One Night Stand: The Billionaire's Secret Heir

ng about me and focus on

And you need to stop spending all

r closer to her bedside and

ty of time,"

d be spending o

ust fine. Don't

ly for a moment, then r

o pause your life

her finge

'm were I want to be,"I sai

never truly left her eyes. It was just like her to

r for cash. But now? Her overdue medical bills were entirely cleared, a few of my o

he without constantly counting down the days until the next final notice arrived. The

off guard at the worst times-usually when a vivid flash of that hotel room returned, or when I re

ting moments where the transactional nature of it completely faded. He genuinely asked about my ed

d how remarkably fast that tension had begun to melt away. It sti

left me no choice. A few fleeting moments of warmth didn't rewrite the cold reality of our transaction. I had to force

hts away the moment Mum sh

lasses going?"

aying on top of all m

drifting toward the window. Th

have been so incred

took for granted. He ran a small business, and while we were never rich, we never had to stress over the basics. O

usiness wen

doors, and the way my father's laughter simply vanished. He passed away shortly after, from heart failure, leavi

in was a constant shadow. When her cancer diagnosis came, what little security

fleeting moment, I actually allowed myself to believe the

cancer c

ldn't pick up the phone to tell her good news, or hear her gently scold me about something I did wrong. I needed her to see me walk across the stage at gra

, I just desperate

sy of an anonymous benefactor. I had to keep that lie alive. If she ever found out what I did to get th

pping closer to her bedside

sted, offering a fr

er of my lips. I straightened and picked up the plate of freshly sliced

e next little while just chatting about nothing in particular. When she began to tire, I helped her settle comfort

ter pitcher was within easy reach and w

ed her I would. It was much easier than admitting that my appetite

-

as dead quiet when I w

polite nods before retreating back into our own worlds. We had shared this tiny space for months, yet our dynami

ning back and forth to the hospital, I never had the leftover energy to build a social life. Mum consumed almost all

tried to force myself to focus on an assignment. An hou

ceiling. I needed to focus. I needed to graduate. I needed Mum to survive. The list of demands fel

y unbidden, back to that hotel

when morning came. But I left anyway. It was far easi

night in my past. Whatever strange warmth I had felt in his presence was a luxury I si