Chapter 4 I'll Do It
Mom's eyes widen. Then narrow. She knows me too well.
"Lia Grace Sterling." Her voice is sharp. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything yet," I say quickly. "But I have an opportunity. A legitimate one. It's... complicated though."
"How complicated?" She struggles to sit up straighter, and I help adjust her pillows. "Lia, you can't... if this involves anything illegal or dangerous—"
"It's not." I take her hand. "Mom, I promise. It's nothing like that."
"Then what is it?"
I open my mouth. Close it. How do I explain this? How do I tell my dying mother that my boss offered me two million dollars to marry him for six months so he can keep custody of his traumatized nephew?
It sounds insane even in my own head.
"There's a little boy," I start slowly. "He's four years old. He lost both his parents seven months ago, and he hasn't spoken since. Not a single word. Until yesterday, when I found him alone in the rain."
Mom's expression softens. "Oh, that poor baby."
"His uncle is trying to get custody, but the court won't approve it unless he can provide a stable, two-parent home." I take a breath. "He asked me to marry him. Not for real, just... temporarily. Six months. To help him keep his nephew. His uncle is Caius Michael."
Mom stares at me, gobsmacked. "Your boss asked you to marry him."
"Yes."
"Caius Michael. The man you've complained about for two years. The man who makes people cry in bathroom stalls."
Heat floods my cheeks. "I never said..."
"You didn't have to." She squeezes my hand. "Sweetheart, this is... this is a lot."
"I know." A hysterical laugh bubbles up. "I know how it sounds. But Mom, he's offering two million dollars. Enough to cover your treatment, all of it, and still have money left over. Enough to save your life."
Her face crumples. "Baby, no. You can't do this. You can't sell yourself..."
"I'm not selling myself." I grip her hand tighter. "I'm helping a child who needs me. A little boy who hasn't spoken in seven months, who somehow looked at me and said his first word. And yes, I'm getting paid for it. Paid enough to keep you alive."
"But your job at Hope Bridge—"
"Can wait." The words hurt, but they're true. "The foundation will still be there in six months. You might not be."
She's crying now, tears streaming down her hollow cheeks. "I don't want you to give up your dreams for me."
"You are my dream," I say fiercely. "Everything I've ever wanted, every goal I've ever had, was so I could take care of you. So we could have more time together. This is just... a different way of doing that."
"Lia—"
"I've already decided, Mom." The words surprise me even as I say them. But they're true. Somewhere between walking into this hospital room and this moment, I decided. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to help Leo, and I'm going to save you, and in six months I'll figure out the rest."
She pulls me into her arms, holding me as tightly as her weak body allows. We stay like that for a long time, both crying, both holding on.
"You're the bravest person I know," she whispers into my hair. "The absolute bravest."
"I learned from the best."
When I finally pull away, she cups my face in her hands. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Promise me you'll be careful. That you'll protect yourself. That you won't lose yourself in this arrangement." Her eyes are intense. "And promise me that if this man hurts you in any way, you'll walk away. I don't care about the money or the treatment. Your safety and happiness come first."
"Mom..."
"Promise me, Lia."
"I promise," I whisper.
She nods, satisfied. Then a small smile crosses her face. "Although, if I'm being honest... Caius Michael is devastatingly handsome."
"Mom!" I laugh.
"What? I'm dying, not blind." She winks. "And you've talked about him enough over the past two years that I feel like I know him. Maybe this fake marriage won't be so terrible. Maybe it'll even be... interesting."
"You're incorrigible."
She leans back against her pillows, suddenly looking exhausted. "Now go. Go tell that man you'll marry him. And Lia?" She catches my hand. "Thank you. For fighting for me. For loving me this much."
"Always," I whisper.
I kiss her forehead one more time, then force myself to leave before I break down completely.
I have one hour and thirteen minutes left to tell Caius my decision.
Except I already know what I'm going to say.
I'm going to say yes.
I'm going to marry my boss.
I'm going to lie to a judge and social workers and pretend to be someone's wife for six months.
I'm going to give up Hope Bridge, give up my dream job, give up my carefully planned future.
For two million dollars.
For my mother's life.
For a little boy who called me Mummy.
I hail a cab to the office from outside the hospital.
Traffic is terrible.
Of course it is. Because the universe apparently decided that today, of all days, would be the perfect time for a three-car pileup on the expressway.
I sit still, watching the clock tick forward.
4:02 PM.
4:15 PM.
4:28 PM.
My anxiety builds with every minute that passes. What if I don't make it in time? What if he thinks I'm saying no by not showing up? What if he finds someone else?
The thought sends panic through me.
I grab my phone and dial his number before I can think better of it.
He answers on the first ring. "Lia."
"I'm coming," I blurt out. "I'm stuck in traffic, but I'm coming. I'll be there before five. I just... I wanted you to know I'm coming."
There's a pause on the other end.
"Okay," he says finally. His voice is softer than usual. "I'll be here."
He hangs up.
I stare at my phone, my heart racing.
The traffic finally starts moving at 4:33 PM.
But the time I stop at the office, it's 4:42 PM.
I don't bother fixing my hair or checking my makeup. I just grab my bag and run straight to Caius's office.
I stop outside, my hand on the handle.
This is it. The moment everything changes.
I can still back out. Can still walk away. Can still choose the safe path, the planned path, the path that doesn't involve marrying my boss and lying to the court system.
Behind me, the elevator dings. Normal people heading home for the day. Going back to their normal lives with their normal problems.
I think about my mother in that hospital bed. About Leo curled up somewhere, silent and scared. About all the lives hanging in the balance of what I'm about to do.
Then I push open the door.
Caius is standing at the window, his phone in his hand. He turns when he hears me enter.
"Good evening, sir," I say, stepping into the office.
The door closes softly behind mea dn I walk toward his desk. Leo is asleep on the couch, curled up under a blanket that's far too big for him, one small hand t
ucked under his cheek.
I stop in front of his desk and look him directly in the eyes.
And I say three words that change everything.
"I'll do it.”