Chapter 6 – Going To Marry Him
Avery >>
"What… what?" I stammered, staring at the doctor like he had just cursed me.
"But he was just talking to me a few minutes ago," I said quickly, my voice shaky. "He opened his eyes. He smiled. He spoke to me. How did everything suddenly change? How did it go from that… to this?"
My lips trembled. "And now… now you're telling me he has only a three days left to live if I don't get the money? That he won't make it?"
I stepped forward, chest heaving. "Doctor, please… tell me you're joking. Please tell me this is some twisted joke or test or something—anything."
The doctor didn't say a word. Just looked at me with tired eyes.
"So you're not joking?" I whispered. "You're not?"
I felt like the air had left my lungs.
My body started shaking.
I didn't know what to say anymore. I didn't even know what to feel. All I knew was—I can't lose him.
I turned to the doctor again. "Please. Just start the treatment. I'll bring the money. I promise. Just save him. Start it now and I'll figure the rest out—"
But he cut me off.
"I've already explained, to you Mr. Avery," he said calmly. "This hospital does not run on promises. We don't begin treatment without at least half of the payment."
"But I swear—"
"I'm sorry."
And with that… he turned and walked away.
"Doctor… please!" I called after him. "PLEASE!"
But he didn't turn around. Didn't even pause.
He just kept walking.
I stood there, frozen.
My fists clenched.
Then I collapsed onto the floor, knees buckling beneath me as the weight of everything crashed down again.
My father.
My only real blood relative.
The only one who loved me without conditions. Who stepped up. Who sacrificed.
He was dying—and I was failing him.
I already lost my mother. I cannot lose my father.
I am not going to survive it if anything happens to him.
"No, no, Papa… please…" I cried, my voice raw. "Please don't leave me."
The tears came harder now. I couldn't control them.
I buried my face into my palms and let the sobs take over.
"You know you have an option," a cold voice cut through my pain.
I looked up slowly. My stepmother stood there, arms folded, face blank.
"You're just refusing to embrace it."
I glared at her, eyes filled with rage. "Can you shut the hell up?"
My voice cracked. "Do you even feel anything?! Your husband is on the verge of death, and all you care about is money?!"
"Are you that heartless?!"
Tears kept falling, but I didn't care anymore.
"Where is your compassion?" I asked. "Where's the love you're supposed to have for the man you married? For the man who gave you a home?"
She didn't answer. She just smiled.
"What do you think is making me suggest the marriage?" she said. "You think I haven't looked for other ways? You think I want to depend on you?"
Her voice stayed cold, sharp. "There are no other options, Avery. None."
But I didn't believe her. Even if it were true, I knew she didn't care. I had always known. From the beginning.
She had no love in her.
Only greed.
"Go fuck yourself," I spat, pushing past her and going back inside the ward.
I walked to Papa's bed slowly, like I was stepping into a nightmare.
His skin was paler than before. His lips were dry. His chest rose and fell like it was struggling just to breathe.
"No, no, no… Papa," I whispered, moving to his side. "This can't be happening."
I reached for his hand and held it tightly. It felt colder and weaker now.
"You can't just leave me," I cried. "You can't… not like this. Not now."
I dropped to my knees beside the bed, still gripping his hand.
"You haven't even seen me get married yet," I said, tears dripping onto the blanket. "You haven't walked me down the aisle. You haven't held your grandchild in your arms. You used to say you couldn't wait to babysit, to spoil your grandkid rotten. You promised, Papa."
My voice broke completely.
"You can't die now," I whispered, resting my head on his arm. "You still have more to live for. I still need you. I don't know what to do without you. You're the only person that has ever loved me right…"
He didn't move.
He didn't respond.
But I kept talking to him like he could hear me. Like somehow, my words could hold his soul in place.
"Please," I begged one last time, voice barely a whisper. "Stay."
"I'm going to figure it out," I whispered to him. "I'm going to work. I'll find something. Somehow… I'll make the money. I'll save you."
But even as I said it… I knew I was lying.
There was no job in this world that would give me that kind of money in just three days. Not when I didn't even have bus fare. Not when I didn't even have a job anymore.
Reality hit me.
I can't do it in time.
And I can't lose him.
Tears streamed down my face as my heart broke in a thousand different ways. My chest hurt so much it felt like I couldn't breathe.
My stepmother's voice echoed in my mind.
"You know you have an option. You're just refusing to embrace it."
"All you have to do is to agree to it and your father is going to receive adequate treatment."
I hated her. I hated the way she smiled when she talked about money.
The only thing she cared about was money. That was her priority.
Money money money!
And she didn't care if the only way for her to get the money was for me to get married to someone that I have zero knowledge about.
I wasn't even gay. I've never even looked at a man that way. I liked women. I liked soft skin, small hands, lipstick, long lashes…
And now I had to marry a man?
For what? Money?
No. Not money.
For Papa.
I cried harder, resting my head on the edge of the bed, his weak hand still clutched in mine.
Why me?
Why couldn't this kind of temptation happen to someone else?
Why was it always me who had to sacrifice?
Why couldn't life just leave me alone—just once?
But deep down… I knew that crying wouldn't save him. I could cry from now till the next sunrise and it still wouldn't change anything.
If I didn't act fast, Papa was going to die.
I sat up, wiping my tears, trying to catch my breath.
I can do this.
It's not forever.
She said a year. Maybe two. That's not a lifetime.
Just get married, stay quiet, collect the money, and walk away.
It's not like love is involved.
It's not like it's real.
Still… the thought made my stomach twist. I was about to bind myself to someone I'd never even met. And worse—it wasn't even a woman. It was a man.
My heart kept breaking over and over again.
But I had no choice.
I leaned over and kissed my father's hand.
"I promise you, Papa," I whispered. "I'll do anything. Anything it takes to keep you here with me."
I wiped my face again and smiled through my tears. "You remember our deal? That you're not allowed to die before you turn 100?"
"You're not even close, so I'm not letting you go. You're not leaving me yet. Not even close."
"I swear to you, I'll fight. I'll do it."
I stood up slowly.
Every part of me felt heavy, like my bones were no longer my bones and it was filled with granites.
I walked to the door, opened it.
I turned back around giving my father one more look before stepping back into the hallway.
And there she was.
Sitting like she didn't have a care in the world, legs crossed, fingers tapping against her phone.
The moment she saw me, she looked up.
Her eyes met mine.
"I've thought about it," I said, my voice low but steady. "I'm going to do it."
"I'm going to marry him."