Chapter 5

Aria's POV

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The antiseptic scent lingered in the atmosphere, melding with the soft chatter of hospital workers and patients alike. I strode towards my mother's hospital room, my heart heavy with anticipation and dread.

Opening the door, my eyes fell on my sister, Vivian. She lunged at me, pulling me into a tight hug. "How did you do it?" she asked, tears streaming down her face and settling on my shoulders. She pulled back, a grin slipping onto her lips.

My gaze zeroed in on her, trying to make sense of her words. An unsteady chuckle escaped me. "The doctor came in and said the payment had been made. Mom will be having her surgery today."

A sense of relief tugged at every inch of me as my eyes widened. Despite selling my soul to the devil to make this happen, it was worth it.

Vivian's gaze lingered on me, her smile falling to a neutral expression. "How did you get the money?"

I took a deep breath before heaving out a puff. Does she need to know? Does she need to know the price of the surgery was my soul? Of course not.

I patted Vivian on her head. "Does it matter?" I flashed her a smile. "As long as mom will be fine, isn't that good enough for us?"

An unsettling look settled in her eyes as she nodded her head. I knew she didn't agree with my words, but we were both too concerned with our mother's health to bother with such trivial matters.

I drew closer to my mother's bed. Her eyes were shut, her chest heaving in rhythm with the medical monitors. Cupping her hands in mine, I muttered, "You are going to be fine. I found a Good Samaritan who was willing to help us." I continued, despite knowing Julian was anything but a Good Samaritan.

But the doctor had said that although she was in a vegetative state, we should still have conversations with her. So we always said positive things around her and made no mistake of crying in her presence.

After a while, the doctor and nurse came and took my mother out of the room to the surgery theater while Vivian and I waited outside in the hallway.

Vivian stretched out on the chair. "I feel like licking ice cream," she said, cushioning her head with her arms.

Belying the knots in my stomach, I chuckled. Vivian had a habit of eating ice cream when she was nervous. I remember during my father's burial, Vivian had stepped out to get a bowl of ice cream. And when she returned, my aunt slapped her and rained thousands of insults on her, saying she was heartless and her brother deserved better kids.

I still remember the sharp snort that flared through my nostrils when I heard those words. He was never there for us. He always came home reeking of alcohol and cigarettes. In his drunk state, he would pounce on my mother as though she was a sinner who had committed an unforgivable crime.

When we thought things couldn't get worse, he upgraded into using drugs and gambling, plunging us deeper into poverty. So when I heard my aunty say those words, I felt like ripping her apart. It was we who deserved a better father. It was my mother who deserved a better husband.

"I've always wondered how you can stomach anything," I said, glancing at the theater door.

"That's the only way I could drown the nervousness in my stomach," Vivian replied, her eyes lingering on me. Her lips parted but then tightened into a straight line.

"Say what's on your mind," I exhaled. I already have a lot to worry about, I had no strength to wonder what was going through her mind.

Vivian straightened up as she fidgeted with her fingers. "Who's the good samaritan you talk about?" she questioned.

I heaved out another exhale. There was no need to hide it. Sooner or later, she was going to find out about it. "I am getting married."

Her eyes widened. "Ethan took you back?"

A short chuckle bubbled out of my throat. "Of course not. Another man."

Her eyes dimmed. "Were you cheating on Ethan? I mean, you guys just divorced barely a week ago. Where did you meet a man who wants to marry you in less than a week?" Her speech came out fast, and it somehow grated on my nerves.

"Isn't the heavens gracious?" I teased.

Vivian wasn't satisfied with my response. A frown formed on her face. "Don't tell me it's a contract marriage?" She jerked upward.

When all she got was my silence, she raked her hand through her hair. "After how Ethan treated you, you still entered another one." She let out a thin air of exasperation. "Don't you get it? Rich men like Ethan don't care about poor women like us."

Of course, I knew that—all thanks to Ethan.

My voice sank, and my gaze deepened. "But what was I supposed to do? It's not like I could find $500,000 lying on the floor somewhere."

"I am sorry," Vivian said, leaning back into the chair. "You are right."

"But I have learned my lesson," I said, tilting my body and facing her. "I won't let this man use me like Ethan." I cupped her hand in mine. "Besides, he is also paying for your college tuition."

Vivian's eyes tore at me as they widened. "So I'll be going back to college?" Her speech came out slowly as if she was trying to process the information. "I want to be happy... No, I am happy. It's just that, I don't want you to sacrifice yourself."

I let out an exhale. "Well, I am your elder sister. I have to be the one."

The theater doors opened, and the doctor came out. We jolted to our feet.

The man pulled down his nose mask. "The surgery was successful."

Almost instantly, my sister pulled me into her arms. Our sobs, one out of pure joy, filled the once-cold hallways.

As we embraced, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease. I had saved my mother and secured my sister's future, but at what cost? I had bound myself to a man I barely knew, a man who saw me as nothing more than a pawn in his twisted game.

But as I looked into Vivian's tearful eyes, I knew I had made the right choice. I would do anything for my family, even if it meant sacrificing my own happiness. I just hoped that one day, I wouldn't regret this decision.

With a deep breath, I pushed my fears aside. There was no turning back now. I had made my bed, and now I had to lie in it. Literally and figuratively.

As we followed the doctor back to my mother's room, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life had irrevocably changed. I was no longer just Aria, the divorced woman struggling to make ends meet. I was now Aria, the wife of a powerful and dangerous man. And I had no idea what that entailed.