Ella had lost everything. After her mother’s accident, her father married someone else and pushed her aside, choosing his new family over her. Her friends slowly left, and she was left to deal with everything alone. She spent all her money to keep her mother on life support. Now, she was broke, exhausted, and barely holding on.

Then Nicholas showed up.

He was a stranger—handsome, confident, and calm. But what shocked her most was the marriage certificate he brought. According to him, they got married in Vegas. The problem? Ella doesn’t remember it at all.

She already has too much to deal with—her sick mom, the hospital bills, and her fiancé, who has been her only support. She can’t afford to lose him now.

But Nicholas won’t go away. He says he’s her husband, and he wants her to come with him. Ella feels drawn to him in a way she can’t explain. He sees through her like no one else does.

She knows she should walk away. She knows she should stay with the safe life she’s trying to hold on to. But something about Nicholas pulls her in—and she’s scared he might break her in the end.

The door to the private suite closed softly behind Dr. Reynolds and the nurse, leaving only Ella, Nicholas, and the soft hum of the machines monitoring her mother's vitals.


Ella sat in the armchair beside the bed, her hand still clasping her mother's. Nicholas had quietly stepped back, giving her room, but he didn't leave. He leaned against the far wall near the window, arms folded, gaze gentle and unreadable.


The silence stretched—thick, tender, weighted with unsaid things.


Ella exhaled shakily, then leaned forward, brushing her fingers softly over the back of her mother's hand. "Hey, Mom…"


"I don't even know where to start. It's been… chaos. And I know you can't hear me—or maybe you can. I don't know how this works. But I need to talk to you. Because if I don't, I might fall apart."


Chapter 29 - I need you, mom