Chapter 1

• Love won’t save us from the bank. Love won't pay your father's debts. This marriage is not a choice; it's survival.
• Eena froze, staring at her mother as if she had spoken an unknown language. Her heart pounded in her chest.
• “Mama…” Her voice trembled. “You can’t be serious. You’re asking me to marry Carlos Castillo? A man I know nothing about.
• “A man who can save us,” Catalina Morales cut in sharply. “Do you think your father can pay back all he owes? Do you think your little love with Diego will keep this house from being claimed by the bank?
• Tears clouded Eena's eyes, but she shook her head angrily. “Diego loves me! He wants to build a life with me. He may not have the money you wish for, but he has his heart, and so do I!”
• Catalina laughed uncontrollably and continued. “Heart? Of what help is the heart when the bank comes to take everything we own? What good is love when you’re starving? Tell me, Eena, will Diego’s little love pay your tuition? Will it put food on this table? No! Only Carlos can.”
• Eena slightly lost her balance and staggered back, her mother’s words resounding in her head.
• “You’re selling me,” tears rolled down her eyes, her chest heaving. “To the highest bidder. Your own daughter, your own flesh and blood. And you would give me away like some sort of property?”
• “Don’t you dare speak to me like that. All I do is for this family. For you. You're too blinded by love to realize that. One day, you will thank me.
• “Thank you?” Eena’s voice cracked. “Thank you for stealing my life? For taking my freedom away from me?
• At this point, her tears broke loose, spilling down her cheeks in hot streams. Her body shook. The weight of betrayal was crushing her.
• Catalina's face softened a bit. but only for a moment. She moved closer to her and gripped her shoulders. “Eena, listen to me. You are young. You think love is enough because you’ve never truly suffered. But I have. I know what it means to have nothing. Carlos Castillo is not just wealth; he is protection, he is power, and he is survival. And survival comes before love.”
• Eena broke free from her mother's grip in anguish, leaning onto the sofa, and she buried her face in her hands. Her cries echoed against the walls, filling the room with anguish.
• For the first time in her life, she realized her mother’s love had conditions. And those conditions had just sold her heart to a man she did not choose.
• One truth became clear to her: nothing in her life would ever be the same again.
• ________
• Yes, señor,” Octavio Morales said dully into the receiver. His hand trembled, and he rubbed his forehead. “I understand… Yes, I’ll find a way. Just give us another month.”
• There was a pause, then came the firm, cold tone of the bank official on the other end.
• Octavio replied calmly. “I know the house is collateral, i promise, I will resolve this… please, just more time.” His voice cracked with desperation. “Thank you.”
• The call ended.
• When Octavio lifted his eyes, he saw Catalina standing in the doorway, arms crossed.
• “More time,” she repeated, stepping into the room. “Is that what you begged them for again?”
• Octavio sighed, sinking into his chair as though the weight of the world pressed down on his shoulders. “Catalina… what choice do I have? We are drowning in debt. The business is failing; the bank will take everything. I never wanted this for us, for Eena.”
• Catalina's eyes beamed impatiently. “You think I don’t know that? You think I enjoy watching our life fall apart? At least I’m doing something about it.”
• Octavio let out a frown, and guilt etched into his face. “You told her, didn’t you? You told Eena about Carlos?"
• “Yes,” Catalina said, lifting her chin. “And I don’t regret it.”
• “She’s just a girl, Catalina. She’s in love with Diego. And now because of me, because of my failures, she is being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want. I am condemning her to a life of misery.”
• “You’re condemning her to survival,” Catalina snapped, slamming her palm on the desk. “Don’t you dare sit there and play the noble father. Your incompetence put us here! If it weren’t for Carlos Castillo’s interest in her, we would already be on the streets!”
• Octavio looked away,drowning in shame “I should be the one to pay for my mistakes, not her.”
• “And how will you pay? With what money? With what power? Carlos Castillo offers her a life we could never give her. A life of wealth, security, and influence. Do you want your daughter to live in poverty with Diego Ramos, struggling to survive, scraping pennies together like we’ve been doing? Or do you want her to be untouchable, cared for, and protected?”
• “She will never forgive us,” Octavio whispered, his voice breaking. “She will hate us, Catalina. She will hate me.”
• “Better she hates you in silk sheets than loves you in hunger,” Catalina snapped back.
• The room fell silent, and the tension grew thicker. Octavio buried his face in his hands, the image of his daughter’s tear-streaked face flashed before him. Catalina, on the other hand, stood tall and unbothered.
• To her, it wasn't cruelty. But necessity.
• And though Octavio's guilt ate away at him like a curse, he could not deny the truth: without Carlos Castillo, they would lose everything.
• And then, he made the toughest decision he ever had to make. He picked up his phone and placed a call to the highest bidder, Carlos Castillo.
• After a few rings, Carlos eventually answered.
• “She has accepted to marry you.” Those words tumbled out of Octavio’s lips, even though it was all a lie.