The Forbidden Throb Chapter 21

Emma's POV:

I nodded slowly. "I woke up and found him checking my chart.

"So you just... happened to be taken to the hospital where he works?" Olivia exclaimed, her face lighting up with fascination.

"Talk about destiny, Emma. You two seem to have quite the connection."

"It's purely coincidental," I insisted, feeling a flutter of nervousness as Daniel's strange proposal from last night resurfaced in my mind. "Though I have to admit, I'm thankful he was there."

My mind raced, debating whether to tell Olivia about Daniel's outlandish proposition.

The idea still seemed so absurd. It was the plot of a bad romantic comedy, not something that happened in real life.

But Olivia had always given me solid advice before...

"There's... something else," I said hesitantly, picking at a loose thread on my comforter. "Daniel made a strange suggestion last night."

Olivia immediately perked up, practically bouncing on the edge of my bed. "I knew it! What did he say? Did he ask you out?"

"Not exactly." I took a deep breath. "He actually suggested that we... get married. A marriage of convenience, to satisfy both our families and get them off our backs about relationships."

Olivia's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious? That's straight out of a movie!" She clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh my God, Emma, he totally likes you!"

"Calm down, Olivia," I said, holding up my hands. "It's not like that at all."

"He's just exhausted from constantly being set up on dates. I actually overheard the nurses talking about how the hospital director is trying to match him with his daughter Caroline. Apparently, he seems genuinely troubled by the whole situation. It would just be... mutually beneficial."

I explained, fidgeting with my blanket. "Plus, our families apparently had some kind of marriage agreement generations ago. And now that Nicholas and I have broken up, Daniel thinks this arrangement could satisfy that old expectation while solving our current problems."

"Mutually beneficial?" Olivia repeated, making air quotes with her fingers.

"Come on, Emma. A guy like Daniel Prescott could find a dozen ways to avoid unwanted setups if he wanted to. He chose this plan because it involves *you*."

I shook my head firmly. "You don't understand. Our families have this... history. His plan makes practical sense."

Olivia sighed, dropping her hands.

"Fine, whatever you say. But what do you think about it? Are you actually considering his offer?"

"I honestly don't know," I admitted, pressing my fingertips against my temples as a dull ache began to build. "Every time I try to think it through logically, my head starts spinning. It's just so... complicated."

Olivia noticed me wincing and immediately softened her approach.

"Hey, you should probably rest. You still look pretty worn out from your hospital stay. We can talk about your potential marriage of convenience later," she added with a small smile, patting my leg gently.

---

That night, after Olivia had gone to meet her study group, I pulled out my laptop and transferred the hospital payment to Daniel's account.

I stared at the screen for several minutes, waiting for a confirmation.

The transaction status remained "pending recipient acceptance," indicating Daniel hadn't accepted the transfer yet.

Minutes later, my phone buzzed with a text from him.

*How are you feeling? Any lingering symptoms?*

*Better, thank you,* I replied.

I frowned at the screen, wondering why he hadn't accepted the money transfer. I began typing a message to ask him directly about it when my phone buzzed again.

This time, it was a text from Grandma Grace.

*Dearest Emma, it's been too long since I've seen you and Nicholas. When might you both come visit? I miss you terribly. Love, Grandma Grace*

I felt a knot form in my stomach. I hadn't told my grandmother about the breakup yet.

She had been so happy when Nicholas and I started dating, seeing it as the fulfillment of old family connections. How could I tell her that not only had we broken up, but that he had betrayed me in the most humiliating way?

I caught myself actually considering it—weighing the pros and cons of Daniel's bizarre arrangement—and immediately shook my head, appalled at my own thoughts.

*What am I doing? This is insane. I can't pretend to date my ex's brother just to make my grandmother happy.*

And yet... the idea had taken root.

I groaned and buried my face in my pillow again. The fever must have damaged my brain. There was no way I was seriously considering this.

Still, I needed to visit my grandmother soon.

I'd been visiting Portland less frequently while dating Nicholas because he always found reasons to avoid the small coastal town.

"Too quaint," he'd call it, or "nothing interesting happening there."

He'd make excuses about study groups or networking events whenever I suggested a weekend trip. As a result, I hadn't seen Grandma Grace in months.

Now I had an even more difficult conversation ahead.

I texted back: *I'll come visit soon, Grandma. I miss you so much.*

Just as I set my phone down, the door swung open and Olivia burst in, her cheeks flushed with excitement despite the late hour.

Her study group session had apparently ended early.

"Em! You won't believe what I just heard," she announced, dropping her backpack on her desk chair. "There's going to be a huge Halloween masquerade ball at the Fairmont tomorrow night. Today was the last day to sign up."

She flopped onto her bed, eyes bright with anticipation. "We have to go. I mean, I desperately need to blow off some steam before midterms completely destroy me, and you—" she pointed at me, "—need to rejoin the land of the living."

"A masquerade ball?" I echoed.

"Yes! Masks, costumes, dancing. " Olivia said. "Come on, we both need this. "