Contracted Heart Novels & Stories

“We discovered scarring in the heart’s tissue. Likely from prolonged exposure to synthetic fumes during the fire. It’s caused a form of cardiomyopathy .. a rare condition that weakens the heart muscles.” He glanced up. “It’s irreversible.” No one moved. Even Ma Hilda was quiet. The doctor’s voice was calm, but I heard the weight in every word. “It means his heart won’t function at full strength again. He’ll need medication, a controlled lifestyle, and constant monitoring. Emotional stress, exhaustion — even sudden temperature changes can trigger complications.” Xavier didn’t react. His face remained unreadable. But mine.. I was already breaking. No. No, no.

“Strong heartbeat.” Another contraction hit, and I clenched my jaw, my back arching off the bed. “Damn it,” I hissed, squeezing the hand of the nurse standing nearby. The pain was all-consuming, but beneath it, there was something else - a deep, primal strength. I could feel it building within me, pushing me forward, a force as unrelenting as the contractions themselves.

I immediately logged in to all my social networking sites to check what all I had missed in past two years. Mason – Guyz see I don't want to marry anyone not now not ever so me finding a girl is not in the picture, infact I have decided to have a contract marriage... Now that drew the attention of not only mine but everybody. Daniel – What contract buddy? "I want you gyz to find me a girl, who will marry me temporary, like for a Year till then Mom will be all fine and I will make her understand my point of view. I know she will understand when she will be more stable. I will make a one year contract in which girl has to marry me, she will live in my house, she can probably have a separate ro

"I don’t understand... What caused his heart to weaken? I mean... I grew up with him, I know him well—he’s healthy. My brother is healthy! And isn’t it impossible for his heart to just weaken all of a sudden?" "Miss Hart, Noel’s condition is congenital. He was born with a weak heart.” I felt my entire body freeze. My breath hitched as I processed what the doctor just said. “Inborn?” I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper. I felt my entire body freeze. My breath hitched as I processed what the doctor just said. Inborn? What the hell… The doctor pulled out a file from his desk, flipping through the pages before placing it in front of me.

I tell her I will be done soon. I dry my hands. I walk into the OR. The team is ready. The lights are bright. Lily is on the table, her chest open, her heart exposed. It is small, no larger than my fist, but it is fighting. The left ventricle strains, the walls thick, the rhythm uneven. I look at the narrowing. It is worse than the scans showed. The aorta is pinched to a thread. The blood struggles to pass. The heart is working twice as hard as it should.

Lucien quickly looked away, his expression carefully blank. “Of course! I’ll do anything!” she said, her voice clearer now. He reached into a folder beside him and handed a black thick document to her. The Marriage Contract, Elara read the heading in her mind, confusion flooding her face. She skimmed a little further down the page. “You want us to get married?!”

So, he picked her up, cradling her like glass, and rushed her to the hospital himself. That call saved her life. The doctors said she had barely made it. They used twelve liters per minute of oxygen to stabilize her. Twelve. She was almost gone. And at that moment, so was he. As he stood behind the transparent hospital door, watching her fight for her life, Noah felt his own heart stall. Her body convulsed with every electrical surge. She had gone into cardiac arrest, and the doctors administered defibrillator shocks, one after the other. Ten shocks. Fifteen. Twenty-one. Still nothing.

"We lost the Switzerland and America project." Jacob's response hit him like a ton of bricks, making his eyes widen in shock, and he struggled to catch his breath. "That's not possible!" He bellowed, his voice echoing through the office. His lips trembled with rage and disappointment. The project had been his ticket to millions, and he'd invested everything to secure it. Losing it would be a devastating blow; potentially bankrupting him. "Which company won the contract?" Archie ground out. "Azel Organization." Jacob replied, his voice somber.

Maybe because she was watching him like he was a stock she hadn't decided to buy yet. He picked up the contract and skimmed. The basics hit him first: One-year marriage. Public appearances. No romantic entanglements outside the agreement. A $500,000 payout upon successful completion. He whistled low. "You really weren't kidding." "I don't have time to kid," she said, standing and walking to the window. Her heels clicked with that same lethal rhythm. "I have thirty days before the board forces me to hand over my company to a man who thinks women should fetch coffee, not run empires."

My heart skipped a beat and a wave of sadness washed over me. “What’s this? Why do I suddenly miss him?” I asked myself, holding my chest as if to stop my heart from beating. I laid on my bed, and as soon as I closed my eyes, my phone rang. I picked up my phone to see who was calling and I froze. It was him.