The price of being Mr,Knight

NAYA'S POV

I was sitting on a plastic chair beside Lily's bed when the doctor came to get me.

I had been there since morning, watching her sleep. Her face was pale and her lips were dry and chapped. When I held her hand, her fingers felt cold against mine, so I kept rubbing them slowly, hoping the warmth from my hands would pass to hers.

She opened her eyes a little and looked at me.

"You're still here?" she said weakly.

"Of course I'm here," I said, and I tried to smile so she would not worry. "Where else would I be?"

She opened her mouth. I thought she was going to say something but instead she started coughing. I reached for the cup of water on the small table beside her and held it to her lips. Her hands shook as she took it.

"Sorry," she said when she stopped.

"For what?"

"For making you stay here every day. You should be living your life, Naya."

"Stop talking like that," I said.

She looked at me for a long time, studying my face the way she always did when she thought I was hiding something. Lily had always been able to see through me, even when we were children.

"You look tired," she said.

"I'm fine."

"You always say that."

I squeezed her hand. "Sleep. The doctor said you need to rest."

She smiled a little and closed her eyes. I sat there and watched her chest rise and fall until her breathing became slow and even. Only then did I let out a long breath.

She had been through so much. We both had, but giving up was not what I was willing to do, not when she still needed me.

Then the doctor appeared at the door and asked me to step outside. His face told me everything before he opened his mouth.

"Your sister's condition is getting worse," he said. "We cannot delay the surgery any longer. It has to happen within the next few days."

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest to keep myself together.

"I know," I said. "I'm working on the money."

"Miss Whitlock, the total cost is one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. That includes the surgery, the medication, and post-surgery care."

I pressed my lips together and breathed.

"You also still have an unpaid balance of twenty thousand dollars," he added.

I nodded, like I was absorbing each word one at a time.

"The hospital will need a full deposit before we can schedule anything," he said. "You have three days."

"Three days?" I repeated.

"Yes,” He paused. "I am sorry, I totally understand this is difficult."

He walked away and I stayed there against the wall. My hands would not stop shaking.

I took out my phone and started calling people.

My aunt did not pick up the first time. I called again. When she finally answered, she sounded irritated.

"Naya, I'm at work. Make it fast."

"Aunty please. Lily needs surgery and I need help. I'd appreciate any amount from you. I will pay you back, I promise."

She let out a long sigh. "Naya, I don't have money. Things are hard for everyone right now."

"Please. Anything."

"I said I don't have it." She ended the call.

I stared at my phone, then I called my uncle. He listened while I explained everything, then he said he would need to speak to his wife first.

"Sir, there's no time. The doctor said it has to be soon."

"I will call you back," he said. He never called back.

I tried an old family friend. No answer. I even sent messages, still no reply.

I scrolled down my contacts and stopped when I saw my dad's name. I dialed the number. The phone rang once, then told me the number was switched off. I tried again and it told me same thing. I kept trying until my thumb hurt and the screen blurred before my eyes.

"Please," I pleaded. "Just pick up," but the line stayed dead.

I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor of the hospital corridor. People walked past me, everyone going about their businesses. I stared at the tiles and thought about one hundred and eighty thousand dollars and three days and the fact that I had nobody. How was I going to achieve all these in a few days?

A nurse tapped me on the shoulder after a while. "You cannot sit here Ma'am." I stood up and walked back to Lily's room.

She was awake when I returned, staring at the ceiling.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

"The doctor wanted to talk."

"What did he say?"

I forced a smile. "He said you will be fine. They just need to do the surgery soon."

She looked at me for a long time. "You're lying."

"I'm not."

"Naya. You only smile like that when something is wrong."

I turned away from her and straightened her blanket. "You think too much."

She grabbed my wrist. Her grip was weak. "If the money is too much, it's okay."

"It's not okay."

"I don't want you to suffer for me."

"You are my sister," I said calmly. "I will sell this hospital if I have to."

She almost laughed. "You always say something crazy when you're scared."

"I'm not scared."

She brought her hand to my face and touched it gently. "Go home and rest sis."

I told her I would go later but I did not go home. I went to the hospital bathroom instead, locked the door, and stood in front of the mirror.

My eyes were red and my hair was a mess. I looked like someone who had not slept properly in days, because I had not.

I opened my banking app and checked my balance. The number on the screen was very small and highlighted in red. I stared at it until it became blurry.

Then the tears came.

I covered my mouth with both hands and cried as quietly as I could. But the more I tried to hold it in, the harder it came. I sank down onto the floor and buried my face between my knees and just let it all go. I cried for Lily, I cried for the money I did not have, I cried for the father who would not pick up his phone, I cried for the loneliness of carrying all of this with nobody beside me.

After a long time, I stopped.

I stood up, washed my face, and walked out.

I took a short walk outside the hospital to get some air. The evening sun was warm and orange. It painted everything in a soft golden color that would have been beautiful on any other day.

I was about to go back inside when I noticed a couple near the small hospital chapel. They were taking wedding pictures. The bride was in a white dress, her whole face lit up with happiness. The groom had his arms around her waist and they were both laughing so hard the photographer could not get them to stand still.

I stood and watched them for a while.

They looked like people who had nothing to worry about, as if money was not a problem, like the world outside that small circle of the two of them did not exist.

Wedding… marriage… money were the thoughts that clouded my mind for a minute but then it lingered longer the more I thought about it.

All at once, I remembered reading a story once about a rich man who needed a wife. A contract wife for one year. He paid her well and she helped him with his public image. It had sounded ridiculous and fictional when I read it. I had laughed it off. This kind of thing only happened in books.

I looked back at the hospital building then at the couple again. Some risks are taken once in a lifetime.

I found the nearest cyber cafe on my phone and started walking before I could change my mind.

The cafe was small and hot. Old computers lined the walls and a ceiling fan made a clicking sound every time it turned. I paid for one hour and sat down.

I stared at the screen for a while, then I started typing.

I am willing to enter a marriage contract for one year in exchange for money for a medical emergency.

I read it over three times. Then I created an anonymous email address and posted the message on a business forum where wealthy people sometimes posted for private arrangements and personal assistants.

My finger hovered over the mouse.

"If this works, Lily lives," I whispered.

I clicked post.

Nothing happened for a long time. I sat there watching the screen, feeling more foolish by the minute.

Then a notification sound came from the computer.

One new email.

I clicked it. The message inside was short. It was just two lines that read:

I am interested in your offer. Name your price.

It was signed: L. K.