The Unwilling Vow: A Lifetime Promise

the reason

Pearl’s P.O.V. (Continued)

I didn’t know why, but I didn’t feel relieved by this news when I should have because Jack was now in the ICU.

“Just tell us directly, Dad. Why are you trying to sound so mysterious? Don’t tell me that you and Uncle Ethan are scheming to sell Pearl to some old rich pervert.” Sapphire yelled at Dad angrily.

I held her hand tightly, signalling her silently to shut her mouth.

She wasn’t helping but increasing my anxiety.

“Sapphire.” Mom called her warningly.

Sapphire scoffed angrily and looked in the other direction.

“Now tell me, Dad. Why can’t I go to see jack?” I asked him firmly, masking all my inner turmoil.

“Because you need to marry Arthur tonight.” He blurted out in frustration.

It took me a few seconds to process what he said.

I just blinked dumbly while processing his words.

Marry Arthur….

Arthur meant…. Jack’s elder brother, Arthur????

What’s that supposed to mean?

“What are you saying, Dad? Are you crazy?” Sapphire yelled in shock and anger, pulling me out of my daze.

My body trembled hard, but I waited for him to explain his statement.

“I am not crazy, Sapphire. I…. I am just trying to figure out how to explain everything to you guys,” Dad replied to her in a frustrated tone, sounding both angry and helpless.

“There is nothing to explain, Dad. Jack is injured, but he is still alive. We are postponing the wedding for now, and both Jack and Pearl can get married when he recovers,” Sapphire spoke sternly.

She was now holding my hands tightly. Her body was also trembling, but I could feel fear in her voice.

“Things aren’t this easy, honey. Our families proposed this marriage not because of a business deal or for joining powers. We arranged this marriage to save Evan.”

I felt my head spinning hard.

Evan Froste was my cousin, Vera and Arthur’s son. He was only four years old. Vera died three years ago after a painful fight with blood cancer.

The silence in the room was deafening.

I don’t know why, but I felt like being betrayed by my parents.

“Evan …. He… he also has leukemia, Pearl.” Aunt Sofia spoke this time, her voice cracked because she was crying silently.

I held my breath in shock and immediately looked at the child sleeping soundly in her embrace. She was holding his small frame against her chest.

For a few seconds, my mind short-circuited.

Evan got his facial features from both Vera and Arthur, making him handsome and cute at the same time.

Although I didn’t get enough time to spend with him because of my position in the company, I still love to play with him whenever I get the time.

Now they are telling us that he is also suffering from leukemia.

“And the problem is that he is also RH- like his father,” Aunt Sophia added further in the same cracked tone.

“Both Arthur and Jack have the same blood type. Also, you…. You also have the same blood type as Vera,” she continued speaking, taking over the conversation from my father.

I just listened to her dumbly, but my mind started working at the fastest speed.

“He fainted after coughing blood seven months ago. After all the investigation, we learned that he is also suffering from leukemia and th… the disease is almost in the first lap of the third stage. He…. He doesn’t have much time, Pearl. We…. we have been trying to find the matching bone marrow donor for him since that day, but it’s not that easy.” She wailed at the end.

Uncle Wilson immediately hugged her from the side.

“But both Jack and Arthur have the same blood type as Evan. What’s the problem then?” I asked her in a confused tone. My voice was hoarse and painful because of all the crying.

“The problem is markers that the doctor told us, Pearl. Matching blood type is not enough,” Mom replied to me in a helpless tone.

My breath stuck in my throat when a sense of dread crept into my heart.

“Okay. J… just tell me how his illness is related to my marriage.” I asked them directly, not in the mood to learn everything about Evan’s illness and its complications.

I love my nephew too, and to be honest, I am angry that they hid it from us.

Vera is dead, but we are still alive. We would have done something too to help Evan with the cure.

There is no way that I will let Evan go just like this.

I can do anything in my power to save him.

“Th… the doctor suggested th… that if …. If Evan can get the umbilical cord blood fro… from any of his siblings or…. Or a cousin, there is a possibility that he can be saved.” Aunt Sophia spoke in a very shaky, cautious and fearful voice.

For the next few seconds, I just processed what she said without showing any emotion on my face.

Sapphire’s grip tightened on my hands one more time, but she was also processing Aunt Sophia’s words like me.

A sibling or a cousin.

My heart was now thudding so hard that I could hear my own heartbeat.

A cousin…

Means….. Jack and my child…

Our child could be a perfect match because Jack is Arthur’s younger brother and I and Vera share the same blood type.

From the very beginning, this marriage wasn’t for my and Jack’s happiness.

This was just a way to save Evan.

Did Jack know about this?

Vera married Arthur five years ago, and I had known Jack for more than 10 years in total. We weren’t friends, but high schoolmates, and then we were also at the same university. We met a few times in some professional environments too, but our families talked about our marriage only three months ago.

I didn’t understand at first why they suddenly talked about my and Jack’s marriage, but now everything clicked in its place.

“So….. so… you guys planned their marriage t… to get umbilical cord blood of their first child?” Sapphire asked in a low and shaky voice, shattering the tense silence in the room.

Just like me, she was shocked too, but I was devastated.

I felt betrayed by my parents.

“It’s not like that, Sapphire. I… I mean, our first intention was to save Evan by using the umbilical cord, but this marriage benefits everyone.” Dad replied to her in a frustrated tone.

“Everyone?” I asked him accusingly.

I was still crying that made my voice a little rough and hoarse.

“Did you consider my feelings? When did you decide to tell me? A….. and did Jack know about this?” I asked him so many questions in a row, my tone still holding accusation.

“Pearl. I… I know that it’s wrong not to tell you the main reason for this marriage alliance, but please understand our intention, honey. “ I didn’t know why Dad was desperate to make me understand him and others, but I shook my head negatively.

“What is there to understand, Dad? To save Evan’s life, you guys are desperate, but what about me and my child’s life? You…. You guys matched me with Jack so… so that he could get the umbilical cord blood, but didn’t think about discussing it with me or Jack. Why?” I was still crying and had a loud hiccup.

“Calm down, Pearl. I have an important question here to ask.” I looked at Pearl in confusion but saw a stern expression on her face.

“It’s okay that you didn’t tell us this before. Spare us with whatever your reason was. Jack is not a bad person, and Pearl and he are going along well.” She spoke calmly, but her eyes were cold.

“Why did you ask her to marry Mr. Arthur now when we can wait for Jack to recover?” Her question made my heart skip a beat, and I looked at my father fearfully.

"I don't agree." We all looked in the direction of the cold voice that suddenly took our attention.

My eyes widened in realization when I saw him still sitting in the same posture.

Damn it.

I forgot that Arthur was also sitting in the room.