CHAPTER 4

My head throbbed as I forced my eyes open. My vision did not make sense of where I was. I found myself in a room that looked new. The bed beneath me was more comfortable, much bigger and more luxurious — far beyond the room I had booked.

Before I could fully grasp my surroundings, a deep, commanding voice cut through my thoughts

“Hey, you're awake already?”

The unexpected sound startled me, causing my heart to race. I turned my head toward the voice and was stunned by the man that stood in front of me–a tall man with broad shoulders who looked to be in late thirties. He wore a well tailored suit, an unmistakable testament of his affluence.

I looked back at myself on the bed, confusion swirling all over me.

“ Who are you? And where am I?”

“You got drunk last night,” he answered, his voice steady. “I figured bringing you in here to help was the best thing to do.” he spoke with an air of nonchalance, as if he could read my mind on the questions swirling in there and was ready to answer even before I asked.

Suddenly, the memories of last night flooded back. Adrian. The name sounded familiar but this wasn't the time to dwell on it.

A wave of embarrassment washed over me and my cheeks began to flush.

“I'm so sorry about last night. I will take my leave now.” I said as I tried to take off the silky fabric that covered my body.

“No, you don't have to worry,” he said, steadying me back onto the bed. “I said I wanted to help. Just relax” he added.

“But how can you help…”

“Enough with the long talk I've got some tea here for you, take it first and you can ask whatever questions you have later.” He walked to a table close by and picked up a steaming cup, and placed it on the bedside close to me

“You drink this first then we can later talk about what happened”

I nodded, trying not to contradict what he said earlier. I reached for the tea, my fingers wrapping around the warm ceramic cup.

“Your husband doesn't know how to appreciate the good people around him, huh? I can see that runs in their family”

I froze, my cup almost slipping

“You know my husband?” I corrected myself, “sorry my ex- husband?”

“Yes, I do. I know how he made you quit working so you could stroke his useless ego by depending solely on him. I know how you were just a game to him–a bet.”

He turned to look at me in a way to confirm if I wasn't hurt by his words but I nodded in agreement.

I was done being in denial. I was done making others believe he was the best. I was done acting as though he didn't make my life miserable—stripping me of my independence and confidence.

“I also know how he made you feel useless especially around his friends” he said, leaning in slightly “I can help you, that is… if you want me to”.

A quiet sense of hope took over me.“Can you help me secure a job?”

“I can do more If you let me”

A sense of discomfort crept over me after he said that. Something about the tone sent a flush of anxiety over my skin.

“Can I understand what exactly you mean by that?” I asked, uncertainty evident in my voice

“Marry me”.

I blinked, trying to process what he just said, my stomach twisting as the words sank in. Did I just hear him mention Marriage?

“Marry you?”

“Yes! Marry me.” He repeated as if he had suggested something mere as changing my clothes.

A sharp laugh escaped my lips. “Do you go around proposing to strange women all the time? Or I'm just lucky. And moreover, you barely know me.”

“Well it only takes just a few minutes to get to know someone. In my world, I don't believe in luck, I believe in decisions. You need a fresh start. I need a wife for my personal reasons. It's a mutually beneficial deal”

I set my cup down carefully as I sat on the bed, my mind spinning. Marry me?

“You barely know me and you think marrying me will be the best thing to do?”

He shrugged, “ I know your stay here is not going to last for up to a month if you don't find a job soon enough. We both know you have nowhere else to go. You might have to sleep on the streets and wait for your dear ex husband to come and ridicule you.”

I bowed my head, his words sinking in much deeper now. He was right, my savings wouldn't last me for more than a month and after that, what next? Would I go back to Martin pleading with him to give me a second chance? Or maybe my parents. Of course not, that isn't an option either.

But, Marriage – It's not the best way out, there might be alternatives.

“ Can you give me some time to think about this?”

“ Alright, but just know you don't have all the time in the world. If you want to see your ex husband pay for what he did to you, you need to act fast”.

“Yeah….Okay” I replied hesitantly

The weight of my struggles were now much evident, realizing that fighting through it by myself was not an option. Martin had the tendency of exploiting his influence, and I was worried he would undermine all my efforts of securing myself a job

I didn't know what else to think.

The thought of marrying Adrian offered a little hope. I desperately desired to become a better version of myself so that Martin would realise what he lost.

But I couldn't shake off the strange feeling that this wasn't just kindness. Or there was something more driving him.

But what personal reasons would require someone to marry a stranger.

Was he that desperate?