THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT MARRIAGE

$284,613.00

THE ESTIMATED SURGERY COST

The bill didn't change.

Ella stared at it. Again.And again.

$284,613.00.

Her fingers shook. She kept running her fingers over the paper, as if that would make the numbers smaller. It didn't.  

“Th..there has to be a mistake”, she whispered. Her voice came out so faint. She had just received a call that her father was in the hospital… he had collapsed at home, the neighbour said, panic settled in his voice.

Across the desk, the cardiologist slowly reached for his glasses and took them off his eyes. It felt like forever.

 He didn't say anything. He just looked at her.

 Ella knew that look. The one right before, sorry.

“I’m sorry, Miss Wright,” he said quietly. “I wish there was.”

The room went quiet.

It wasn't a peaceful quiet. It was the kind of quiet you prayed would break.

 Her mind searched for something to say, but all she could think about was the numbers on the bill.

How was she supposed to get the money?

Who could she even call?

 Her father’s insurance couldn’t cover the surgery. She had no money left.

She looked down at the numbers.

Tears clouded her eyes. 

She couldn't cry. Not here. She had to be strong for him.

“Your father suffered a severe heart attack”, the doctor said, his voice gentle now. “We’ve stabilized him. But his heart… it's badly damaged. He needs surgery as soon as possible. 

Ella nodded.

 She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. She pressed her lips together, fighting back the bitter taste rising in her throat.

She couldn't hold it anymore; her shoulders caved first, then her voice, and the sound came out of her before she could stop it.

A hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up and met the doctor's eyes; he was worried for her, she could tell.

He patted her back. 

“Your dad's going to be okay. “We'll keep trying our best to keep him stable,” he said. “But if we delay his surgery...his chances to survive drop.

Chances. Delay. Drop.

Those words hit harder than the bill.

The room looked like it was moving in circles. The words kept replaying in her head…if we delay his surgery… his chances to survive drop.

 She couldn't feel anything. Not with what the doctor had just said.

Didn't he see I was already falling apart… Did he really have to tell me everything at once? 

She wiped her face with the back of her palm. “Okay,” she said. “I…I understand.

She didn't. Not really.

She stood up. Her legs wouldn't work. She leaned on the desk to stay steady for a second. She felt the bill in her hand. She had crumbled it without knowing. She had to flatten it with her thumb. 

“Thank you, doctor,” She managed.

He nodded. That sorry look again.

Ella walked out.

‘The hallway was chaos. Nurses rushed past with file folders clutched to their chests, their rubber soles squeaking against the polished floor. Somewhere down the corridor, she could hear a baby cry. The sharp scent of antiseptic lingered heavily in the air.

Ella stopped outside Room 219. Her fingers found the handle, cold metal, and stayed there for a moment, then she let out air before finally turning it.

The door shoved open.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound of the monitor hit her.

Her chest was tight. She could feel her fingers trembling, and it felt like her whole world had shattered right before her.

Her dad lay in the bed. Still. The oxygen tube under his nose. His skin looked gray. He always had this warm, loud laugh. This was not him.

“Dad…” Please just wake up, she wanted to say, but the words dissolved before they reached her lips.

She stood there, unable to look away from him. She wanted to yell, but no words came. 

She moved closer to the bed. Her shoes were too loud on the floor. She sat down and took his hand.

His hands were cold in hers, unmoving, nothing like the hand that always took care of her. She squeezed them against her palm, but they didn’t squeeze back. 

“You promised,” she whispered. Her voice cracked. “You said…we’d celebrate.”

A tear hit the white sheet.

“When I got the internship,” she said. “Remember?”

Only a month ago, she could still see his face beaming with a smile. His eyes had gone wide. He was so proud of her.

“I told you,” he'd said, looking at her with that wide smile that she could give anything to see now,” I told you that you would get the offer.”

She had cried and laughed at the same time.

For the first time in years, it felt like life was finally… good.

They’d left their hometown with almost nothing. They sold the sofa. The table. The TV. They basically left to start a new life here in New York City.

New York City was supposed to be new. Clean. No running away from Marcus.

Marcus…

The name alone made her stomach drop. Her wrist throbbed with a pain that wasn't really there anymore.

She forced the memory down. 

No. Not now.

She wasn’t that frightened girl anymore.

Her father needed her. Not her past.

Three months earlier…

Life had looked completely different.

The email came at 2:30 a.m. It was an offer from Blackwood Holdings Company, one of the biggest companies in the city.

She read it three times. Her hands were shaking.

This is it.

She could take care of her father now. Give him the life she’d always dreamed of for him.

The sound of the door brought her back to the present. A nurse walked in.

“Hi”, the nurse said softly. “I’m just here to check his vitals.

Ella stepped aside as the nurse checked the monitor and adjusted the IV. 

“How’s he doing?” Ella asked quietly.

“He’s stable now,” the nurse replied. “The doctor will update you if anything changes.”

Ella looked at her. “Will he be okay?”

The nurse’s expression softened. “I wish I could tell you for sure, but I honestly can't.”

Ella nodded. “I understand. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

“Not right now,” the nurse replied with a gentle smile. “Visiting hours will be over in about twenty minutes. You can stay with him until then.”

“Thank you,” Ella whispered.

Ella watched as the nurse quietly left the room, then turned back to her father. She sat beside him in silence, listening to the steady beep of the heart monitor. She gently took her father’s hand and tightened her grip, hoping he could somehow feel she was there.

She traced small circles over the back of his hand with her thumb.

“You’ve always told me everything would be okay.” She whispered. “Now I’m the one telling you you’re going to get through this.”  You’ve always been the one helping me, now it is my turn to return the favour. I wouldn't disappoint you, dad just hold in there for me. 

Ella stood up and went to grab her phone from her bag. She had completely forgotten that she needed to get to the office to run some file work. She wanted to check what time it was.

How would she get to the office without anyone noticing her? Her eye was so swollen, and the last thing she needed was anyone's pity. She needed to be strong, not for anyone, not even for herself, but for her father.

A soft knock came at the door, and it slowly opened. It was the same nurse who had come to check her father's vitals.

“I’m sorry, Miss Wright. Visiting hours are over.”

“Okay,” Ella replied, tired. She looked at her father once more, and in that moment, she knew that she’d do everything in her power to raise the money needed for his surgery.