“And you thought I was one of them,” I concluded, the pieces clicking into place.

Ethan sighed, a heaviness escaping his lips. “I didn’t know what to think. Then you came into my life, and everything became even more complicated.”

A silence stretched between us, filled with the unspoken fears and hopes that lay bare between us. I thought of my mother’s words, the obligations that had bound me to this man, and the new reality unfolding before me. Despite the circumstances of our marriage, I realized there was an opportunity here—a chance to truly know each other beyond the facades we had been forced to wear.

“I didn’t marry you for your money, Ethan,” I said, my voice steady. “I married you because it was the only way to save my family from falling apart.”

He nodded, understanding flashing in his eyes. “And I agreed because I thought maybe you’d see the real me, not just the man in the chair.”

As I helped Ethan into bed, a newfound resolve surged within me. Our marriage had started as a business transaction, a desperate move to settle debts, but lying there beside him, I realized it could be so much more. We both had something the other needed—a chance at redemption, at honesty, and maybe even love.

In the gentle quiet of the night, beneath the soft glow of the lamplight, I felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, together, we could rewrite the story of our lives, one truth at a time.