Katie's POVOne day, I was cooking dinner when the doorbell rang. I sighed, knowing exactly who it was. When I opened the door, Sophia was standing there with a sheepish expression on her face."I know I'm not supposed to be here," she said. "But I really need your help. It's an emergency."I hesitated for a moment before reluctantly letting her inside. "What's going on?" I asked.Sophia launched into an explanation of her latest crisis. She had lost her job and was behind on rent, and her landlord was threatening to evict her if she didn't pay up."I don't know what to do," she said, her eyes pleading. "I have nowhere else to turn."I could feel myself starting to soften. Despite everything that had happened, I couldn't ignore the fact that Sophia was in trouble."Okay," I said finally. "We'll help you out, but this is the last time, Sophia. The very last time."Sophia nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you," she said. "I'll pay you back, I swear."Over the next few weeks,

Katie's POVDespite our reservations, we couldn't bring ourselves to turn him away when he came to us again, begging for help. He looked desperate and scared, and we couldn't bear the thought of leaving him out on the street.We agreed to lend him the money and let him stay with us for a few days until he could figure things out. But as soon as he moved in, things took a turn for the worse.Andrew became increasingly aggressive and unpredictable, lashing out at us over the smallest things. He was constantly on edge, as if he was expecting someone to come after him.One night, I woke up to the sound of shouting coming from the living room. I crept out of bed and peered through the doorway to see Andrew arguing with someone on the phone. His face was contorted with anger, and he was shouting so loudly that I could hear every word."You need to get me out of here," he yelled into the phone. "I can't take it anymore. They're on to me."I knew then that we had made a huge mistake by lettin

Katie's POVThe next morning, we set out to meet with the organization again. This time, we were armed with a plan, and we were ready to take them down.As we entered the bar, I felt a knot form in my stomach. I knew that this was a dangerous game that we were playing, but I also knew that we didn't have any other options.The men were waiting for us, their faces grim and unsmiling. "Where's our money?" one of them demanded."We're working on it," Alex said smoothly. "But we need some more time. We're trying to get the funds together.""You have three days," the man said, his voice cold and menacing. "If you don't have the money by then, we'll come looking for you. And it won't be pretty."We left the bar, feeling a mix of relief and fear. We knew that the clock was ticking, and we had to come up with a plan fast."Let's go back to the apartment," I suggested. "We can talk there and figure out our next steps."Alex and Andrew nodded in agreement, and we made our way back to the apartm

Katie's POVIt was a typical Sunday afternoon when our family gathered for lunch at our favorite restaurant. We were laughing and chatting, enjoying our time together, when Lily suddenly spoke up."Hey, do you guys remember that time when you were in a contract marriage?" she asked, casually taking a sip of her drink.Alex and I froze, exchanging a worried glance. We had hoped to keep that part of our past hidden from our children forever."What are you talking about, Lily?" Max asked, looking confused."Yeah, what contract marriage?" Emily chimed in, looking just as puzzled.Alex and I shared a look, knowing that it was time to come clean."Well, kids, your father and I weren't always in love," I began, taking a deep breath. "We were actually in a contract marriage.""A contract marriage?" Lily repeated, looking even more confused."Yes," Alex confirmed. "We got married because we needed to for business reasons. It was all part of a plan to help our companies succeed."The children l

Katie's POVThe next day, we woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. We spent the morning together, drinking coffee and talking about our plans for the day."I was thinking we could take the kids to the park today," Alex said, looking up from his coffee cup."That sounds like a great idea," I replied, smiling at him.We got dressed and headed out to the park, where the kids ran around and played together. Lily and Mia sat on a blanket, drawing pictures in a notebook, while Max and Emily played a game of catch.As we sat together on a bench, watching our children play, Alex turned to me and took my hand."I was thinking, maybe we should plan a family vacation this summer," he said, his voice soft."That's a great idea," I said, smiling at him. "Where were you thinking?""I was thinking maybe we could go to Hawaii. We could rent a house on the beach and spend some time relaxing and enjoying each other's company," he said, his eyes bright with excitement."That sounds amazing," I said