Unexpected Warmth

Hazel matched his directness, refusing to waste time. She pushed her untouched latte aside and looked straight into his eyes. "I have a three-year-old daughter. I agreed to this sudden marriage for one reason: I need a marriage license. Without it, I can't apply for my daughter's birth certificate or secure her residency permit."

Tristan accepted these practical terms without hesitation. "Since that's the case, accompany me to visit my grandfather tomorrow morning. He needs to see that I'm married. Once we finish there, I'll personally go with you to register your daughter."

"Okay," Hazel said, relieved by his efficiency.

They had reached an understanding. Hazel stood up and extended her hand across the small table. "It's a pleasure working with you."

"Likewise." Tristan rose and gripped her hand.

As his warm fingers wrapped around hers, a deep frown creased his forehead. He held on a second longer than necessary. "Why is your skin so cold?"

Hazel blinked, taken aback. "How did you notice?"

Tristan shifted his grip. He pressed his index and middle fingers to her wrist, feeling her pulse. The heat from his skin contrasted sharply with her constant chill. His expression turned serious. "You neglected your physical health during your postpartum period. That is the root of this chronic illness."

Hazel stared at him in disbelief. "Are you a practitioner of traditional medicine?"

Drawing on his medical knowledge, Tristan ignored her question and pulled a pen and a notepad from his pocket. "I'll write you an herbal prescription. Take this to the pharmacy, pick up the medication, and complete three full courses of treatment."

He handed over the paper. Hazel glanced at his neat handwriting, briefly distracted by his long fingers.

Tristan started to sit back down, planning to let her go alone, but changed his mind. "Actually, I'll take you to buy the medicine."

"You don't have to—"

"You're my wife now," Tristan stated smoothly. "Taking care of you is my responsibility."

Those genuine words struck a chord within Hazel's battered heart. She stood there, stunned, as a wave of bitter irony washed over her. For years, she had overworked her body to the brink of collapse, taking on endless overtime shifts just to fund Bryce's expensive Ph.D. studies. Bryce had never once asked about her health, let alone shown even a fraction of the care this stranger had displayed in less than twenty-four hours.

At the pharmacy, Tristan remained by her side. He handed the prescription to the pharmacist and, before Hazel could reach into her purse, paid for the medication out of his own pocket.

He handed her the plastic bag filled with boxed treatments. "Let me take you out to a nice restaurant to celebrate. It's the first marriage for both of us."

Hazel clutched the bag, prioritizing her real life over this surreal moment. She offered a polite smile. "I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline. I need to get home and cook for my daughter."

Tristan nodded. "I'll drive you home, then."

She shook her head. "No need, thank you." She bid him goodbye and walked away, eager to return to her child.

The evening air was crisp as Hazel approached her apartment. She reached for her keys but paused when she noticed the front door was slightly ajar. Before she could push it open, a loud, scheming voice echoed from within the living room.

It was Brenda, Bryce's mother. She was on a phone call, and because of her poor hearing, the phone was on speaker at maximum volume.

"Since Fiona is carrying a baby boy, she is obviously more important!" Brenda's malicious tone cut through the quiet hallway. "But you cannot let Hazel know about this! We still need her financial support until you secure a stable job. Wait until you finish your Ph.D. to dump her. But when you do break up, you must fight for custody of Daisy. I have been raising Daisy for three years. I can't bear to part with her."

Hazel froze, her blood turning to ice. Brenda and Bryce were plotting to exploit her for money before tossing her aside.

But it was Bryce's voice filtering through the phone that delivered the devastating blow.

"Mom, Daisy is not my biological daughter."

Hazel stopped breathing.

Inside, Brenda gasped loudly in shock. "What? Daisy isn't your biological child? Then whose child is she?"

Bryce let out a sigh, laying bare a dark truth. "Mom, to secure my qualification for that Ph.D. recommendation, I sold Hazel's virginity to another man."

Hazel squeezed her eyes shut, her stomach churning as a sickening wave of revulsion hit her.

"I never expected her to get pregnant on the first try," Bryce confessed. "And she insisted on keeping the baby. If I hadn't acknowledged the child she was carrying, my transaction would have been exposed. Who would earn money to support us and my Ph.D. then?"