*Chapter One – The Contract*
Rain fell softly against the towering glass windows of the luxury hotel, casting long shadows across the polished marble floors. Zara Ibrahim clutched her thin shawl tighter around her shoulders, her heart thudding like a war drum. She stood quietly in the corner of the private suite, feeling like an outsider in a world that sparkled with cold wealth and carefully measured silence.
The man before her was Imran Danlami—young, powerful, and dripping with arrogance. His expensive suit clung to his tall frame, and his dark eyes barely met hers.
"You understand the terms?" his voice was low, clipped, like he was reading from a script.
Zara nodded, her throat dry. "Yes. Six months. No one must know we're married."
He tossed the pen across the table. "Then sign. You get the money. I get peace from my family."
She hesitated for a split second before picking up the pen. She had no choice. Her mother's hospital bills were rising, and opportunities for a broke literature graduate were rare in a city ruled by men like him.
With a shaky breath, she scribbled her name: *Zara A. Ibrahim.*
And just like that, she became *Mrs. Imran Danlami*—the wife no one would ever know existed.
As she looked up, their eyes met briefly. No words, no smiles. Just a silent contract sealed between two strangers bound by secrets.
What neither of them knew, was that *this secret marriage* would change *everything.*