Work did not feel the same the next day.
It felt like I was moving through the hours with a loose collar around my neck, one wrong step away from tightening completely.
I attended tables on autopilot, forcing polite smiles, memorizing orders, clearing plates I barely remembered serving. My body was present but my mind was far away, spiraling into places I did not want to go.
Liam kept coming to mind.
My stepbrother. Peter's son.
What would happen to him when everything fell apart? Would he stay with my mother if she survived this? Or would Peter swoop back into his life only when it suited him, the way he always did?
I had too many questions and nowhere to place them. Questions for Sebastian. Questions about the contract. Questions about how a person was supposed to survive knowing their life no longer belonged to them.
I used to look down on people who sold their bodies. I told myself I was different. Stronger. That I would never let desperation strip me of my dignity.
Now I understood how wrong I had been.
In a few days, my entire existence would revolve around pleasing one man. An arrogant billionaire who wanted an heir.
A male child.
The thought made my stomach churn.
Does that mean he would force me to…
No.
I could not even finish the thought.
My chest tightened suddenly, as though invisible hands were squeezing the air from my lungs. Heat flooded my body. My palms grew slick with sweat as the room began to tilt.
I tried to breathe. Tried to steady myself.
The clatter of plates grew louder. The voices around me blurred into an unintelligible hum. A sharp ringing filled my ears, drowning out everything else.
Someone was calling my name.
I could hear it faintly, distantly, as though from the end of a long tunnel.
Then the world went cold and dark.
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Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The sound dragged me back slowly, pulling me out of a heavy fog. I blinked against the harsh white light above me, my head throbbing as the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose.
"Good. You are awake."
I turned my head slightly and met Dr Lawal's worried gaze.
"How do you feel, Ms Carter?" he asked.
Disoriented and panicked, I swung my legs off the bed, instinct taking over. The IV tugged painfully at my hand as I tried to stand.
The room spun violently.
"Ms Carter," Dr Lawal said urgently, rushing to my side as he guided me back onto the bed. "I am under strict orders to make sure you rest."
I froze.
"Strict orders from whom?" I asked, my voice barely steady.
He hesitated. Scratched the back of his head. His eyes flicked briefly toward the door before returning to me.
"Ms Carter," he said carefully, "Mr Lux has explicitly instructed that you are not to leave this hospital until you are fully recovered."
The words sank in slowly.
Anger surged through me, hot and uncontrollable.
"No," I snapped. "He cannot do that. I am not his yet. He does not get to command my life like I am some kind of puppet."
Dr Lawal sighed softly, concern etched into his face, but he said nothing more.
And in that moment, I realized something terrifying.
Ethan Lux had already begun to claim ownership.
And the contract had not even started yet.
A soft knock came at the door before I could sink further into my thoughts.
I looked up just as it opened.
Sebastian stepped in, dressed immaculately as always, his expression unreadable. A leather folder was tucked under his arm. He closed the door behind him with deliberate calm.
"Ms Carter," he said smoothly. "I see you are awake."
My chest tightened instantly. "You should not be here."
"I disagree," he replied, pulling a chair closer to the bed and sitting down without waiting for permission. "This is actually the most appropriate place for this conversation."
I scoffed. "Let me guess. Ethan sent you."
"Mr Lux prefers efficiency," Sebastian said evenly. "And clarity."
I glared at him. "Then be clear. Why is he giving orders to doctors like I already belong to him?"
Sebastian folded his hands, studying me for a moment. "Because from a legal standpoint, Ms Carter, you almost do."
The words sent a chill through me.
"Almost," I repeated. "Meaning not yet."
"Correct," he said calmly. "Which is why I am here."
He opened the folder and placed it on the small table beside my bed, sliding it toward me.
"The contract," he said. "Revised. Final."
I stared at it like it might bite.
"You already have my signature," I said quietly.
"Yes," Sebastian agreed. "But Mr Lux wanted to ensure there were no misunderstandings before it became binding."
My fingers curled into the sheets. "You mean before he locks the door."
Sebastian did not rise to the comment. "Clause seven," he said instead.
My breath caught.
"You added another clause," I said.
"No," he corrected gently. "It was always there. You were not in the emotional state to fully process it before."
Anger flared. "So you waited until I collapsed."
"I waited until you were conscious," he replied coolly. "There is a difference."
I swallowed hard. "Read it."
Sebastian opened the folder and flipped a page.
"Clause seven states that you should, would, and should always be available to satisfy and cater to Mr Lux's needs for the duration of the contract," he read aloud. "Those needs include but are not limited to public appearances, private obligations, domestic responsibilities, and the fulfillment of the marriage's primary objective."
My heart pounded violently. "An heir."
"Yes," Sebastian said. "Specifically a male child."
"And if I do not give him one?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"The contract remains active," he replied. "If you give birth to a female child, or do not conceive at all, the agreement continues until the condition is met or Mr Lux terminates it himself."
I felt dizzy again.
"And if I succeed?" I asked.
"Then the contract ends automatically," Sebastian said. "You walk away free. With your mother's debts cleared permanently. With financial security guaranteed."
I laughed bitterly. "Free after being used."
Sebastian met my gaze steadily. "You are not being purchased, Ms Carter. You are entering a transactional marriage."
"That is the same thing," I snapped.
He stood. "The decision remains yours. But Mr Lux wanted you to understand that his involvement begins now, not after the wedding."
I clenched my jaw. "Tell him something for me."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"
"That I am not his possession," I said. "And if he thinks this will be easy for him, he is mistaken."
A faint smile touched Sebastian's lips. "I will relay the message."
He turned toward the door, then paused.
"Rest," he added quietly. "You will need your strength."
The door closed behind him.
I lay back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling as the weight of clause seven settled deep into my bones.
The silence of the room pressed down on me, suffocating.
And then my phone buzzed.
A single message. From an unknown number.
"We will be expecting you at 9am sharp. Me Lux will be seeing you, the location will be sent tomorrow."
I froze. My fingers trembled around the blanket.
The contract
was not just on paper anymore. It was time. A place. A beginning.
And there was no turning back.