"I'm sorry… I already have a husband, Darren," Elisabeth said firmly.
Darren looked at her quietly for a moment.
"But isn't your husband the one who cheated on you?" he replied calmly.
"If you marry me, you could make him regret what he did."
He gently held Elisabeth's hand.
"Elisabeth, listen to me," Darren continued softly.
"This is only a contract marriage. Two years. Nothing more."
Elisabeth quickly pulled her hand away.
"Don't do that," she said coldly.
"And don't assume you understand my life."
Darren sighed.
"I'm not trying to control you," he said.
"I'm trying to give both of us a solution."
"A solution?" Elisabeth repeated with disbelief.
"You call this a solution? You want me to marry you while I'm still legally married?"
"You said it yourself," Darren replied.
"Your husband betrayed you."
"That doesn't mean I should make another reckless decision," Elisabeth said sharply.
Darren leaned forward slightly.
"My daughter needs breast milk," he said quietly.
"And you need a way to deal with the milk your body keeps producing."
"That doesn't mean I have to marry you," Elisabeth answered.
"There are other ways, but this one helps both of us," Darren said.
"My daughter gets proper care… and you won't have to face everything alone."
Elisabeth shook her head slowly.
"You're still the same, Darren," she said bitterly.
"Always deciding things for other people."
Darren looked at her seriously.
"No," he said softly.
"I'm offering you a choice."
"I'll take care of your divorce lawyer," Darren said calmly.
"Don't worry about the cost. I'm also willing to wait for your iddah period to finish after your divorce."
Elisabeth looked at him with disbelief.
"Marriage is sacred, Darren. Why are you treating it like a game?"
Darren shrugged slightly.
"If you want, we can get married without a contract," he replied.
At that moment, Elisabeth's phone vibrated.
A message from her father appeared.
Father:
"Elsa, what are you doing? William is a good man. Why did you leave him? Just because your baby died doesn't mean you can fight him and ask for a divorce."
Elisabeth quickly typed back.
Elisabeth:
"He cheated on me, Dad."
Her father replied almost immediately.
Father:
"He's a government official. Men like him sometimes play around with women. That doesn't change the fact that you are still his legal wife."
Elisabeth clenched her phone.
Elisabeth:
"I don't want to stay married to a man who isn't faithful and loves another woman."
Another message came.
Father:
"El, don't be selfish. This is for our family's good."
Elisabeth's eyes filled with tears.
Elisabeth:
"No. I don't want to."
Her phone vibrated again.
Father:
"If you insist on divorcing him, then don't expect me to recognize you as my daughter anymore."
Elisabeth slowly lowered her phone.
After a long silence, she looked up at Darren.
"I'm willing to marry you under a contract," she said quietly.
"But I have one condition."
Darren raised his eyebrows.
"A condition? What is it, Elsa?"
Elisabeth looked straight into his eyes.
"During our contract marriage… there will be no sexual relationship between us."
Darren blinked in surprise.
"Are you serious?" he said.
"We'll be living under the same roof and you expect there to be no intimacy at all?"
"Yes," Elisabeth replied firmly.
"I'm serious."
Darren leaned back in his chair.
Living together without intimacy? he thought.
I'm a grown man… and I've always liked Elisabeth.
He sighed quietly before speaking.
"Alright," Darren finally said.
"I agree."
Then he added with a faint smile,
"But if someday you're the one who starts it first… don't blame me."
Elisabeth let out a small sigh of relief.
"But there's something else we need to talk about," Darren continued in a more serious tone.
"Elisabeth, this isn't only about a contract marriage. It's also about my baby."
"I know," Elisabeth replied softly.
Darren opened the drawer of his desk and took out a small photo.
He handed it to Elisabeth.
"This is my daughter," he said.
Elisabeth looked at the picture of a tiny baby sleeping peacefully with rosy cheeks.
"Her name is Aurora."
Elisabeth stared at the photo for quite a while.
"She's beautiful…" she murmured.
Darren nodded.
"She was born yesterday morning. But a few hours after giving birth… my wife died from severe bleeding."
His voice changed slightly as he said those words.
"I'm an obstetrician… yet I couldn't even save my own wife."
Elisabeth slowly lowered the photo.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said quietly.
Darren looked at her.
"That's why I need someone who can breastfeed Aurora."
Elisabeth nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Darren leaned back in his chair.
"If you accept this offer, you will live in my house," he explained.
"You only need to breastfeed Aurora and take care of her like a wet nurse."
"And after two years?" Elisabeth asked.
"We will divorce peacefully," Darren replied.
"I will also give you enough compensation for your future."
Elisabeth fell silent.
"How much?" she finally asked.
Darren answered without hesitation.
"Two billion rupiah."
Elisabeth immediately looked at him in shock.
"That's too much."
Darren shook his head.
"No. That's a small price to save my daughter."
Elisabeth held the photo of the little baby again.
In her mind, she imagined her own baby… the one she never even had the chance to hold.
Tears fell from her eyes again.
"Maybe… God took my baby," she murmured softly.
"So that I could save yours."
Darren said nothing.
After a moment, Elisabeth lifted her head.
"Alright," she finally said.
"I'll do it."
Darren looked at her seriously.
"Are you sure?"
Elisabeth nodded.
"But remember my condition."
Darren gave a faint smile.
"No sexual relationship."
Elisabeth nodded firmly.
Darren stood up from his chair.
"In that case," he said.
"Welcome to my new life, Elisabeth."
But deep in his heart, Darren thought silently:
Two years living with the woman I once loved…
Will I really be able to hold myself back for that long?