THE CEO'S UNWANTED BRIDE

The room was quiet. I sat on the edge of my bed, my knees drawn to my chest, staring at the cracked paint on the wall opposite me. The room was small but was neatly arranged,this room had never truly been mine it was more like a borrowed space, a reminder that I existed. I stood up to go through my medical book,i was halfway through a page when i heard my name “ELARA!” I closed my eyes. There it was again. “I’m hungry!” Serena’s voice echoed through the house, sharp and commanding. “Are you deaf or what?” I pressed my lips together, slid the book under my pillow, and stood up. I had learned long ago that ignoring Serena only made things worse. “I’m coming,” I called back quietly. I quickly went to look for her and there she was, sitting comfortably on the couch, her legs crossed, her phone balanced effortlessly in her hand. Hunger, to her, was not discomfort—it was an inconvenience someone else was meant to solve. “What took you so long?” she snapped without looking at me. “I was_uh” “Never mind. Just make something to eat. I’m starving.” I nodded and walked into the kitchen, tying my hair back as I moved. Cooking as always been my daily routine. I reached for the cupboard trying to carry the tomato paste remaining when I saw an empty bottle of oil. Then I froze. The bottle of cooking oil was empty. I checked again, hoping I was wrong. Nothing. My chest tightened slightly as I walked back toward the living room. “We’re out of oil,” I said carefully. “I’ll need to buy some.” Serena finally looked up, irritation flashing across her face. “So go and buy it.” “It’s getting dark,” I said softly. Before Serena could respond, my aunt’s voice cut through the air from her bedroom. “Why are you standing there?” I turned toward her. “There’s no oil. I need to go to the market.” She stepped out, arms crossed, her expression already set in stone. “Then go. Do you expect Serena to sleep hungry?” I lowered my head. “No.” “Exactly. Hurry up.” I grabbed a small bag and slipped into worn sandals. As I stepped outside, the night air wrapped around me, cool and heavy. The sky was painted in deep shades of purple and gold, streetlights flickering awake one after another. I walked quickly, my footsteps echoing against the pavement. The market wasn’t far—just a short walk of road I had traveled countless times. That was when I heard a large crash. BOOM!!! I stopped in my tracks. The sound came from ahead,from the end in the road near the old trees. Smoke curled into the night sky. My feet moved before I told them to. As I rounded the corner, I saw a terrified scene, a car had slammed directly into a massive tree. The front was completely crushed.The headlights was shattered on the ground. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Then my vision blurred. The scene before me began to overlap with another—one I had tried desperately to forget. If someone had stopped… If someone had helped… Would my parents still be alive? My chest tightened painfully as the past surged forward. FLASHBACK** “We should surprise her,” my father said, lifting a soft pink teddy bear from the shelf. My mother laughed, brushing her fingers over the plush fur. “She’s going to hug it to death.” Later that evening, they boarded a taxi home. The driver was impatient, speeding, talking loudly on his phone. “Please slow down,” my mother said gently. The driver nodded but didn’t. Headlights appeared suddenly. A horn screamed. Metal crashed. Glass shattered. END OF FLASHBACK I gasped sharply, forcing myself back into the present. Inside the car was an elderly woman, her head slumped to the side, blood trickling down her head. Her breathing was shallow but she was alive. “She’s alive,” I whispered. A small crowd began to gather, murmuring anxiously, but no one stepped forward. “Someone call for help,” a man said uncertainly. “An ambulance will take too long,” another replied. I clenched my fists. I wasn’t going to stand there. Not again. I carefully opened the car door, my hands shaking but my mind strangely calm. I checked her breathing, just like I had read in my books so many times late at night. “Please,” I said to the onlookers, my voice firmer than I felt. “Help me lift her. We have to move her carefully.” Two men hesitated, then stepped forward. Together, we eased her out of the car, laying her gently on the ground. I kept her neck steady, whispering softly even though I wasn’t sure she could hear me. “It’s okay. You’re not alone.” I scanned the road desperately until I saw headlights approaching. A taxi. I waved desperately,stepping into the road until a car stopped “Please,” I begged. “She’s been in an accident. Take us to the hospital.” The driver took one look at the injured woman and nodded. “Put her in. Now.” The ride to the hospital felt endless. I held her hand the entire time, my thumb brushing gently over her cold skin. I didn’t know her name. I didn’t know her life. But I knew this,she mattered. At the hospital, everything moved fast. Doctors rushed her into the emergency room. Nurses asked questions I barely had answers to. When they handed me forms, my hands trembled. “She’s not your family,” one nurse said gently. “I know,” I replied. “But she needs help.” I signed the papers anyway. Hours passed. The adrenaline faded, leaving exhaustion in its place. I sat in the waiting area, my clothes stained, my body aching. That was when I remembered. Serena. The oil. The house. My heart skipped painfully. I should go back. I stood up but my feet refused to move. When the doctor finally came out, his expression softened. “She’s stable,” he said. “You brought her in just in time.” Relief crashed over me so hard my knees nearly buckled. I sank back onto the couch in the waiting area,laying on the couch. Did I make the wrong choice? What will happen when I go back home? Why did I stay? I stared at the ceiling, my parents’ faces flickering in my thoughts. If someone had stopped for them… If someone had saved them… maybe they might be alive now. Tears slid silently down my cheeks. I didn’t know the woman I had saved. But as I drifted into sleep on that hospital couch, one truth settled deep inside my heart: I had chosen differently this time.