Married Off To The Impoverished Son

Chapter 3 Dim Lights

Ava’s POV

Over the years, I had somehow developed a fear of dimly lit places. It was a ridiculous fear to have especially since I wasn’t scared of pitch-black places but dimly lit spots. I hated the feeling of being under dim lights, it gave me a horrible feeling of déjà vu. There was not much I would want to remember in that situation. I didn’t want to at all. Nothing good ever happened to me under dim lights.

Mia always bullied her in the dark corners of the home.

Back in high school, Cloris and I had been attacked in a dimly lit street. It was not an experience I wanted playing in my head over and over again but I couldn't help myself.

Cloris’s apartment had been dimly lit when I found her lifeless body.

Dim spaces were never a good sign for me. Most of my worst memories were under dim lights. It was like a bad omen.

I had dimmed the lights in the apartment that morning when it was time to leave. Just for me to turn around and see Euclid collapsed on the floor.

I always believed that I was the reason Cloris had died. Perhaps if she had not tried to save me from getting assaulted, she would have gone off unscratched. She would have been with David in peace and had Euclid when she was ready. I had indirectly killed Cloris. If only I had been more cautious with her mental state, perhaps I could have saved her. I had killed the one person I truly cared for, and now, I was about to kill another person.

“It’s a lung disease.” The doctor in a white coat said as he looked at the diagnosis before him. He had an aged face and his voice carried a different kind of sophistication. He seemed very experienced at his work. Which was a good thing.

“A lung disease?!” I exclaimed I’m horror. I gripped Euclid’s hand, mortified. He lay on the examination bed beside me. He had a liquid IV connected to the other wrist. He was just seven years old, yet, the doctor was saying he had a lung disease. I immediately believed it was my fault. Regardless of what could have caused it, he was under my custody. I took care of him every day, yet I managed to let him fall Ill. I was a horrible person.

“Calm down.” The doctor said with a mellow tone, it calmed me a bit. He didn’t look panicked at all. He offered me a small smile and simply explained the situation to me. “The boy’s lungs are slightly damaged. Now, this has absolutely nothing to do with you. I believe it is a hereditary disease. He will be fine if he follows the treatment plan and gets some surgery, afterwards, he’ll be fine. Although there are some dangers involved, we can guarantee his safety.” The doctor said.

I felt my heart settle a bit, but in the next moment, I tensed up again. Judging from the doctor’s tone, a lot of money would be involved in this conquest.

I was right. I got the approximate cost of the hospital bill. I almost fainted when I saw the amount. I had never seen so many zeros before.

Complicated treatments done for children tended to be more costly. Especially since a lot of specialized functions needed to be used for them since their small bodies can’t endure a lot of medications. The substitutes were expensive.

“You have a weak at most before his condition worsens. I advise you to hurry on with the process. For his safety.” The doctor left me with that statement. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I didn’t have that much money. What was I to do?

Desperation took me to my boyfriend’s home.

I had been dating Daniel Saphir, the son of a holding company boss, for a few months now. I would like to think our relationship was good. Perhaps a bit strained, but good nonetheless. I was busy with work and taking care of Euclid, so when we got together, we didn’t spend that much time together. Daniel and I have had fights over this. We haven’t even gone past kissing because of my busy schedule.

I liked Daniel but I had priorities that I couldn’t ignore. At that moment, I needed comfort, Daniel seemed to be the only beacon of hope for me. I wonder if he could lend me some money. I couldn’t let anything happen to Euclid.

When I arrived at Daniel’s home, I had only spent a couple of minutes in there before I walked back out, dazed.

My face was blotchy with tears and disbelief. I wonder if I was hallucinating. I definitely wasn’t.

Daniel was cheating on me.

Perhaps that fact wouldn’t have been too damaging. But out of everyone he could’ve chosen, he chose someone so close to me…

Daniel’s room was dimly lit and he was in bed with Mia. They were entangled together under the sheets like a pair of snakes. Daniel seemed unconcerned by my arrival and Mia. She seemed delighted by the look on my face.

I wasn’t dumb. There was no explaining the situation. Daniel had cheated on me with my step-sister.

The betrayal sent shock waves through my already distressed heart.

“Forget about him.”

“W-what” I croaked out in disbelief.

My father looked at me with a calm expression.

“I’m saying you should forget about him. There is nothing strange in the fact that he chose Mia over you. Get over it, Ava, you are not a child.” My father spoke sternly.

I was dumbfounded as I stood in the middle of his office. It really didn’t make sense to me. ‘Was he really my father?’ I wondered.

The day was rough for me. After stumbling out of Daniel’s home, I ran to my father next. I hadn’t seen him in a long time. We rarely ever saw since he made me move out when Euclid was a baby. He refused to acknowledge my decision to take Euclid in. With the thought of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, he bought a small apartment for me, threw a bit of money, and ignored me.

“You said the child is sick? And now you need money? I can’t help you with that.” My father bluntly stated. I was heartbroken. I pleaded with him but he barely paid attention to me. This was my father. I knew he had the money to help me, yet he refused to.

I stood in his office for a while, lost. The scene of Euclid’s collapsed figure flashed in my mind. I tensed up. Fear gripped me. I couldn’t lose him.

“I’ll do anything. Please.” I said, my face pale.

My father looked up at me with a contemplating expression, and then, he smiled.

“Get married.” He said.

I froze.

“What?”

“Like I said. I know someone who needs a wife for his son. If you agree to marry his son, I’ll give you all the money you need for that child’s medical bill.” My father smiled as he said this.

My head spun as I stood before him.

What other choice did I have? What else mattered now if Euclid died? Wasn’t it just marriage?

My father didn’t have a window in his office. Just dim lights. A bad omen.

And so, under those dim lights, I promised my father that I would get married.

I never would’ve expected the outcome of my decision that day.