When love turn to chains.

MICHELLE’S POV.

I sat beside my mother’s hospital bed, my hands covering my face as I cried quietly. The smell of disinfectant filled the air, mixing with the sound of beeping machines. My mother was still asleep, her breathing weak but steady. Tubes ran across her body, and I couldn’t help but feel helpless.

Everything hurt. My heart, my chest, my head. I still couldn’t believe what had happened at the church. It felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

I reached out and held my mother’s cold hand. “Mama,” I whispered, “I’m so sorry.” My voice cracked. “I tried so hard to make things better. I thought Damien would help. I thought he’d keep his promise.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I remembered everything I had done for him.

When I first met Damien, he was just a struggling actor with nothing but dreams. I worked two jobs to support him—one at a café and another as a cleaner. Every night, I’d sit up helping him memorize his lines, writing scripts, and making phone calls to people who never took him seriously. I gave up my own dreams just to help him reach his.

And when he finally got famous, I thought everything was finally worth it. He told me he will take care of me and my mother. I believed him.

But now, sitting beside my sick mother, I realized how foolish I had been.

His parents never liked me. To them, I was just “that poor girl.” His mother once told me I should be grateful her son even looked my way.

I told Damien about it, and he told me to trust him. He said once we got married, he’d pay all of my mother’s medical bills.

How foolish I was. But now I finally know the truth. He only wanted to marry me to use me. He wanted me to have his children so Sarah wouldn’t “ruin her body.” I was just a machine to him. No wonder he made Sarah his manager and goes everywhere with her.

I wiped my tears as the door opened. The doctor stepped in, his face serious.

“Miss Michelle,” he said softly, “can you come to my office for a moment?”

I nodded and followed him, my heart beating painfully in my chest.

Inside his office, he motioned for me to sit. “There’s some news,” he began. “A compatible heart has been found for your mother.”

My eyes widened in shock. “Really?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Oh my God… that’s wonderful! When can you do the surgery?”

He sighed heavily and looked down. “We can’t proceed yet,” he said slowly. “You still haven’t paid the medical bills or the surgery deposit. Without that, we can’t claim the heart.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “Please, doctor,” I begged, leaning forward. “You can’t let her die. I’ll find the money. Please just do the surgery. I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Michelle. Hospital policy doesn’t allow it.”

I bit my lip hard to stop myself from crying again. “She’s all I have,” I whispered. “Please… she’s all I have.”

He looked at me with pity but said nothing more. “I’ll give you until tomorrow morning,” he said finally. “If the payment isn’t made, the heart will go to another patient.”

I nodded weakly and stood up. My legs felt like they would give out. I turned to leave, my vision blurry from tears.

Immediately I got out the door, a hand grabbed me and dragged me to another room.

It was Damien. And he looked furious

“What the hell are you doing here?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed me to the wall, pinning me down. “Let go of me!” I cried, trying to pull free, but he was too strong.

“Why did you do that?” he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “Why did you humiliate me and my family in front of everyone?”

I backed away slowly. “You cheated on me, Damien! With my best friend! What did you expect me to do—smile and pretend everything was fine?”

He moved closer until I could feel his breath on my face. “You made me look like a fool,” he growled. “You embarrassed my father. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“I don’t care!” I shouted through my tears. “You deserved it!”

His hand shot out and grabbed my throat. I gasped, my fingers clawing at his wrist as he choked me.

“You will apologize to my family,” he said in a cold, calm voice. “You will come back home and act like a good wife. You’ll give me children, Michelle. And you’ll forget about what happened.”

I shook my head weakly, tears streaming down my face. “N–never,” I gasped.

He laughed bitterly and let go of my throat. I fell to the ground, coughing. “You really think you have a choice?” he asked, smirking. “Maybe you don’t care about yourself, but what about your mother?”

My heart stopped. “What do you mean?”

He crouched down, his eyes glinting with something cruel. “I still have control over your mother’s bills. Remember you have no one but me.”

My eyes widened in anger as our eyes locked.

“You humiliated me, Michelle. Now it’s your turn to beg.”

Anger and fear mixed in my chest. “You’re a monster.”

He smiled faintly. “Maybe. But you made me angry. And now you’ll fix it.”

“Fix it?” I whispered.

“Yes,” he said. “You’ll come back home. You’ll apologize to my parents and act like the obedient wife you were supposed to be. If you do that, I’ll pay for your mother’s surgery. If you don’t…” He stood and walked toward the door. “…then watch her die.”

I stood up shakily, tears falling faster. “You can’t do this,” I whispered.

He turned back and smirked. “I can do whatever I want.” He pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it — inside was a ring. “I wanted to give you this,” he said coldly, “but now I know you don’t deserve it.”

He threw the box on the floor and headed for the door.

“Wait!” I cried. “Please… don’t let my mother die.”

He looked at me over his shoulder, his smile cruel and satisfied. “Then come back to me.” He turned back. “Be a surrogate for Sarah. You are the one who keeps saying we are your light. But you are being quite selfish now.”

I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t want to see him ever again. But I knew I didn’t have a choice.

If I didn’t agree, my mother would die.

And so, with my heart breaking all over again, I shouted words I swore I never would.

“I’ll do it.”