Freya sacrificed her happiness and youth just to save her sick mother's life and her family's hospital. She was forced to marry Brennan, a man who was in a three-month coma after having an accident. It was a contractual marriage, but it still bonded them together. Freya already resigned herself to never seeing her vegetative husband awake, but she was in for a surprise. On their wedding night, her vegetative husband suddenly stirred and opened his eyes. Freya almost had a heart attack! What did the future hold for them now that Brennan unexpectedly woke up? Were they going to stay married? Or would Brennan throw her out?
"Dad, I read the email you sent me. Is it for real or what?"
Freya Walton darted home the instant she landed, her mind reeling with disbelief. In just a matter of days, her mother had fallen gravely ill, slipping into an unconscious state, while the Healthbridge Hospital she founded hit rock bottom.
"Mom poured her heart and soul into that hospital, Dad. We can't let it wither away like this. You must have a solution up your sleeve, right?"
With a frown, Fletcher Walton set aside his newspaper, and sighed heavily. "Listen, Freya, let's take a deep breath and sort things out."
Just as Freya was about to say something more, a sweet, feminine voice cut in. "Don't go giving Dad a hard time. Let's face it. Healthbridge is in a shambles. No amount of money can fix it. It's better to declare bankruptcy and be done with it."
Freya's gaze shifted to the source of the voice.
A young girl, her age perhaps, stood before her, garbed in a flowing dress, exuding an air of haughtiness that made Freya's hackles rise.
Something about the girl gave Freya a sense of foreboding. "And you are?" she asked, her tone guarded.
The girl's lips curled into a smile, but her voice dripped with honeyed venom. "I am your younger sister, Hailey Walton."
Hailey, with her cherubic features, bore an uncanny resemblance to Fletcher in his youth. Her smile was disarmingly sweet.
Yet, her eyes glimmered with malice and repugnance as she leveled a gaze at Freya.
Before Freya could even blink, a middle-aged woman, decked out in a mink coat and heavy makeup, sauntered out of the kitchen, assuming the air of a gracious hostess.
"You must be exhausted, Freya. I've whipped up a little something for you," the woman said, setting the plate on the table.
She then strolled over to Fletcher, seating herself beside him and casting an indifferent look over Freya. "I'm Helen, and I'll be taking care of you and Fletcher from now on."
Freya's mind reeled in shock as she looked to Fletcher for an explanation. But he averted his gaze, clearly avoiding her questioning eyes. In that instant, Freya's worst fears were confirmed.
It was clear that Fletcher had been unfaithful, and his illegitimate daughter, sired from his mistress, was almost as old as her. In his wife's hour of need, he brought his mistress and their love child home.
Freya was overcome with a maelstrom of emotions-grief, sadness, and anger for her mother. She had been living abroad all this time, completely unaware of her family's turmoil. She never imagined things would take such a drastic turn when she returned home.
The urge to march up to them and slap them senseless coursed through Freya's veins, but she knew it wasn't the time to be impulsive. She had more pressing matters at hand.
Freya took a deep, steadying breath and said, "Dad, we can discuss these two women later. But the issue at hand is Healthbridge and it can't wait any longer. You've been in business in Leryport for so long; you must know how to save the hospital."
Fletcher averted his gaze, remaining tight-lipped.
Helen put on a show of faux sympathy and sighed. "Freya, you should think about your father's well-being as well. Healthbridge is in a financial abyss of hundreds of millions. If we don't act soon to sell it, we won't even be able to afford your mother's medical bills."
Freya curled her lips in a sneer, her patience wearing thin. "Shut up! Our family matters are none of your business!"
However, she had to admit that Helen had hit the nail on the head.
Her mother's health was rapidly deteriorating. Now she was in a coma, dependent on equipment and expensive medicine to cling to life. The medical bills were astronomical, and the Walton family's savings would soon be depleted.
In this dire situation, the best option was indeed to sell the hospital.
But Freya had grown up with her mother and witnessed her tireless efforts to build and expand the hospital to its current scale.
If her mother ever woke up to the news that Healthbridge had been sold, it would be a fatal blow, akin to signing her death warrant.
"Be kind to Helen, Freya!" Fletcher interjected out of the blue. "There is a way to salvage the situation, but it depends on your willingness to help."
Freya remained silent, as she anticipated his solution would not be one she would like.
Fletcher went on to say, "You're familiar with the Hayes family, right? They're one of the most influential and wealthy families in Leryport. If we could get them to assist us, Healthbridge will be saved. But of course, nothing comes for free."
He made an intentional pause, relishing in the tense silence that followed.
Knowing that he was waiting for her reply, Freya asked through gritted her teeth, "Well, what do I have to do?"
"It's very simple. All you have to do is marry Brennan Hayes."
Freya's heart dropped. So that was what he wanted from her.
Hailey cackled. "Have you heard of Brennan's ugly face and his track record? His previous three fiancees have all died, and he is in a vegetative state now. If you marry him, your marriage will be sexless and joyless."
Freya now understood why her father would make such a proposal. If there wasn't anything wrong with Brennan, she wasn't even qualified to marry him.
"Freya, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. As your father, I don't want you to suffer. We'll just have to sell the hospital," Fletcher said, feigning concern.
But the threat was clear in his words, and Freya wasn't fooled. She looked at the trio, and her eyes filled with contempt.
They were all good at acting, but Freya knew their true intentions.
She couldn't help but think that leaving this toxic environment was probably not a bad idea. After all, she had a chance to save Healthbridge Hospital and her mother, and that was all that mattered.
Taking a deep breath, Freya made her decision. "Fine, I'll marry him," she said, her voice steady but her heart racing.
Freya sacrificed her happiness and youth just to save her sick mother's life and her family's hospital. She was forced to marry Brennan, a man who was in a three-month coma after having an accident. It was a contractual marriage, but it still bonded them together. Freya already resigned herself to never seeing her vegetative husband awake, but she was in for a surprise. On their wedding night, her vegetative husband suddenly stirred and opened his eyes. Freya almost had a heart attack! What did the future hold for them now that Brennan unexpectedly woke up? Were they going to stay married? Or would Brennan throw her out?
Freya sacrificed her happiness and youth just to save her sick mother's life and her family's hospital. She was forced to marry Brennan, a man who was in a three-month coma after having an accident. It was a contractual marriage, but it still bonded them together. Freya already resigned herself to never seeing her vegetative husband awake, but she was in for a surprise. On their wedding night, her vegetative husband suddenly stirred and opened his eyes. Freya almost had a heart attack! What did the future hold for them now that Brennan unexpectedly woke up? Were they going to stay married? Or would Brennan throw her out?
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
My family was on the poverty line and had no way to support me in college. I had to work part-time every day just to make ends meet and afford to get into the university. That was when I met her—the pretty girl in my class that every boy dreamt of asking out. I was well aware she was out of my league. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and bravely told her that I had fallen for her. To my surprise, she agreed to be my girlfriend. With the sweetest smile I had ever seen, she told me that she wanted my first gift for her to be the latest and top-of-the-line iPhone. I worked like a dog and even did my classmates’ laundry to save up. My hard work eventually paid off after a month. I finally got to buy what she wanted. But as I was wrapping my gift, I saw her in the dressing room, making out with the captain of the basketball team. She then heartlessly made fun of my inadequacy and made a fool out of me. To make things worse, the guy whom she cheated on me with even punched me in the face. Desperation washed over me, but there was nothing I could do but lie on the floor as they trampled on my feelings. But then, my father called me out of the blue, and my life turned upside down. It turned out that I was a billionaire's son.
Scarlett was left betrayed and broken beyond repair when her best friend Megan set her up with the male escort who stole her virginity...Or at least, that's what she thought he was. There was something odd about the strong and strikingly beautiful man that she spent a night with. Despite the pure hatred she felt for him, the deals he ended up offering wasn't one she could refuse. Scarlett always thought she'd marry her soulmate but turns out, that won't be the case for her. But could her mysterious husband make his way through her broken heart and fix it? It's hard to imagine but love has funny ways to manifest in places where it's least expected....
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"