Chapter 2: Nerve Compression and Paralysis

“Payment Successful.”

Elise’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, her eyes glued on her laptop screen that displayed the confirmation page.

This was what she wanted, and she was supposed to be excited. Yet, as she stared at the screen, an unfamiliar feeling of emptiness washed over her.

She had just committed herself to a contract that would hand over her future to a man she didn’t know, all to get her admission secured. The thought made her stomach churn. Was this even the right choice?

Elise let out a long, shaky breath, and as sad as she was, she couldn’t ignore the part of her that knew the sacrifice was worth it. The opportunity to become a doctor was something she’d worked for her entire life. She couldn’t afford to back down now. Still, the odds seemed like it was against her.

A thought came to her mind and she ran to her socials, typing Alejandro Mendoza into the search engine. Curiosity gnawed at her. What kind of man was he? Why would he marry someone that he didn’t know? Her eyes moved through profiles, but nothing useful came up. She tried different variations of his name and checked any links, but there was still nothing.

Elise sighed, clicking on what seemed like a promising profile. But before the details could finish loading, she heard a voice from outside her room.

“Elise, come down to the living room,” her mother called.

A knot tightened in Elise's chest. She clicked off the screen and then turned away from her laptop. What could it be now?

Elise signed, then dragged herself to the living room surprised at the ‘visitors’ she saw there.

There, in the center of the room, was the man her mother introduced as her husband-to-be, Alejandro Mendoza. He was in a wheelchair, his face settling in a frown. A few other people who Margaret introduced as his family, the Mendoza were there also.

Elise’s eyes widened as she looked at Alejandro. Was her parents aware that they were marrying her off to a disabled man?

Instantly she turned to them, only to meet that same patronizing smile they always gave her when they thought they were doing something for her ‘benefit’ when in fact, they only saw her as a commodity to trade.

She glanced at Alejandro again. Undoubtedly he was a fine man. But his state and the arrogance in his face? It now made sense to her that he would want to get involved with a woman he knew little of.

Margaret turned to Elise with a smile, “We’d finalize the marriage plans, and you’d be taking care of him as your husband.”

Elise nodded. She had accepted it herself, so even as she wasn’t comfortable with the arrangement, there was no point showing it.

The tension in the room grew thick when her mother ushered them to go outside. “You two should step outside and get to know each other a bit more.”

They did not argue and as soon as they were out on the porch, Elise breathed in relief.

Alejandro rolled his chair over to the railing, his gaze fixed somewhere in the distance. “Let me guess,” he muttered, his voice cool. “Your parents didn’t tell you what this was about?”

Elise blinked, taken aback by the sudden directness of his statement. “I’m sorry?”

He turned his gaze toward her, his eyes sharp and challenging. “You’re here because they’re paying you to be my caretaker, because I can’t see you as my wife. How much are they paying you ?”

Elise's chest tightened and she looked at him with a frown. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alejandro scoffed, pushing his chair slightly forward. “Come on, no one would marry a crippled man unless there’s something to gain. You think I’m stupid?”

Her eyes flashed in irritation. “My parents did not pay me anything to marry you. I mean, I did it for money but it has nothing to do with you. I only agreed to this because I needed twenty thousand to pay my school fees.”

Alejandro’s face twisted in disbelief. “So, you’re willing to sell yourself for twenty thousand dollars? How noble of you.”

Elise’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile. “Call it what you want. If I had a choice, I won’t ever agree.”

He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, right. No woman in her right mind would ever want to be with someone like me. Not when they can show off some perfect, healthy guy, with the world at his feet. But hey, you’re probably just looking for a way out of your crappy life, and I’m the perfect ticket, aren’t I?”

Her patience was wearing thin, but she stood her ground. “You don’t know anything about me. So stop accusing me of things that aren’t true. I didn’t ask for this. You and your family made this deal with mine. I agreed because my parents gave me a condition. That’s all. No more, no less.”

He stared at her for a long moment, his jaw clenched in frustration, but he didn’t say anything further. The tension between them was suffocating and Elise didn’t want to stay back anymore.

She turned on her heel, making her way back inside. “You’re right about one thing. I needed a way out of my crappy life, so I agreed to this. But don’t accuse me of anything else.”

Back inside, her parents were deep in conversation with Alejandro’s family, discussing the terms of their ‘marriage.’

“We don’t need a big wedding,” her father said, leaning back in his chair, and looking at Alejandro’s family with a smug satisfaction. “It’s wiser to keep things simple, just sign the papers. We’ll arrange the rest later.”

Elise felt a rush of disgust. Her father was already treating her like property, and it made her want to yell at him. But she didn’t. She remained silent.

Alejandro’s family seemed agreeable to the plan, but Elise noticed the subtle discomfort in Alejandro’s eyes. Her mind wandered through many things, the reality of her situation settling on her.

She stood up abruptly, heading for her room as she needed a moment to breathe. Her laptop was waiting for her on the desk, and surprisingly the profile she had been looking for was on display.

“Alejandro Mendoza.”

She sighed. Earlier, she wanted to know who he was, but now, it seemed irrelevant. The curiosity she’d had about Alejandro had disappeared.

She closed her social media tabs, preparing to focus on her studies. But then, a thought hit her like a bolt of lightning.

"Nerve compression and paralysis."

Without thinking, she opened her browser and began typing. Whatever this man’s story was, she needed to know more. This wasn’t just about money anymore. It was about understanding what she was truly walking into.

With a smile on her lips, Elise stared at the screen as the information popped up. What if her future could change from just this?