Diana sat in her mother's dimly lit hospital room, her fingers curled so tightly around the bill in her hand.
She swallowed hard, looking at the pale woman on the bed. Her mother's chest rose and fell in shallow and weary breaths.
Diana couldn't—wouldn't—let her down.
She replayed the scene that had happened at the strange man's office just an hour ago.
He had told her to marry him and all of her problems would disappear—how could she? Sure the offer was tempting but she didn't know if she could trust the man.
Diana looked at her mother again and she knew she had to make a decision—and fast.
The following morning, she woke up to the loud sound of the machine her mother was hooked onto and she began to panic. She immediately called for the doctor.
Diana was ushered out of the ward but she could not sit still and began pacing about. She prayed her mother would be fine, she blinked back her tears—she didn't want to cry—no, she couldn't cry. She had to be strong for her mother.
The door to the ward opened and the doctor came out. "How is my mother, doctor? She is fine, right?" Diana asked as she held her breath waiting for the doctor's response.
"She is not out of danger but she is fine for now," The doctor informed and Diana released her the breath she was holding. "But you have to pay the fees before Monday or else we would stop her treatment."
Diana shook slightly. "I just need time, is there nothing that can be done?"
"I'm afraid not." The doctor said apologetically and walked away.
Diana entered the ward and stared at her mother. "You won't die, mother. I'll make sure of it." She went forward and held her mother's hand.
Diana heard the door open and thought that it was the nurse who came to check on her mother but she was shocked to see that it was the strange man she met yesterday.
Gabriel in a tailored black suit, walked into the ward. Tall, sharp-jawed, hazel colored eyes— he looked like he had stepped right out of a portrait.
Diana looked at the man, she hadn't had time to look at him properly yesterday but seeing him now, she could not deny that he was really handsome—but what was he doing here?
"Miss Moore," his voice low. "Have you made your decision?"
"If I could have—"
"I don't think your mother would have more time though." Gabriel said, staring directly at her.
"It's simple," he said. "One year. You'll play the role of my wife. In return…" He tossed her a card—the hospital logo printed neatly in the corner. "Your mother's hospital bill and all your debts… gone."
Her throat tightened. "And if I refuse?" The question leaving her mouth before she could stop it.
He leaned closer, his cologne wafted into her nostrils and his cold cold eyes glinting like steel.
"Then you'll lose everything before you realize it."
Diana gulped as she registered his words.
"Meet me at the tower in two days with a positive response." He said.
Before Diana could speak, he had already walked out of the ward. She released the breath she didn't know she was holding.
She was supposed to meet him at the tower in two days—but today was a Saturday and she was to meet with him on Monday—which was that day her mother's treatment would be stopped. She bit her nails anxiously.
"I'll be back mother." Diana leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her mother's forehead.
Diana left the hospital and boarded a cab to her house. She paid the driver after getting to her house and got down.
She hadn't even had time to register what was happening before she felt her head would split into two.
"There is that bitch!"
Diana looked up amidst her teary eyes—it was the loan sharks. "Bring her here!" The leader commanded. He was a plus-sized short man with a long scar that ran from his left brow down to his jaw.
Diana opened her mouth to speak but a harsh slap landed on her cheek—her face swung to the side due to the force behind the slap, she could taste blood in her mouth.
"Where is my money, you bitch?" The leader asked. "You said I should give you more time, but it's been a month already!"
Diana choked on a sob and struggled to speak, "I will pay you. Please understand—my mother is in the hospital and I have to pay her bills."
"I don't fucking care of it's your father that is in the hospital, all I fucking want, is my money!" The man roared. "I'll give you two days, Diana. Two fucking days! If I don't get my money by then…" he smiled which made Diana's skin crawl. "Your mother will go join your father and you will have to work off that money. I'm sure I don't have to spell out the work for you."
He chuckled as he traced his fingers in her body making her squirm to get his hands off. "The men will like you." He laughed and his men joined laughing.
"Two days bitch!" He said and walked away.
Diana lost her strength and crumbled to the floor as tears freely escaped her eyes. She heard voices and noticed the neighbors were staring—she gathered herself and strode towards her apartment.
She fumbled with the lock a few times before she was able to open the door.
Their house was not much—the living room was not big and contained two worn chairs, beside the living room was a small kitchen. The house had only one bedroom.
Diana sank to the chair and held her head in her hands. The silence in her apartment was loud, the walls pressing in as if the world itself wanted to crush her. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, marking the seconds she could never get back.
Monday. The day her mother's treatment would stop. The day the loan sharks promised to return. The day Gabriel Black expected an answer.
She buried her face in her hands, her breath coming in uneven bursts. Her pride screamed at her not to bend to a man like him, but the image of her mother's pale, fragile frame was stronger.
Her phone buzzed with a new message. She didn't want to look, but she did.
Unknown number: Two days, Miss Moore. Don't be late.
Her fingers shook slightly around the phone. She glanced at the corner of the room, where an old picture frame leaned against the wall—her as a child sitting on her mother's lap. Her mother's smile in that photo was really bright.
She smiled slightly as tears blurred her vision. "I'll save you, Mum," she whispered into the empty room.
Outside, the rain began again, tapping against the window.