Chapter 1

Ava Williams watched the doctor' s face, a cold dread seeping into her bones.

"The transplant is her only option," Dr. Ramirez said, his voice gentle but firm. "And it's expensive, Ms. Williams. Very expensive."

Her mother, Sarah, lay pale and still in the hospital bed, machines beeping a grim rhythm.

Ava nodded, numb. "I'll get the money."

She had to.

Later that day, David King, her fiancé, sat across from her in a sterile hospital cafeteria.

He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Ava, I can't do this," he mumbled, stirring his coffee.

"Can't do what, David? We'll find a way. I'll work more hours."

He finally looked up, his expression pained but resolute. "It's not about the money. It's... it's Sophia Bellweather."

Sophia. The name hit Ava like a physical blow.

"I'm with her now," David said, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm breaking off the engagement."

Ava stared, the world tilting. Her mother dying, and now this.

The cafeteria sounds faded. All she heard was the shattering of her life.

Just when despair threatened to swallow her whole, Ethan Miller appeared.

Her childhood friend, now a wealthy, powerful businessman. He' d heard about her mother, about David.

He found Ava crying in the hospital hallway, a crumpled tissue in her hand.

"Ava," he said, his voice a calm anchor in her storm. "I'll cover all the medical costs."

She looked up, hope flaring. "Ethan? Really?"

"Everything," he confirmed. "There's one condition, though."

He paused, his gaze intense. "Marry me, Ava."

She was stunned. "Marry you?"

"It's the only way I can ensure everything is handled discreetly and efficiently," he said smoothly. "Think of your mother."

Desperate, with no other options, Ava agreed. What choice did she have?

The transplant surgery was scheduled. Ava clung to Ethan, her savior.

But complications arose. Her mother' s body rejected the new organ.

Sarah Williams died three days after the surgery.

Ava was devastated, a hollow shell of grief.

Ethan was a rock. He arranged the funeral, handled every detail with quiet efficiency. He held her when she wept.

A month later, in a small, subdued ceremony, Ava Williams became Ava Miller.

Her life had been saved from financial ruin, but her heart was broken, her future uncertain, tied to a man who had appeared like a miracle.

She told herself it was for the best. Ethan was kind, stable.

He was her husband now.