Chapter 2

Lila’s POV

I didn't sleep at all. I just sat on the edge of my bed all night, staring at the envelope like it was a live bomb.

When the sun finally peeked through my blinds, the reality of what was happening hit me so hard I felt sick.

I grabbed my keys, threw on some random clothes, and drove straight to my parents' house. I didn't even care if my dad was back from the hospital yet. I needed answers and I needed them now.

When I pulled up, I saw him out in the backyard. The grass was totally dead, dried up and brown from months of neglect because we couldn't pay the water bill.

He was digging aimlessly in the dirt with an old rusted shovel, not planting anything, just moving dirt around. He looked totally lost.

"Dad," I said, my voice shaking as I walked out onto the patio.

He froze, his shoulders dropping right away. He didn't turn around. "I figured you'd find it," he said.

"What is this?" I held up the contract, the paper loudly crinkling. "Lucien Knight? Dad, are you insane? You're selling me?"

He finally turned around, and the shame on his face stopped the angry words in my throat. Tears were running down his face, mixing with the dirt on his cheeks. He looked so small.

"We're completely broke, Lila," he choked out, dropping the shovel. It hit the ground with a dull sound. "The bank is taking the house. The hospital is going to stop her treatments. I have zero options. I went to every single bank, every friend I've ever known. No one would give me a dime."

"But why Lucien Knight?" I stepped closer, my chest aching. "How do you even know him?"

"I didn't go to him. He came to me," my dad whispered, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "He heard about our situation through his family's connections. He offered to wipe out all our debt and put your mother in the best private hospital in the country."

"And the catch is me?" I asked, a bitter laugh came out. "Why me? He doesn't even know who I am!"

"I asked him that," my dad said, his voice totally cracking as he fell to his knees in the dead dirt. "He just said you were the sole condition. He said if I wanted my wife to live, I had to give him you. I'm so sorry, Lila. I'm so sorry. I’m a terrible father."

Seeing him broken on the ground made me feel totally numb inside. I couldn't even cry. I just turned around and walked away, leaving him there in the dirt.

I was supposed to go to school, but there was no way I could sit through a lecture right now. Instead, I skipped school and spent hours just walking around the city. I felt totally checked out of my own body.

Eventually, my feet led me to the one place I thought I could find peace: Jason’s apartment.

I used my spare key to let myself in. The apartment smelled like his usual body spray and old pizza, a familiar comfort that instantly made me want to cry.

 He was sitting on the couch playing a video game, but the second he saw my face, he dropped the controller.

"Lila? Babe, what's wrong? You look like your soul’s been drained outta you," he said, jumping up and wrapping his arms around me.

For a second, I just hid my face in his chest, soaking in his warmth. "Jason, something horrible is happening. My dad... we're losing everything."

"Whoa, hey, slow down," he said, pulling back to look at me, a relieved smile crossed his face. "Is that it? Look, I told you, you can move in here. We can sort out the money. I can get a second job at the shop. My family has money; I can ask around."

"No, Jason, you don't understand," I choked out, the tears finally spilling over. "It's already done. The debt is too high. My dad found a benefactor to pay for Mom's treatments."

"Well, that's great news, right?" He frowned, totally confused by why I was crying. "Why are you crying if your mom is getting saved?"

"Because the benefactor is Lucien Knight."

Jason froze. The relief on his face twisted into something ugly and sharp. "What did you just say?"

"Lucien, your cousin," I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. "He's paying for everything. But he made my dad sign a contract. I have to marry him, Jason."

Jason stared at me for a long, horrifying minute. Then, he let out a harsh, volatile laugh that made me flinch. "Are you kidding me right now? This is a joke, right? You're playing some sick joke on me."

"It's not a joke," I sobbed, reaching for his hand. "I don't want to do it, Jason! I love you! But if I don't, my mom is going to die!"

He violently yanked his hand away, his eyes full of total fury. "Lucien? Out of all the people in the world, my billionaire cousin? The guy who thinks he owns everything?" He started pacing the room, kicking a stray shoe across the floor. "And you just said yes? You're just going to go be his little housewife?"

"I didn't have a choice!"

"There's always a choice, Lila!" he yelled, his face turning red. The sweet, comforting boyfriend I knew was gone, replaced by a stranger. "You're selling yourself for a checkbook! You didn't even try to fight it! You just saw his bank account and decided it was easier to take the easy way out."

"How can you say that to me?" I felt like he had just punched me in the stomach. "I am doing this to save my mother's life! How is that the easy way out?"

"Because you're a weak coward hiding behind a good excuse!" he spat, looking at me with total disgust. "You love the idea of being a martyr. You probably love the idea of being a billionaire's wife even more. Get out."

"Jason, please—"

"I said get out!" he roared, pointing at the door. "You're disgusting, Lila. Go run to your rich husband. We're done."

The rejection totally broke my heart. I didn't even try to defend myself anymore. I just turned around and ran out of his apartment, his cruel words echoing in my ears.

That was it. I'd totally lost everything. The freedom I thought I had intact, the boyfriend I thought would fight for me at the very least…..

Everything was gone. I hated everybody. I hated Jason. Above all, I hated myself for being tied like this.