Chapter 1

Lila’s POV

My stomach was making this loud, angry growling sound, and I bet the old lady three chairs over heard it. I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. I felt sick just thinking about food while waiting to hear if my mom's stage four cancer had spread to her brain.

I stood in front of the hospital vending machine, staring at the lone granola bar hanging off the metal coil. I stuffed a crumpled five-dollar bill into the slot. The machine groaned, the coil turned halfway, and then it just stopped. The granola bar dangled there, mocking me.

"Are you kidding me right now?" I muttered, banging my palm against the glass.

"Miss, please don't hit the machine," a nurse called out from the front desk.

"Right. Sorry." I sighed, leaning my forehead against the cold plastic for a second before walking back to the plastic chairs.

I checked my phone. Still no texts from my dad. He had disappeared with Dr. Harrison over two hours ago to look at the scans, leaving me totally alone in this bright, sterile waiting room. My anxiety was a living thing, clawing at my ribs.

The screen lit up, and for a split second, my heart jumped, thinking it was my dad. It wasn't. It was Jason.

Jason🤍: Hey beautiful. Tell me you ate something.

Me: The vending machine stole my five dollars and my dignity. So no.

Jason🤍: Do you want me to bring you some real food? I can be there in ten.

A small smile actually made its way onto my face. Jason was loud, reckless, and usually a mess, but he was my mess. He was the only thing keeping me sane right now.

Me: No, stay there. The doctors are being weird and I don’t want you driving like a maniac across town for no reason.

Jason🤍: Fine. But my apartment is clean, I have N*****x ready, and my bed is waiting for you whenever you can get out of that depressing place. You’re staying with me tonight, Lila. No arguments.

Me: Okay. I’ll see you soon, hopefully.

Jason🤍: Love you. Don't forget to breathe.

I locked the phone and pressed it against my chest, taking a shaky breath. Just knowing he was a drive away made the waiting room feel a little less awful.

But as the minutes dragged into another hour, the exhaustion finally caught up to me.

The constant hum of the hospital machines faded into the background, and my eyelids got too heavy to keep open. I leaned my head against the wall and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

A sudden, sharp scream jolted me awake.

I sat straight up, my heart pounding in my chest. The waiting room was total chaos. Alarms were going off, and doctors and nurses rushed past me, pushing a crash cart toward the intensive care hallway.

"Code blue! We need assistance in room four!" someone yelled.

I froze. Room four. That was my mom's room.

I stumbled out of my chair, my legs felt like lead as I tried to run after them. "Mom? Wait! What's happening?"

A nurse caught me by the shoulders, pushing me back. "Oncology is locked down right now. You need to stay here."

"That's my mother!" I screamed, tears instantly blurring my vision. "Let me go!"

"Lila."

The voice was heavy and exhausted. I spun around and saw my dad standing near the vending machines. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and he looked like he'd aged ten years in a few hours.

"Dad!" I ran over to him, grabbing his jacket. "What is going on? Is that Mom? Is she okay?"

"It’s not your mother," he said softly, his voice completely flat. "It was the patient in the next room. Your mother is sleeping. She’s stable."

I was so relieved I nearly fell over. I had to grip his arms to keep myself upright. "Oh thank god. Thank god. Why did it take so long? What did Dr. Harrison say about the scans?"

My dad didn't look at me. He looked past me, staring at the floor with empty, red eyes. He looked totally broken.

"Dad?" I pulled on his jacket again. "You're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"We're drowning, Lila," he whispered.

I frowned, stepping back. "What do you mean?"

"The treatments. The experimental drugs. The hospital stays. Insurance totally pulled out last week," he said, his voice cracking as he finally looked at me. "We owe tons of money. The bank is taking the house next month. I can't fix this. I've tried everything, and I just can't fix this."

"We can figure it out," I said, my voice trembling as the reality of his words started to sink in. "We can get a loan, or I can get a second job, or—"

"No, you don't understand," he interrupted, grabbing my hands. His palms were sweating. "We don't have time for a loan. They'll stop her treatments by the end of the week if we don't make a huge payment. But... someone came to me today. A benefactor. He offered a solution."

"A benefactor?" I repeated, the word tasting weird on my tongue. "Who? Why would anyone just give us that kind of money?"

"It's a desperate solution, Lila. But it's the only way we can keep your mother alive." He let go of my hands and rubbed his face. "Go home. Get some rest. I need to stay here with her tonight."

"Dad, tell me what you're talking about!"

"Just go home, Lila. Please."

I knew he wouldn't tell me anything else, so I walked out of the hospital in a daze. I didn't even remember the drive back to my apartment.

My brain was totally fried, looping his words over and over. Drowning. Foreclosure. Benefactor.

God, you can't just let us sink like this.

When I unlocked the door to my dark apartment, the silence felt incredibly heavy. I took off my jeans and put on one of Jason’s oversized grey hoodies he’d left on my couch last week. I buried my nose in the collar, smelling his expensive cologne. It was the only thing that made me feel safe.

I walked into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water, trying hard to calm my shaking hands. As I reached for a glass, something on the kitchen counter caught my eye.

It was a thick, cream-colored envelope.

I frowned. It definitely hadn't been there when I left this morning. I picked it up, noting how heavy and expensive the paper felt. On the front, my name was written in my dad's messy writing.

My heart started to beat faster.

I tore the envelope open. Inside, there were two documents. The first was a short note from my dad.

Lila, I am so sorry. This is the benefactor I told you about. He will pay off every single medical bill, save our house, and ensure your mother gets the best care in the world. But he demands something in return. Please try to understand. I love you.

My hands were shaking so violently now that I almost dropped the papers. I set the note down and pulled out the second document.

At the very top, in a harsh, fancy font, were the words: LEGAL MARRIAGE CONTRACT.

I skipped past the heavy legal words, my eyes quickly scanning the pages until they landed at the very bottom, where the signatures should go. My name was already printed on one line. On the line next to it, a signature was already written in sharp, bold black ink.

Lucien Knight.

I stared at the name, the room suddenly spinning around me. Lucien Knight. The private, billionaire CEO everyone talked about.

The one person the public tagged as heartless.

Lucien….. Lucien Knight was also Jason's cousin.