A New Beginning
If we couldn’t find a sponsor, the younger children would be left homeless.
That was when James appeared, and he gave me an offer: marry him, and he would fund the orphanage.
I hesitated. After all, he and I came from completely different worlds.
However, he saw my hesitation and added, in a tone that left no room for refusal, “We’ll set a limit of seven years. After that, you’re free to go and live however you want.”
So, after marrying him, I never asked for any additional affection. And sure enough, not long after, I realized he had chosen me only because I resembled the woman he could never forget—his first love.