Married to the Billionaire Stranger

Myrabelle

I could not believe my ears. Three months? That's all my dad had to live if I didn't get the money.

"Would it be okay to pay in parts?" I asked the kind doctor. She had been very patient and understanding when treating my dad.

"Yes, but you must pay the initial deposit which is 40% of the sum. After the surgery, you can pay the balance in three installments of 20% each." I quickly did the math in my head.

"1.2 million dollars? That's the initial deposit? I may as well pay the three million in full." I was already on the verge of tears. There was no possible way I could get the money in time to save my dad.

"Thank you doctor." I thanked Doctor Marley as I left the office, and then the hospital. How on earth was I supposed to find three million dollars on time? I walked a little while before I got to central park. I sat on a bench under a large tree and stared at the many people that were enjoying the hot summer sun. Some were having small picnics, while some were having serious conversations from what I could see.

My attention turned when I heard loud feminine laughter, and I saw a cute girl who looked to be in her teens talking animatedly to her dad. It looked like a mini celebration as a cupcake with a candle sat in their middle alongside a bottle of wine. I envied her, because while she was making happy memories with her dad, mine was on a sickbed fighting for his life. I couldn't even afford to get him admitted to the hospital.

"Young lady, why are you crying so hard?'' My attention fell on a man beside me who looked to be in his early fifties. I didn't notice when he sat beside me, or that I was crying until I felt the dampness on my cheek.

"I am fine, it's nothing." I tried to wipe the tears from my face and gave him a fake smile so he wouldn't be worried.

"Come on, don't give me that. Whenever a person says they are fine, it is a silent call for help. So, tell me, what are you calling for help for?" There was something warm and comforting about the man's presence. I felt like I could talk to him, and I'll feel better. After all, I probably wouldn't see him again.

"Why is life so sweet for some people and hard for others?" I smiled bitterly as I let my eyes wander to the girl and her father. I saw her blow out the candle on her cake and I scoffed.

"The last time I got a birthday cake was when I clocked ten." The girl hugged her dad affectionately and I longed to be in her shoes.

"Why is that?" The man asked me.

"Because my parents could not afford it. My dad used to work at a construction site, and we were living a fairly stable life until he had a terrible accident. He fell from two stories on his back and had to go into surgery. Everyone was shocked he survived, but his spine didn't. He has been in a wheelchair ever since. We've been shuffling between medications and hospital visits since then because he had other complications. They spent all their savings on the surgery, and all my mum's earnings on hospital visits and drugs." I wiped a stray tear that escaped my eyes, and I felt the man's arms cover mine in comfort.

"I lost my mum four years later, and it was all my fault. She took me for a party, and I left my favorite purse behind. She told me to let go, that I had many other nice ones, but I said I wanted to keep that one. I was selfish. I didn't consider how tired she was, I didn't consider the snow falling heavily, I didn't consider that it was almost midnight, instead, I insisted she got it for me. She didn't complain, instead, she got her keys and drove me back to the venue. She waited patiently for me to search for my purse, and even hugged me happily when I found it. We were on our way back and.....and we got hit by a drunk kid." I was full-on sobbing, but I didn't try to stop the tears. I deserve it and more.

"I saw the car coming recklessly, but I couldn't do anything. I saw her bleeding out, and I saw life leave her eyes, but I couldn't do anything......" A sob choked me, and I couldn't continue talking. The man pulled me against his chest and patted my back as I cried.

"My child, actions and situations we can't control are never our fault." He tried to comfort me, but I knew better. I could have just waited till morning, instead of being a spoilt selfish brat. She would still be alive now and my dad would not have had a heart attack that damaged his brain that needs three million dollars to be fixed.

"But I could have controlled it." I said in a teary haze.

"You couldn't have known what would happen. You couldn't have known that there would be a bunch of drunk kids driving. You couldn't have known what would happen. The only thing I want you to know there is that your mum was always ready to move mountains for you, even though it cost her life." I raised my head from his chest and looked into his clear blue eyes that held sincerity and for the first time since my mum's death, I felt comforted. I had never looked at it that way, and I had been carrying the guilt for ten years, but no matter what, it was a situation I couldn't control.

"You know, now that I think back to it, she had eyebags under her eyes, and her back was slouched from the stress of working three jobs, but she still agreed to take me without a trace of frustration or anger, and she hugged me in happiness when I found it." My eyes were glistering again as tears resurfaced, but this time, it was happy tears.

"That is how you should remember the situation from now on my child." I smiled genuinely for the first time in a long while and nodded in response. I sat up and stared around the park with a newfound lightness. Never would I have thought that I would be pouring out my heart to a stranger. But I must admit, I needed this closure.

"How is your dad?" Gloominess overtook my features once again as I thought about him.

"He had a heart attack that caused brain damage. We need a lot of money for him to do a correction surgery, or he has just three months to live. But I can't even afford to admit him to a hospital, not to mention paying for the surgery." I sighed in exhaustion. I had been thinking of what to do, but I couldn't come up with a solution.

"Hmm, how much does the surgery cost?" He asked.

"Three million dollars" I answered, unsure about the direction our conversation was going in.

"What if I offered you a job that would pay you even more than that?" My eyes widened in surprise. What job can he possibly offer that will pay me three million dollars in less than three months? Is he a criminal?

"I am not a criminal my child." He chuckled as if he could hear my thoughts.

"It is a rather tasking job, that's why the prize must be high as well." He explained

"And what is this tasking job?" I asked not knowing what to expect.

"Marry my son."