Paid my Dues

The final reminder lay on my kitchen table. Red. Conspicuous. Threatening. Final payment demand. My hands trembled as I folded the envelope again. There was no way out anymore. No money. No family to help. No bank that would give me another loan. So I knocked on the only door any sensible person would steer clear of. Aaron Attore. Thirty years old. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Ice-cold blue eyes that held neither pity nor remorse. The man whose name was only whispered in the darkest corners of the city. A mafia boss who decided life and death with a single nod. He made me wait. Then the heavy door to his study opened. "You want money?" His deep voice was calm. Dangerously calm. I nodded. "How much?" I named the sum. Without even blinking, he reached for his phone, gave a brief order, and set it aside. "Your debts will be gone in an hour." I caught my breath. "Why?" He leaned back. "Because I get something in return." "What?" His gaze met mine. "You." It took me seconds to understand. "No..." "Don't worry," he said coolly. "I don't want a love story. I need a marriage. Five years. After that, you're free, your debts stay paid, and we go our separate ways." "And if I refuse?" "Then you leave this house with the same debts you came with." It wasn't a threat. It was a fact. Three days later, I carried his last name. Not out of love. Not voluntarily. But because I had bought back my life. Yet no one had warned me about her. Piper. Beautiful. Perfect. Elegant. And cruel. She was Aaron's great love. The woman who had been with him for years. The woman who would never accept that I was suddenly his wife – even if it only existed on paper. "You really think you've won?" she hissed in my ear on the wedding night. Her perfectly manicured fingernails dug painfully into my arm. "You're just a contract. A piece of paper. Aaron loves me. He will never look at you." I said nothing. Because deep inside, I knew she was right. Aaron treated me politely but distantly. We ate together when it was necessary for the public. We appeared together at galas, receptions, and charity events. At home, we lived like strangers. And whenever Piper showed up, my life became hell. She ruined my clothes. Insulted me in front of staff. Made sure everyone knew I was unwelcome. Aaron never intervened. Never. Not because he didn't care. But because Piper was the only woman who had ever possessed his heart. I had no chance. Not against her. Not against their shared past. Not against the love of a man whose heart was already given. So I started counting the days. 1,824 more days until freedom. But I had no idea that behind Aaron's cool facade lurked secrets that would change everything – and that a marriage of convenience would turn into a struggle where not only my heart but also my life was at stake.

Updated September 23, 2026