Chapter 4 Four

It was supposed to be the happiest day of a girl's life.

But Elara Monroe stood in the middle of the courthouse, surrounded by chipped paint, cold marble floors, and strangers whispering behind cupped hands. There were no flowers. No music. No promises. Just a single judge, a bored clerk, and Joseph Taylor beside her, wearing a suit that screamed money and a face that screamed indifference.

Elara tried to keep her back straight, but every pair of eyes in the room felt like a stone on her shoulders.

"That's her?"

"Poor thing. Doesn't even look like a bride."

"She's marrying Joseph Taylor? Isn't he the one who shut down that children's hospital just to build another hotel?"

"Elara Monroe... wasn't she the designer? The one whose mom died and whose dad went bankrupt?"

"She must be desperate."

The whispers clawed into her spine.

Lena sat quietly at the back, her belly swollen under her oversized coat, face pale with shame. She'd begged Elara not to go through with it that morning. Had even cried. But what choice did she have?

They would've been homeless by the end of the month.

Now they were just emotionally bankrupt instead.

Elara didn't dare look at Joseph. Not after he walked in five minutes late and didn't even apologize. He barely acknowledged her-just stood with his hands in his pockets, jaw set like someone had forced him into this.

He didn't even look at her when the judge began.

"Do you, Elara Monroe, take Joseph Taylor to be your lawful husband-"

"I do," she whispered. Her voice cracked. It wasn't romantic. It was survival.

"And do you, Joseph Taylor, take Elara Monroe to be your lawful wife?"

He looked at her for the first time then. Slowly. Coldly.

Like he was examining something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

"I do," he said, with a sharp nod.

That was it.

No kiss. No congratulations. Just a ring slid onto her finger by a man who held her hand like it was a business transaction. His touch was cold, firm, and over too quickly.

"Congratulations," the judge said flatly. "You're now legally married."

Joseph stepped back immediately, like touching her for too long might stain his skin. His face was unreadable, but his eyes-those eyes-held nothing but contempt.

She forced herself to look away, focusing on her sister. Lena had her hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

Elara smiled. Or at least tried to. A small, broken thing.

She had done this for her.

And now it was done.

But Joseph wasn't finished.

As the guests began to file out and the clerk handed them their marriage certificate, he leaned in, his mouth close to her ear.

"This is business. Don't get attached."

The words sliced through her like glass.

She turned to him, eyes narrowed. "Don't flatter yourself."

He smirked. "Good. Keep it that way."

Then, without another word, he straightened his jacket and walked out of the courthouse like he hadn't just tied someone's life to his for a year.

Like she didn't even matter.

More whispers followed him.

"He didn't even hold her hand."

"God, she looks like she's going to faint."

"She'll never survive in his world."

Elara didn't wait. She walked fast toward the exit, her heels clicking against the cold tiles, her fingers trembling around the certificate. She pushed through the doors and felt the wind slap her face.

The sky was gray.

Fitting.

Lena caught up to her, grabbing her hand. "Elara..."

"I'm fine," she said too quickly.

Lena stopped her. "Don't lie to me. You're not fine. I saw the way he looked at you in there. Like you were... like you were some piece of nothing."

Elara blinked. Her chest ached.

"I'm his wife now," she whispered.

"On paper," Lena spat. "But he didn't marry you, Elara. He bought you."

Elara winced.

Lena's voice broke. "I never should've let you do this. I should've-"

"You're pregnant, Lena!" Elara shouted, voice cracking. "You don't have a job. You don't have insurance. You don't even have the baby's father around. I did what I had to do. So stop blaming yourself, because I made this choice."

"But you didn't!" Lena cried. "He cornered you. That contract wasn't a choice-it was a trap."

Silence fell between them.

Elara couldn't breathe.

Her hands were still shaking. She glanced down at the ring. It was heavy. Too tight. As if even the metal didn't want to be there.

Lena pulled her into a hug, and Elara let it happen. She closed her eyes, held her sister close, and finally let the tears fall.

She had signed away a year of her life.

One whole year in a stranger's world.

A ruthless, heartless billionaire who looked at her like she didn't deserve to breathe the same air.