"Ms. Willow, please sign the contract agreement," Lawyer Huan said as he slid the papers toward me.
I swallowed hard. "Can you… can you tell me the main points, Mr. Huan? I'm not very good with legal documents." My voice trembled slightly.
"Of course," he replied with his steady and professional tone. "Mr. Harrington is Party A. You are Party B. Party A can terminate the contract at any time, for any reason. However, Party B cannot. If Party B breaches the contract, she must pay a 100 million termination fee."
My fingers stiffened around the pen. A hundred million? Impossible… My heart pounded so loudly I was sure the whole restaurant could hear.
Lawyer Huan continued, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. Most of his words blurred together, drowned by the single thought echoing in my mind...money and the painful memory of my childhood!
Mom named me 'Spring Willow' after giving birth, she must have hoped I would live a bright and cheerful life. But fate had a cruel sense of humour. Or maybe God was just too tired while writing my fate. For all of my twenty-four years, I grew up without a mother's love and a father who abandoned me before I even opened my eyes to this cruel world.
Back to the begining, when, mom got pregnant with me, my father became entangled in an extramarital affair. Later, she discovered it and confronted him. Without hesitations he chose to be with his mistress and never came back.
His betrayal hardened Mom's heart and somehow, she decided it was all my fault. She called me a bad omen, like I was the reason her world had fallen apart. I was just a fetus, but to her, I was nothing more than a curse. Eventually, she also abandoned me like unwanted trash. Left me in front of a stranger's door.
Luckily that stranger's door belonged to one of the most kind heartiest soul on the planet. She was the best thing that ever happened to me, my one and only family member in this world.
That is Grandma. She took me in, even though we weren't bound by blood. She raised me, gave me a warm cozy bed, shaped me to be the woman, I'm today. Because real love is stronger than blood, isn't it?
Everything was unfolding beautifully, until a year ago, heaven grew weary of watching me taste happiness. My grandmother stepped in front of a running car to save me, and since that moment she has been confined to a hospital bed — waging a silent, relentless battle with fate day after day.
And now, to save Grandma, I've agreed to something I never imagined for myself. A contract marriage with a powerful billionaire CEO. Three years of pretending to be his wife. Three hundred thousand salary a month. Enough to cover Grandma's hospital bills. Enough to buy her more time.
"So, what do you think about the agreement, Ms. Willow? Do you have anything to add? Ms. Willow... are you listening?" A sharp, warm voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Ah...so...sorry, I got a little distracted."
"So… what about the salary?" I asked again, forcing the words out past my dry throat swallowing my pride.
"As long as you fulfill Party A's requirements, you will be compensated with an additional three hundred thousand each month," he said.
Relief swept through me. That was all I needed. Grandma must live. I forced a smile, ignoring the tremor in my hands, and signed the contract.
"Your marriage certificate will be ready soon, Ms. Willow. One more detail—you are forbidden to fall in love with Party A."
I gave him a small, polite nod. Thanks for letting me know. "Don't worry, Mr. Huan. I'll keep that in mind. Besides, I like to keep things professional."
Well then, glad to know that Ms. Willow.
Once he left, I sat alone at the table. A strange mix of fear and determination churned inside me. The weight on my shoulders felt lighter, at least Grandma's treatment was secure. But I knew I had to find a way to stand on my own feet before the three years ended.
Wait… I don't even know who I married! What if he's old and his hairline is already declining? Or worse…? I bit my lip, shaking my head quickly.
Then again, what did it matter? It was just three years of endurance. I could do this.
After half an hour, I left the restaurant. The bill had already been paid. I hurried home to pack, remembering Lawyer Huan's words that Mr. Harrington's assistant would pick me up later today.
"Great. I don't even know my husband's first name," I muttered bitterly.
---
Hospital Room X-15:
I should've been home by now. Instead, I rushed to the hospital after a frantic call. Grandma's condition had worsened.
The doctor's words cut through me like knives. "Immediate surgery is needed. Otherwise…" He didn't need to finish the sentence. I knew what he meant...
I sat beside Grandma's bed, clutching her frail hand in mine, tears streaming down my cheeks. "You're all I have, Grandma. Please… please don't leave me yet. Can you hold on for me? Just a little longer."
Her face looked so peaceful, as if she were sleeping under cherry blossoms in spring.
"As long as I can earn money, you'll be alright. You have to be." My voice shook, determined than even.
But the surgery would cost two hundred fifty thousand. My chest tightened. I snort shaking my head. I had no choice. After a few minutes, I pulled out the phone number Lawyer Huan had given me earlier.
The line rang three times before someone answered.
"Hello, this is Mr. Harrington's assistant speaking."
"Hi," I said, my voice unsteady. "I'm Spring Willow. Uh...this morning, I signed a contract marriage agreement with your boss, Mr. Harrington."
"Yes, Ms. Willow. I'm scheduled to pick you up at 4 p.m. Is that convenient?"
"Yes. Actually… I…" My courage threatened to abandon me. "Could you… possibly… give me one month's salary in advance? It's urgent." The words tumbled out in one desperate breath.
There was silence on the other end, heavy and suffocating. Finally, he spoke. "Let me check with the President first. Please wait, Ms. Willow, I'll notify you shortly."
"Thank you," I whispered, clutching the phone tightly.
I ended the call and buried my face in my hands, praying that Mr. Harrington would agree. My legs shook uncontrollably as I sat outside Grandma's room, hope and fear warring inside me.
---
In August Harrington's Office:
A soft knock broke the silence of August Harrington's lunch. His mood soured instantly. "Come in," he said coldly.
"President…" his assistant bowed slightly. "Ms. Willow just called. She asked for her salary in advance. Should I transfer it?"
A humorless laugh escaped August. "Hah. A gold digger already. She just signed the contract and now she's already reaching for more." His eyes narrowed, dark with contempt. "Fine. Give her the money. Let's see how far her greed will take her."
"Yes, President." The assistant bowed again and quickly left.
Alone, August leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting to the window. The bustling city lay beneath him, but his mind was far away in the past.
"It's been a year," he muttered under his breath, teeth clenched. "Finally, I found you, Spring Willow. You'll pay the price for what you did to the love of my life. This is just the beginning. I'll make sure you suffer as much as my Winter did."
His gaze shifted to the window. The downtown skyline stretched before him, but his heart ached for the blue skies of the past, the happy days he could never return to.
---
A simple writer's note:
The story of Spring Willow begins with a contract marriage. A woman signing away her freedom for a sum of money that could keep her only family alive. A pen trembling between her fingers while her heart screams for a different life.
This isn't the fairy-tale love story you'd expect, it's survival, sacrifice, and the cruel humor of fate rolled into one. A young woman with nothing but her grandmother's love ends up bound to a man who sees her as nothing more than a murderer. She wants to save a life while he wants to destroy hers.
And yet, between the cracks of resentment and the cold ink of a contract, something else stirs. This story begins with a deal, but what unfolds will test the limits of endurance, love, and pain. Because not all marriages start with love. Sometimes things start with war.
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