Dumped By My Wife, Now A Single Father

Chapter 004

Colton's POV

“Then become my husband.”

For a few seconds, I couldn't move. Her words hung between us, and I stared at her as though waiting for her to take them back. 

Become her husband? 

My mind struggled to process what I had just heard, but my body reacted before my thoughts could catch up. My fingers tightened around the arm of the chair, and I remained silent, staring at the woman sitting across from me.

Slowly, I tried to sit up straighter, but the movement sent a dull ache through my bruised ribs. I stopped halfway and gripped the chair harder until the pain eased. Only then did I remember the beating I had taken earlier. 

My entire body felt exhausted, my arms heavy, my legs almost too weak to carry me, yet Maita's proposal had somehow forced me to forget the pain for a moment.

“Why me?” The question finally escaped my lips. 

My voice sounded rough and unfamiliar, even to me. I looked down at myself before meeting her eyes again. My clothes were dirty and wrinkled, my face still carried the evidence of everything that had happened, and I could barely afford my son's hospital bills. Why would a woman like her want a man like me as her husband?

Maita leaned back in her chair, studying me without any visible emotion. “Because I need a husband,” she replied simply. There was no softness in her voice and no trace of pity. She spoke as though we were discussing a business arrangement, which, judging by her expression, was exactly what she believed this was.

“That still doesn't explain why you need me.” My voice carried more confusion than anger. 

Maita folded her arms across her chest. “I don't need you specifically, Colton. I need someone who can fill the position.”

I frowned. She continued before I could ask another question. “My position as CEO is being challenged. There are people on the board who believe I am too young and too independent to handle the company properly. They want stability, and apparently, a husband is part of the image they expect from someone in my position.”

I remained silent as I listened. She wasn't trying to make the situation sound romantic. She wasn't pretending. Unlike Lisa, who had torn me apart with cruel words, Maita's coldness was different. It was controlled, professional, almost detached. She wasn't trying to hurt me. 

“I need a husband for my position, and you need money for your son's treatment,” she said. “You help me maintain my position, and I make sure Felix receives the treatment he needs. We both get what we want.”

My gaze dropped to the floor. A transaction. That was what this was. No love. No pity. Not some miracle that had suddenly appeared in my life. A simple exchange between two people who needed something from each other.

“And how long would this marriage last?” I asked.

“One year.”

My eyes lifted. “One year?”

“Yes. After that, we can go our separate ways.” She reached for a folder resting on the edge of her desk. “I will have the necessary agreement prepared. It will state the terms clearly so there won't be any confusion between us.”

I stared at the folder without touching it. The thought of marrying another woman only hours after signing my divorce papers felt unreal. My life had changed so quickly that I couldn't even recognize it anymore. This morning, I was a married man hoping to give my son chocolate for his birthday. Now I was sitting in a doctor's office being offered a marriage that could save his life.

My jaw tightened as I looked away. Pride clawed at my chest, refusing to let me accept what she was offering so easily. I had spent my entire life struggling to provide for myself and Felix. I had endured insults from villagers, worked through floods, and watched my farm suffer, yet I had never asked anyone to carry my burden. Now I was being asked to marry a stranger because I couldn't afford to save my own son.

My fingers pressed hard against my thigh until my nails dug into the skin. I wanted to tell her no. I wanted to stand up, walk out of that office, and find another way. Even if it meant begging from door to door again, I wanted to believe there was something I could do without selling the last piece of my dignity.

Then Felix's face flashed through my mind.

His frightened eyes.

His tiny wrists were marked by the rope.

The way his trembling voice had called me Daddy from inside that wardrobe.

My hand slowly relaxed.

I swallowed, but my throat felt painfully tight. What would my pride matter if I walked away and Felix didn't survive? What would dignity mean if I returned to that hospital room and watched my son struggle to breathe because I was too proud to accept help?

I lowered my head, staring at my hands. They were still trembling slightly. I pressed them together, trying to steady them, but the weakness in my body made it impossible to hide how exhausted I was. I had spent hours running through the streets with Felix on my back, begging strangers for help, and fighting against the fear that I might lose the only person I had left.

Maita remained silent, giving me no encouragement and offering no comfort. She simply waited for my answer. Somehow, that made the decision even harder. She wasn't forcing me. She wasn't manipulating me with sympathy. She had placed an offer on the table, and the choice was mine.

I closed my eyes for a moment. My son needed treatment. That was all that mattered. I could deal with everything else later, the questions, the shame, the strange marriage, and whatever people would think when they discovered that a poor farmer had suddenly become the husband of a powerful woman.

“Okay.” The word left my mouth before I could stop it.

I opened my eyes and stared at Maita. My heart seemed to pause for a second as I realized what I had just said. I had agreed. No long speech. No final argument with myself. Just one word that had slipped past my pride before I could pull it back.

“I will marry you,” I said quietly.

Maita studied me for a moment before giving a small nod. “Good. I'll arrange everything.” She opened the folder and began going through the documents as though we had just concluded an ordinary business meeting.

I sat there watching her, still trying to understand how my life had brought me to this moment.

Only after the words had already left my mouth did I understand why I had said yes. It wasn't because I trusted Maita. It wasn't because I wanted another wife after everything Lisa had done. It wasn't even because I believed this marriage would bring me happiness. 

I agreed because Felix was waiting for me, and if becoming Maita's husband was the price of keeping my son alive, then I would swallow every last piece of my pride to pay it.