Grace woke with a sharp pain in her stomach. She stumbled to the bathroom, coughing violently—only to freeze when she saw blood staining her palm.
She forced a smile for Zara, hiding the fear as her daughter left for college. Then, with trembling hands, Grace drove herself to the hospital.
The diagnosis was merciless. *Cancer. Advanced. Months left.*
Her first thought wasn’t of death—but of Zara. Alone. Unprotected.
---
Liam hadn’t seen Grace in twenty-five years. Not since she chose another man over him. Yet when she called, he agreed without hesitation.
Her plea gutted him. *"I need someone to watch over Zara when I’m gone."*
Liam’s jaw tightened. Part of him still ached for her. But another part—the calculating businessman—saw an opportunity.
*"Marry her to my son,"* he said. *"She’ll be family. Protected."*
Grace hesitated. But time was a luxury she didn’t have.
---
Zara stared at her mother in disbelief. *"You want me to marry a stranger?"*
Grace’s voice cracked. *"You have to."*
No explanations. No room for argument. Just desperation in her mother’s eyes—something Zara had never seen before.
---
Archer was just as furious. *"You’re blackmailing me into this?"* he spat at Liam.
His father’s reply was ice-cold. *"Marry her, or lose your inheritance."*
So Archer played along. He knelt before Zara at her college, a charming smile masking his rage. *"Marry me,"* he murmured, loud enough for eavesdropping students to sigh.
Zara, bewildered but flattered by his sudden intensity, said yes.
She didn’t see the venom in his eyes.
---
**The Wedding Night**
Archer didn’t touch her.
He poured himself a drink instead, watching Zara with a smirk. *"You really think this is a love story?"*
Her stomach dropped.
*"Your mother trapped my father into this,"* he said. *"Now you’re trapped with me."*
He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. *"Let’s see how long you last."*
---
Grace’s health deteriorated fast.
*"Why did you do this?"* she sobbed.
Grace’s tears were her only answer.
Meanwhile, Liam watched from the shadows—his guilt festering.
Because the truth?
This wasn’t just about protection.
It was revenge.
---
**To Be Continued…**
~J
YOU ARE READING
The Path Of Love ✅
RomanceAt first, they refused. Zara Kai and Archer Mays-two strangers bound by their parents' desperation-had both rejected the idea of an arranged marriage. But when Archer's father threatened to strip him of his inheritance and the company he had spent...
