005 The Decision

I stared at the message for a long time. The screen glowed in the dark of my apartment, those simple words feeling heavier than they should.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Part of me wanted to ignore it, to crawl back into bed and pretend none of this was happening. But Mia’s face kept flashing in my mind. Her small hands reaching for me. The way her breathing steadied only when I held her. I typed back a short reply.

Okay. I’m coming.

The taxi ride back to the mansion was quiet. The city lights blurred past the window as I leaned my head against the glass. My coat still smelled faintly of the night air from earlier. I had not even changed out of the clothes I wore when I left the first time. Everything felt rushed, like life was pushing me forward before I was ready.

When I arrived, the nanny let me in without a word. She pointed toward the study and disappeared upstairs. The house was mostly dark except for a single lamp glowing from the open study door. I walked in slowly.

Damian stood behind the large oak desk, a glass of something amber in his hand. He had changed into a black sweater, sleeves pushed up. He looked tired. Really tired. The kind of tired that came from carrying too much for too long.

“You came,” he said, setting the glass down.

“You asked me to.”

He gestured to the chair across from him. I sat. The silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable. He did not sit. He paced a few steps, then stopped, running a hand through his hair.

“Eleanor left,” he said finally. “She called me from the airport. She made it clear what she wants. What she thinks Mia needs.”

I waited. My hands were clasped tightly in my lap.

Damian stopped pacing and looked at me directly. “Mia’s episodes are getting worse. The doctors say the stress is making the sickness progress faster. The same sickness that took Sophia. I watched my wife fight it for years. I cannot watch my daughter go through the same thing.”

His voice cracked just slightly on the last words. He cleared his throat and continued. “You calm her. I have seen it. The nanny has seen it. Even I cannot deny it anymore. Eleanor believes this marriage is the only way to give Mia the stability she needs. A legal reason for you to stay here. To be part of her daily life.”

I swallowed hard. “And what do you believe?”

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I believe this is insane. I believe you are the last person I should be tied to. But Mia… she lights up when you are around. She sleeps better. Her breathing is steadier. I have spent months watching nannies fail. You succeed without even trying.”

I looked down at my hands. “I am not doing this to hurt you, Damian. Or to replace anyone. I loved Alex. I still do. This feels like betraying him every time I think about saying yes.”

He was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was lower. “I loved Sophia. More than anything. Her sickness took pieces of me I did not know I could lose. I promised her I would protect Mia. That I would give her the life Sophia could not finish giving her.”

He walked around the desk and leaned against it, closer to me than he had ever been willingly. “If agreeing to this marriage helps Mia, then I will do it. But understand this, Lila. This is not a real marriage. It is a contract. You stay for Mia. I provide for you. Nothing more. No expectations. No feelings.”

I met his eyes. They were cold, but there was exhaustion and something almost desperate underneath. “I understand. For Mia.”

He nodded once. “The ceremony will be in three days. Just the registrar. No guests. No celebration. You will move your things into the guest wing immediately after. The nanny will help Mia adjust.”

The words settled over me like a heavy blanket. Three days. In three days I would be married to this man who could barely stand looking at me. I thought of Alex’s grave. The flowers I had left there earlier. The life we were supposed to have.

“I need some time alone,” I said, standing up.

Damian did not stop me. As I reached the door, his voice followed me. “This is not easy for me either. But Mia comes first. Always.”

I left the study and walked through the quiet halls. The mansion felt even larger at night. I found my way to the garden and sat on the same bench as before. The air was cool. I pulled my coat tighter around me and let the tears come. They were quiet this time. Not the ugly sobs from the first days after Alex died. Just steady, exhausted tears for the life I was leaving behind and the uncertain one I was stepping into.

When I finally went back inside, I found a small suitcase waiting for me in the guest wing. The nanny must have prepared it. I packed the rest of my essentials from my apartment the next morning. Clothes. Sketching pad. A few photos of Alex. The Libyan sweets that Alex never got to give Eleanor. I held the small bag for a long time before placing it in the suitcase.

The move happened quietly. No fanfare. Just a few trips in the car and suddenly my things were in the luxurious guest room. I hung my clothes in the large closet. Placed Alex’s photo on the nightstand. Sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the unfamiliar walls.

Mia found me later that afternoon. She climbed onto the bed and curled up beside me. “You are staying now?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I am staying.”

She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. Her breathing was calm and even. For her, I would do this. For her, I would learn to live in this cold house with a man who saw me as a reminder of everything he lost.

Damian watched from the doorway for a moment before walking away without a word. The ceremony was set. The papers would be signed soon. My old life was already slipping away.

I held Mia a little tighter and closed my eyes. Whatever came next, I would face it one day at a time.