CHAPTER 3

“What!?” I asked, looking at him like he had just sprouted horns.

“We’re getting married.” He repeated.

“I heard you clearly the first time. But this doesn’t make any sense. Christian we had a one night stand, you were the one who even brought up the fact that it should be a one time thing. It happened four years ago, so why am I here?” I was trying to be in control of the situation. But the truth was that I was frightened to my bones. Yes, I slept with this guy four years ago, but I knew nothing about him except for his first name. I didn’t even know his last name, I didn’t know just how dangerous he was. How did he find me? It only meant that he had been stalking me for the last four years, and that made my bones rattle in fear.

“You’re mine, Hazel. What is it that you don’t understand?”

“Christian…” I said slowly, talking to him like he was five years old. I had read somewhere that raising your voice in a dangerous situation wasn’t the right way to go. “Christian we can’t be married, we don’t even know anything about each other, we only met once. I have a boyfriend.” I tried to envision how my boyfriend, Mark, would react if he could hear this right now.

“Hazel.”

The way he said my name sounded like a warning, and I moved my legs to get out of the bed. “I need to go, please. My mother needs me, I can’t waste any more time here.”

He didn’t try to stop me as I walked on shaky legs towards the door, and I felt a bit of relief, but the words that left his mouth stopped me in my tracks.

“Your mother is the reason you’re here.”

“What?” I asked as I turned to face him. “How do you know my mother? What did you do to her, you bastard!?” I screamed despite myself. The fear of this man was one thing, but the possibility of my mother being harmed in any way was scarier than anything in the world.

“Your mother is safe.” He said calmly. He went to the table on one side of the room and picked up an envelope and held it out to me. “Although I can’t say she’d be safe for much longer if you refuse to do as I ask.”

I collected the envelope from him, looking at it suspiciously. “What is this?”

“See for yourself.”

I tore the envelope open, and inside it was a single piece of paper. I pulled it out to see that it was a marriage license. “What is this?”

Christian didn’t say a word in response.

I read through the paper quickly, and saw that it had both mine and Christian’s name on it, with our signatures boldly above the names. I let out a gasp. “I didn’t sign this. It must be fake. I don’t know what games you’re playing, but I want no part in it.”

“Oh it’s as real as it gets, Hazel. Your signature is clearly there. As you can see, our marriage is registered and we’re legally married.”

I racked my brain. Surely I would remember if I had gotten married. My head was starting to hurt. “How did you… what is this… you…” I had no idea where to even begin. Everything was just too much to take in. “You said my mother’s the reason for me being here. What does that mean?”

He took confident steps toward me, and I moved back with each step until my back hit the wall and he was mere inches away from me. “It’s pretty straightforward Hazel. Either you walk down the aisle to me tomorrow, or your mother dies.”

My chest was rising and falling rapidly now. “What does that even mean?” I asked in confusion.

He smirked. “I’m sure you’re aware of how much debt you’re in, especially from your mother’s treatment. Cancer is an expensive disease to try to treat, and due to not being backed up by insurance, you have a lot of debt—”

“What does that have to do with any of this?” I asked, cutting him off.

“The hospital your mother is in belongs to me. Which simply means that you’re indebted to me. Now you can decide how this goes Hazel, you marry me tomorrow and I clear all your outstanding debts and all future bills, or I can open the door right now for you to leave, and your mother dies. Your mother’s a smart woman and I’m sure she wants to live, now it’s all your choice to make.”

“But why me? Why would you even want to marry me?”

“There’s no need for you to worry about that.”

I shook my head repeatedly. “No, no this has to be illegal, you can’t do this to me. It’s unfair.” I racked her brain to try to find answers, but none came. My mother must have tricked me into signing the papers somehow.

He looked at his watch. “I’m a busy man, Hazel, I don’t have all night.”

“Please, I’m sure there’s another way we can go about this. I can pay off my debt if you just give me a little more time. Please.” Tears were streaming down my face now, and I had resorted to begging because I didn’t think there was anything else I could do. Maybe I could inform the authorities, but I definitely wouldn’t win in a legal battle against someone as rich as Christian, and I couldn’t even afford a lawyer right now.

“Tick tock, Hazel. You have five minutes. Let’s see how much of a good daughter you are. Would you really let your mother die for your own selfish reasons?” He teased.

I held my head and screamed in frustration, the tears were flowing freely now. Five minutes was all I had to make a decision that would alter my life forever. But I knew it had to be done, I was sure he also knew it. He had me cornered, right where he wanted. I closed my eyes and resigned to my fate.

“Fine, I’ll marry you.”