« You married him for the money, » replied Catherine.
« I married him because he saved my mother, » said Emily. « And because he’s brilliant, alone, and deserves to be seen for who he is. »
She left trembling, but confident.
And it was on that day that she understood: she loved him.
When Henry learned about the envelope, he summoned her to the hospital chapel.
The stained-glass windows cast colors of confession upon him.
« You promised me, » he said. « You signed. »
« You haven’t told me everything, » she replied. « It wasn’t your grandfather who imposed that condition. It was you. »
He froze.
« I was afraid, » he finally admitted.
« Of what?
» « Of feeling. Of losing everything. I thought a contract would protect me. »
She looked at him, her eyes filled with tears.
« And yet, you’ve lost so much more by hiding. »
He lowered his head.
« I love you, » he said, as if breaking a confession. « Ever since the first time you walked into the break room in that ridiculous coat. I tried to resist. I failed. »
« Me too, » she replied, smiling through her tears. « I failed not to love you. »
They kissed.
Their first real kiss.
The following years were different.
Henry learned to live, not just to work.
Emily finished her nursing studies.
The penthouse became a home full of laughter, plants, and clutter.
They remarried, without a contract, in the same chapel—this time for love.
One evening, Emily asked him:
« If you could go back to that day, would you do it all again? »
Henry squeezed her hand.
« Every moment, » he said. « Even the painful ones. They led me to you. »
She laughed softly.
— Perhaps with a little less drama, then.
— And where would the pleasure be? he replied.
They fell asleep entwined, their hearts finally at peace.
Their story, born of an impossible bargain, had become a true promise.
And every time they were asked,
« Can an arranged marriage become true love? »
Emily would answer,
« Yes. Because sometimes the heart recognizes what reason wanted to ignore. »
And Henry simply added:
— Contracts protect. But love… gives life.
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