreadable expression.
"You have six days."
Her heart sank.
She said nothing.
Then she walked out.
---
The ride home felt longer than usual.
Amara sat by the window, watching the city pass by.
The folder rested on her lap.
She had not opened it again.
She did not want to.
Yet she could not stop thinking about it.
A marriage.
Six months.
Enough money to pay her mother's hospital bills.
Enough money to start over afterward.
It sounded too good.
That was the problem.
Things that sounded too good usually came with a price.
Her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
It was the hospital.
Her stomach tightened.
She answered.
"Hello?"
"Miss Amara, we need to discuss your mother's treatment."
Amara closed her eyes.
"Yes."
"The doctors have requested that some additional tests be carried out."
"How much will that cost?"
The woman gave her the amount.
Amara's fingers tightened around her phone.
Another bill.
Another impossible amount.
"I understand."
"Please try to make payment as soon as possible."
"I will."
After the call ended, Amara leaned her head against the window.
She felt tears gathering in her eyes.
She quickly blinked them away.
She was tired.
So tired.
She wanted to go home and sleep.
She wanted to wake up and discover that none of this had happened.
But reality did not care about what she wanted.
When she arrived at her apartment, she placed the folder on the table.
She stared at it for almost a minute.
Then she walked away.
She changed her clothes.
Made herself a cup of tea.
Sat on the edge of her bed.
Still, her eyes kept drifting toward the folder.
Finally, she gave up.
She picked it up.
"Fine."
She opened it.
The first page contained the basic agreement.
Duration of marriage: six months.
Financial compensation: stated amount to be paid according to agreement.
Medical expenses: all approved medical expenses relating to Amara's mother will be covered by Damien Blackwood for the duration of the agreement.
Amara's breathing slowed.
She turned the page.
There were rules.
No romantic expectations.
No interference in personal affairs.
No disclosure of the agreement to the public.
They would live together.
They would attend certain social events together when necessary.
They would maintain the appearance of a genuine marriage.
Amara stopped reading.
Live together?
She turned back to the previous page.
She had somehow missed it.
She read it again.
Her eyes widened.
"Absolutely not."
She threw the folder onto the bed.
There was no way she was going to live with that man.
She had barely known him for an hour.
She could not imagine sharing a house with him for six months.
Then her mother's face appeared in her mind.
Amara's anger slowly faded.
She looked toward the folder again.
Her mother needed treatment.
Her mother needed time.
And Amara needed money.
She picked up the contract again.
There had to be a catch.
There had to be something she had not noticed.
She continued reading.
Then she reached the final page.
At the bottom was Damien's signature.
His handwriting was neat and firm.
Beside it was an empty space for hers.
Amara stared at it.
Her hand slowly moved toward the pen on her table.
She picked it up.
Then stopped.
"No."
She dropped it.
She could not sign something like this while she was emotional.
She needed to think.
She needed advice.
She needed someone who could tell her whether she was making the biggest mistake of her life.
Her phone was already in her hand.
There was only one person she trusted enough to tell.
She called.
The phone rang twice before it was answered.
"Amara?"
"Can you come over?"
There was a pause.
"Is everything okay?"
Amara looked at the contract.
"No."
Her voice broke slightly.
"I think I've been offered something crazy."
---
The next morning, Amara sat across from her best friend, Tessa, at a small café.
The contract was between them.
Tessa had been silent for several minutes.
She looked at Amara.
Then at the document.
Then back at Amara.
"Tell me you're joking."
"I'm not."
"You want to marry a stranger?"
"For six months."
"That's worse."
Amara sighed.
"I know."
Tessa picked up the contract again.
"How do you even know this man?"
"I don't."
"Then why would he choose you?"
"I don't know."
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"I don't know."
"Is he dangerous?"
"I don't know."
"Is he secretly married already?"
"I don't know."
Tessa dropped the paper onto the table.
"Amara, those are not things you should be saying when someone is offering you a marriage contract."
"I know."
"Then don't do it."
Amara looked down.
"I can't pay the hospital."
Tessa's expression softened.
"I know."
"The deadline is six days."
"I know."
"And if I don't pay..."
She couldn't finish the sentence.
Tessa reached across the table and held her hand.
"I'm sorry."
Amara swallowed.
"So am I."
They sat quietly.
After a moment, Tessa picked up the contract again.
"At least read everything carefully."
"I already did."
"Then read it again."
Amara sighed.
Tessa's eyes narrowed as she looked at one of the pages.
"Wait."
"What?"
"There's something here."
"What?"
Tessa pointed at a paragraph near the bottom of the page.
"Look at this."
Amara leaned closer.
Her eyes moved across the words.
Then she froze.
The agreement may be terminated before the six month period under circumstances mutually agreed upon by both parties.
Amara looked at Tessa.
"So?"
Tessa stared at her.
"So if either of you breaks the agreement, what happens?"
Amara looked back at the contract.
She had not considered that.
She flipped through the pages quickly.
"There's a penalty clause."
"How much?"
Amara read the figure.
Her face went pale.
Tessa leaned closer.
"What?"
Amara slowly looked up.
"If I break the agreement without his consent, I have to repay everything."
Tessa's eyes widened.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
The two women stared at each other.
For the first time, Amara understood something.
This was not simply a marriage for money.
Damien Blackwood had thought of everything.
And somehow, she had a feeling that once she signed that contract, walking away would be much harder than walking into it.
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