A Marriage of Convenience

Valerie dropped to her knees on the cold hardwood floor, tears spilling over her lashes.

Arthur, my company is bankrupt. I owe five hundred thousand dollars. We have to break up.

She looked up at me, her eyes brimming with a heartbreaking reluctance.

Right as the words left her mouth, glowing lines of text began to materialize in the air between us, hovering like neon ghosts. It was the Chat.

[The female lead is so pitiful. She gets framed, goes bankrupt, and now has to leave the man she loves.]

[My poor baby hasn't eaten in three days! The second male lead shouldn't be so cruel. Just help her pay it off!]

[This guy is so slow. If my girl wanted to break up just to keep me from suffering, I'd empty my bank account for her right now!]

In my past life, I saw these exact floating comments. Believing Valerie was a tragic victim of circumstance, and blinded by my love for her, I foolishly took on her massive debt.

I didn't know it was a bottomless pit. The moment I paid off the first batch, another wave of debt crashed down on us.

When the collectors went after my father, the shock caused him to collapse, coughing up blood. He was rushed to the ICU. I ran to the bank to pay for his life-saving surgery, only to find my accounts completely drained. Valerie had taken every last cent.

The Chat kept telling me she was forced into it, that she had no choice. So, swallowing my panic, I went looking for her to beg for the surgery money back.

I found her. She was lounging in a luxurious backyard, nestled comfortably in another man's arms, cooing at a young boy playing on the grass.

While I stood there paralyzed by betrayal, a speeding car slammed into me from behind.

It was only after my soul left my crushed body that the truth was revealed. The Chat, the floating text that guided my every ruined decision, was an illusion she controlled. And that man holding her? That was her legal husband of ten years.

I was nothing but a side piece. A walking wallet to fund their perfect family.

Now, breathing the air of a second chance, I looked down at Valerie.

"Is that so?" I kept my voice deadpan. "Because I heard Sinclair Corp is doing better than ever. Not exactly the picture of bankruptcy."

Valerie's face froze. Before she could stumble through an excuse, the glowing text flared again.

[She just can't bear to drag you down with her. She hid the company's crisis from you!]

[Exactly! Remember when she said she was working late? She was out hustling for contracts, drinking with clients until she got a stomach ulcer. The male lead needs to show some compassion!]

Valerie bit her lip, looking utterly defeated. "It's true, Arthur. Sinclair Corp is finished. I just didn't want you to suffer with me. I know how much you love me, but I can't let you drown in my mess."

A bitter laugh scraped my throat.

In my previous life, she had indeed spent night after night coming home late, smelling of alcohol and expensive perfume. I had believed the Chat. I thought she was grinding for her startup.

I found out later she was spending those evenings dining at Michelin-star restaurants and taking luxury vacations with her husband, Dominic, and their kid.

I locked eyes with her. "I'll help you pay the debt, Valerie. But first, I want to see the company's financial ledgers."

The tragic, brave smile on her face shattered.

"Arthur, no. I really don't need you to ruin your life for this. The ledgers aren't even with me right now. I... I should just go. I don't want the collectors tracking me here and hurting you."

She pushed herself off the floor and turned toward the door, her steps agonizingly slow.

She was waiting for me to call her back.

In my past life, before the Chat even had to prompt me again, my heart had bled for her. I had pulled out my life savings and handed it over, moved to tears by her selflessness. She had wept, throwing her arms around my neck, promising we would be together forever.

The very next day, she brought a new wave of collectors to my door.

Remembering the agonizing pain of my crushed ribs on the asphalt, I stood perfectly still and watched her back.

The glowing text panicked.

[Why isn't he giving her the money? She spent so much on him! Those designer watches, those custom suits, they cost a fortune!]

[Right? Even his dad benefited from her generosity. Asking him to pitch in now is the bare minimum. When she bounces back, she'll treat him like a king!]

Reading those words, a wide, humorless grin stretched across my face.

"Valerie, wait. Don't leave. I'll get some money to help you."

She spun around, her eyes lighting up with barely concealed greed. "Arthur, you are too good to me. I swear, when I get back on my feet, I will never forget what you did for me."

"Give me a second," I said, turning and walking into the bedroom.

I grabbed a large duffel bag and started throwing things into it. The Rolex. The Armani jackets. The limited-edition sneakers. I hauled the heavy bag back into the living room and dumped it at her feet.

"Look. These are all the luxury gifts you bought me over the years. I kept them in perfect condition. You can pawn them. They should cover a huge chunk of the debt."

Valerie stared at the pile of clothes and watches, her face draining of color.

I smiled, feeling a cold satisfaction.

In my past life, I had cherished those gifts. I wore them with pride and spent my own hard-earned money buying her equally expensive jewelry in return.

It wasn't until Dominic was standing over my dying body that I learned the truth. She had bragged to him, laughing about how she used cheap knockoffs to keep her stupid side-guy blindly loyal, tricking him into buying her real diamonds in exchange.

I was giving her garbage back to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked, feigning innocent concern. "There's easily a few hundred thousand dollars worth of stuff here. Add that to whatever savings you have left, and you're clear."

Valerie's mouth opened and closed. She couldn't force a smile. She couldn't exactly confess that her "generous gifts" were worthless fakes bought from back-alley vendors, not when she was playing the desperate victim.

The Chat flared with urgency.

[If I could only warn the male lead! She was scammed when she bought those! They're all counterfeit!]

[If she takes that junk to the loan sharks, they'll beat her to death!]

[They're on their way right now! If he doesn't just hand over the cash, they'll break her legs. She'll never be able to rebuild her company!]

Right on cue, a violent pounding shook my front door.

A flash of relief washed over Valerie's pale face.

"Open up! Kick the door down! You owe us money, and nobody hides from us!"

A harsh, arrogant voice boomed through the wood. "If you don't open this door in three seconds, we're coming in, and we're breaking bones!"

I knew that voice. It was the debt collector she had hired to play the villain. It was Dominic.

"Arthur, they're here for me," Valerie whispered, her voice trembling beautifully. "Let me face them alone. I won't let them touch you."

She stepped forward, looking like a martyr stepping up to the gallows. But I saw the subtle gleam of anticipation in her eyes.

Before I could reply, the front door splintered inward with a deafening crack.

Half a dozen men shoved their way into my living room. They were big, tattooed, and carried themselves with practiced menace. Leading them was Dominic.

Seeing Valerie and me standing by the sofa, Dominic offered a theatrical, predatory grin. "Well, well. Miss Sinclair. Thought you could skip town with our half a million dollars?"

Valerie looked at me with wide, helpless eyes. When I didn't move a muscle, she bit her lip, reached down, and shoved the duffel bag of "luxury" goods toward Dominic.

The floating text went wild.

[Arthur, stop her! Don't be stingy with your money. If they cripple her, your future is ruined!]

[He has that life insurance payout from his dead mother! Plus his savings! He has more than enough to cover this!]

[If he hesitates now, the childhood best friend is going to swoop in and save her. Then she'll fall for him out of gratitude, they'll get rich together, and Arthur will be left with nothing!]

I watched the text scroll by. I didn't feel a shred of pity.

The "childhood best friend" the Chat kept hyping up was Dominic himself. The whole thing was a perfectly choreographed play to bleed me dry.

Dominic yanked the Rolex out of the bag, inspected it for half a second, and then backhanded Valerie across the face. The slap echoed through the room.

"Do I look like a moron to you?!" Dominic roared. "You try to pay off half a mil with Canal Street knockoffs? I'll shatter your kneecaps right now!"

He grabbed her by the hair, his eyes darting toward me, waiting for me to play the hero.

Valerie clutched her stinging cheek, tears streaming down her face. She looked at me, a pathetic whimper escaping her lips.

I stood there, my hands resting comfortably in my pockets.

Seeing my absolute indifference, Valerie dropped the act. Panic flashed in her eyes.

"Arthur! You told me about the money your mother left you! Please, just advance me the cash. I swear on my life I'll pay you back double when the company recovers. We've been together for years. Can you really stand there and watch them maim me?"

She was openly begging now.

I narrowed my eyes.

Dominic, realizing I wasn't taking the bait, tightened his grip on Valerie's hair. "If you don't cough up the cash right now, I'm snapping her wrist."

The Chat chimed in again, flashing bright red.

[Pay the debt! She has a massive investment coming in a few days! Once it hits, the company is saved. Give her the money now and you'll be set for life!]

[It's a multi-million dollar contract! Arthur, don't throw away this golden ticket!]

They had planned this down to the last detail. But I wasn't stepping into their trap this time.

"Take it outside," I said, my voice cold and flat. "I'm not paying a dime of her debt. Those bags of clothes are the only things she left here. Take them and get out of my house."

Valerie's face twisted in genuine horror. She wrenched herself out of Dominic's grip and lunged toward me, trying to wrap her arms around my waist.

I stepped back and shoved her hard by the shoulder, sending her stumbling into the coffee table.

Seeing that I was completely unshakable, Valerie's mask of the tragic lover finally slipped. A deep, ugly scowl marred her face. She shot a sharp, meaningful look at Dominic.

Dominic caught the signal. The playacting was over.

"I hate cowards like you," Dominic sneered. "Your woman owes money, which means you owe money. If she can't pay, I'll take it out of your hide."

He gestured to his men. In a heartbeat, they swarmed me, tackling me to the hardwood floor.

Valerie stood up, smoothing her skirt. She didn't look scared anymore. She pointed a manicured finger toward my bedroom, signaling Dominic to go find the money himself.

Dominic nodded, stepping over me as his men pinned my arms and legs. He sauntered into my bedroom.

A minute later, he walked back out holding a small metal lockbox. He smashed it open against the edge of the kitchen counter. Out spilled a bank card and a velvet jewelry box. He popped the box open, revealing a heavy gold necklace, thick bracelets, and a vintage diamond ring.

It was my mother's heirloom jewelry. The pieces she had saved for her future daughter-in-law.

Rage burned in my throat. I thrashed against the men holding me, but a heavy boot pressed down on the back of my neck.

Dominic let out a harsh bark of laughter. "Thought you were broke. Look at this stash. You had the money the whole time and you still let her beg. You really are a piece of trash."

My phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket.

Dominic raised an eyebrow, reached into my pants, and pulled it out. He answered it on speakerphone.

"Is this Arthur?" a frantic voice echoed from the speaker. "Your father collapsed. He's bleeding internally and we're rushing him to the emergency room. You need to get here with the deposit for surgery right now, or he won't make it!"

Click. Dominic hung up the phone.

The blood drained from my face. I stared up at Dominic, realizing exactly what had happened.

"You sent people to my father."

"Maybe I did," Dominic said, crouching down to look me in the eye. "Consider it interest. You sleep with another man's wife, you pay the toll."

He grabbed me by the collar and slapped me hard, twice. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. He grabbed a handful of my hair and slammed my face into the floorboards.

"Did you really think you were her boyfriend? I'm her legal husband. We've been married for ten years. The only reason she tolerates a pathetic loser like you is because you have a fat bank account. If it weren't for the payout, I would have killed you a long time ago."

I wrenched my head to the side and glared at Valerie.

She stood by the window, her arms crossed, looking away. She didn't say a word.

The floating text was dead silent.

Dominic grabbed a piece of nylon cord from one of his men. He wrapped it around my wrists, pulling it tight enough to cut off the circulation, and looped the excess around my neck.

With a vicious yank, he pulled the cord taut.

My airway crushed shut. Black spots danced in my vision as I gagged, kicking my legs against the floor.

Right as the darkness started to pull me under, Valerie stepped forward and touched Dominic's arm.

"That's enough. We don't have the PIN for the bank card yet. Don't kill him in his own living room."

Dominic loosened the cord just enough for me to suck in a ragged, burning breath. He squatted next to me and shoved the screen of my phone into my face.

"Unlock it."

I gathered the saliva in my mouth and spat a bloody glob right into his eye.

Dominic roared, wiping his face, and delivered a brutal kick to my ribs. A sickening crack echoed through the room.

My phone started ringing again. The hospital. My father was running out of time.

I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to look at the screen, refusing to give them access.

"Unlock the damn phone, or I'll break your neck right now!" Dominic screamed, his face purple with rage.

Valerie let out an exasperated sigh. "His passcode is my birthday."

Dominic tapped the numbers in. A soft chime confirmed the phone was unlocked. He threw his head back and laughed, a cruel, triumphant sound.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek until I tasted fresh blood, using the pain to keep myself from passing out. The moment he looked down at the banking app to transfer the funds, I planted my boots on the floor and threw my entire body weight upward, ramming my shoulder directly into his chest.

Dominic stumbled backward, dropping the phone. "Hold him down! Pin him!"

His thugs slammed me back onto the floor, driving their knees into my spine.

"Valerie, get the papers," Dominic ordered, breathless and furious.

Valerie reached into her designer bag and pulled out a manila folder, setting it on the coffee table.

Dominic grabbed me by the hair and dragged my face close to the document.

"You're such a good son, right? Well, Valerie is under a lot of financial pressure right now. I think it's time you made a real contribution." He grabbed a pen and forced it into my bound, trembling hand. "I think your old man has lived long enough. Sign the Do Not Resuscitate order. Once he kicks the bucket, we'll take his house and his pension, too."

He pressed his heavy hand over mine, forcing the pen toward the signature line on the medical proxy form.