Chapter 0003

I went to the hospital to see my mom before I went shopping this afternoon. It is the third year she’s been in a coma, and I’ve been bearing it all alone. I looked at my mother, who was closing her eyes with such a calm face.

“Mom, forgive me for having to behave like this. Being such a shameless slut.” Tears gathered in my eyes quickly, and when they were about to fall on my cheeks, I quickly wiped them away with my hands.

I hated crying in front of my mother. The last time I did so was during the first year my mother was in a coma. I cried every time I came to see her here. However, in the following year, I started to organize my life and tried to get up.

The door opened and revealed the figure of a handsome man wearing a white coat, a doctor. The doctor smiled at me as he closed the door behind him.

“Hi, Nat. You look different.” Doctor Daniel looked at me strangely. The man looked surprised and stayed where he was without blinking at me.

I examined my current appearance, but I felt that nothing had changed. After observing my appearance, I looked back at Doctor Daniel. Maybe he just wanted to have a conversation with me.

“I think you’re exaggerating, Daniel; I’m just sleep-deprived, I guess,” I answered but didn’t completely lie. Spending all night with Lucas had caused me to lose sleep. I shuddered, remembering my lovemaking with Lucas last night.

Doctor Daniel smiled and came over to me; he stood next to you and looked at my mother.

“Do you still want to endure this condition?” Daniel’s question made me exhale loudly. I knew this was the umpteenth question he had asked me.

“I will try to my last limit, until one of us gives up on this situation.” That was the new answer I had gotten from my pondering all this time. My mother and I would fight until one of us chose to give up.

Doctor Daniel exhaled loudly, and then he faced me.

“Want to have lunch with me? I’m free right now.” Doctor Daniel’s invitation made me smile and nod my head in agreement. Doctor Daniel grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my mother’s ward. I felt embarrassed about my hand being in this man’s grasp.

When we were in the hospital’s corridor, some female nurses saw us holding hands, which made me feel embarrassed and nervous. So, I removed my hand from Daniel’s hand. The man turned to me as I removed my hand from his.

“People are looking at us; I feel embarrassed.” I blurted out my assumption, which I felt was correct. I saw Daniel smile and seem amused by my assumption.

Daniel and I went to a restaurant that was cozy and not too crowded.

“How’s work? Will the rent be renewed?” Daniel’s question made me look down. I searched for a suitable answer to cover up what was really going on. He didn’t need to know the affairs of my life.

“Maybe in the near future, I will become a permanent employee.” It was a possibility and not a lie; I could have asked Lucas to smooth my way. Even if things didn’t turn out as we expected and I didn’t get pregnant, I wanted to negotiate with him about this.

Daniel smiled and looked pleased with my words. He was the only man who gave me more attention, but I always felt reluctant to accept his attention and care. I just felt like I didn’t deserve to be that lucky woman.

“That’s good, I hope you can do better in the future. I was going to offer you some help, I happen to have someone I know at the company you work for who I can ask for help with your problem.” Daniel sounded sincere when he said he wanted to help me. My common sense rolled my eyes with my thoughts; of course, the man was always honest with me because he cared.

I smiled and blushed at Daniel’s offer of help.

“Thanks, but I’ve really taken care of that problem. I need to get a full-time job soon for the sake of my mom and my life.” I looked down at my half-eaten meal. The steak here was delicious and classy.

“Natalia, why don’t you just accept my request? I can take care of your mother and your life. You know that I want you to be happy.” Daniel again brought up his offer, which he had offered me for the umpteenth time. However, I always refused and said I couldn’t.

I fell silent after shaking my head.

“Natalia, marry me, I love you.” Daniel’s words made me look at him in surprise. It felt different this time than usual when he said that. There was emotion there, a feeling of pent-up anger.

“I’m sorry, Daniel, being married is not on my mind right now.” My mind was in turmoil, and the image of Lucas came to my mind. It took away my heart pounding with his thumping, which made me uncomfortable.

If Daniel knew about me, Lucas, would he change? Would he consider me a materialistic slut? I chew my food in slow motion. My heart sank at the thought of all the assumptions Daniel would make about me if he knew what I’d been through last night.

“I’ll wait.” That statement made me look back at Daniel with widened eyes.

“No, Daniel don’t do this, I’ll hate myself if you do.” It felt like a needle of disappointment pierced my heart. I knew I could never give my heart to this good man.

We ate in awkward silence, but I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere by adding another sentence on this topic. After that quite emotional lunch, Daniel and I parted ways in front of the restaurant. He was going back to the hospital for work, and I was going shopping.

**

A white chiffon midi dress is what I’m wearing tonight to meet Lucas. Both of my shoulders are visible due to the sexy yet elegant cut of the dress.

I’m coming from the opposite direction of where Lucas is sitting, so he’s staring at me with his eagle eyes as I head toward him. My gaze seemed to be glued to his, and it was as if my world had switched axis with him just by us looking at each other.

“Sorry if I’m late,” I said, saying that I should make small talk and get Lucas to stop staring at me with his gaze, which could make my whole body blush. But damn it, Lucas smiles, and it makes me hold my breath for a moment because he seems to be admiring me.

“Sit down. I don’t want to waste time. Just read the contract and sign it.” Lucas handed me a folder with several sheets of paper. I read our contract and inhaled sharply, then exhaled. I would look like his prisoner in this contract. Once our baby is born, it will be his, and I am free to decide my fate except by asking him to marry me.

Oh, for the sake of Odin’s son Thor! It is a crazy deal for me, but since I am already here, I have no other choice. The million dollars are also getting real to me.

“What if I don’t get pregnant?” I asked, lifting my face to look at Lucas.

“We’ll wait one week for the results,” Lucas replied without batting an eye and turned to me. I thought it was impossible to get pregnant right away on the first run. I would most likely not end up with this guy; after all, if I didn’t get pregnant, I could still benefit from our agreement.

“Can I make one request before the results actually come out?” I ventured to ask for that one thing.

“Name your wish.” Lucas seemed so confident about granting my request.