Chapter 9

"I should have been there."

"I should have been watching you."

"I should never have left you alone in that place."

She guessed every mother in the same position as hers would be saying those similar words. They would be questioning everything they had done wrong.

And just like them, she would regret every minute she was away from him. However, as a single mother, she had no choice. She could not be in two places at once.

"I wish I could always be there by your side." But that was wishful thinking. She still had to work to put food on their table and buy everything he needed. Sadly, it was an accident that was out of her control.

After shedding some tears, her eyes eventually watched her little boy like a hawk, monitoring for any sign of movement. Anything that would indicate that he was going to be ok.

The doctors assured her that the operation was a success. Her son had survived a head trauma that almost killed him.

But he was not yet out of the woods. The next few hours or days were still critical. He still had to open his eyes and regain consciousness before the doctors could determine if there were additional complications in his health condition.

"Please, wake up." She whispered to his little boy, hoping she could finally look into his lovely eyes.

Until now, it was still not clear to her what happened at the resort. In her panic, she never had the chance to clarify the incident.

All she could remember was that his son had an accident, bumping his head somewhere, causing him to lose consciousness.

"The results showed he had a subdural hematoma. We have to fix the bleeding in his head that puts pressure around his brain." She remembered how the doctors explained what they had to do to her son.

Now, he had bandages all over his head where they operated to repair the damage caused by the accident.

"Can I see him?" A masculine voice spoke behind her, startling her a little. She guessed she was not used to having someone watching over her back.

It had always been her and Oliver, the two of them against the world. And there was no one else. She had learned to live relying only on herself while Oliver depended only on her.

"Sure." She guessed it would be childish to deny him the chance to see his son. After all, he was already there.

Then, a thought occurred to her, needling her with an idea as she watched him enter the room.

What if she let him spend time with their son? Maybe a few days or even just a few hours with a young boy would have made him realize he was too much of an effort.

Being responsible for young human life would be too much for what he bargained for. He was better off without her and their child. Then, she and her son could go back to their everyday lives.

"The doctors said..."

"I know what the doctors said." Of course, she ensured that she understood every word. She did not need to hear it from him.

Suddenly, she wished she did not go to him because she just gave him the power to meddle in her son's life. She could not take it back that he was the father. A simple test would show that he was.

However, did she even have any other choice? None.

As much as she did not like her options, it was the only way to save her son.

"You said his name is Oliver. Do you call him that or something else?" The man she barely knew asked, acting like he genuinely wanted to be involved in their son's life.

Still, she was skeptical about him and his intentions. She could not see him as a father figure or the marrying type. But what did she know about men, in general?

Nothing.

She could not even explain her actions, let alone try to find answers to how men think and work. Frankly, she was clueless about people.

"I call him Oliver, but I also sometimes call him Olly." She hesitantly answered, hating that she was letting him inside their little circle.

"I think I like Oliver better." He said as he walked over to the other side of the bed and touched their son's other cold hand. "But Olly seems to have a nice ring too." He admitted as he said it out loud.

"Why are you doing this?" She finally asked, going off-topic since she could not stand not knowing.

"What am I doing?" He glanced at her, taking his eyes away from the sleeping child to stare at her.

She could not help but get conscious as she looked away and focused on the boy lying on the bed.

"Why are you interested in helping Oliver?" She asked again, although he already answered that question.

"Why do you want to marry me? Is this revenge or something? A way to punish me for something I did not even do. Because I don't understand."

"Does it matter why I put marriage on the table?" He answered her.

"The only thing you should know is that I guarantee you and Oliver would be all set for life for acting as my wife and son. You might not need to worry about money for a long time."

She could not believe what she heard. The last part was like her answers to her prayers. But the first part was like she was dealing with the devil.

It all sounded tempting, especially knowing she would still need money for her son. This man might have paid the bill for her son's operation, but the expenses did not stop there.

Then, her son would still require constant care and supervision, meaning she could not return to work. That would result in losing her job and her only source of income.

"If I agree to this arrangement, how long should we stay married until I can get a divorce." She could not believe that she was asking the question.

But she had run out of options. She was desperate. And she needed a desperate measure if she and her son would survive this ordeal.