"Sign it."
The pen felt heavier than iron in my trembling fingers.
Across the table, the lawyer adjusted his glasses and slid the contract closer to me. My sister lay unconscious in a private hospital room upstairs. The surgery required money we didn't have.
And this… this was the price.
Marriage.
To a man I had never met.
"Your sister's treatment will begin the moment you sign," the lawyer said calmly. "But understand this you belong to him after that."
Belong.
The word made my chest tighten.
"Who is he?" I asked.
"That information is not necessary."
Not necessary?
I stared at the blank line waiting for my signature.
If I refused, my sister would die.
If I agreed… my life would no longer be mine.
My hands stopped shaking.
I signed.
The moment the ink touched paper, something changed.
The room suddenly felt colder.
The lights flickered once.
And for a brief second… I felt like someone was watching me.
From very far away.
Or very close.