Naledi Rain pulled her coat tighter around her body as she stepped out into the bitter Toronto wind. The neon lights from the club flickered behind her, casting eerie shadows on the wet pavement. Another night, another shift filled with drunk men and empty tips. But tonight, it was different. The weight of the secret she carried was unbearable.
She was pregnant.
Naledi did not know how to feel about it. Fear? Guilt? Anger? Maybe both- at least she thought she had been after that night. All she knew about the man was that he had ice-blue eyes and a good physique. Naledi regretted that night, but could not do anything since it was the past. She only thought of survival. Her visa had been revoked under the most humiliating circumstances. Mr Levitt, her former employer, had made it clear. If she wanted to continue her stay in Canada, she had to be his mistress. She could not do it. Mr Levitt was the same age as her father. He was old, had a pot belly, and smelled of grease and sweat all the time. His teeth were brown and crooked. He pulled strings, and just like that, the visa was revoked. Now, Naledi was surviving on cash tips in dim bars that didn't ask too many questions. Now she had to think about the life that was growing inside her. She did not want her young one to grow up in that kind of background. Inside the diner, the warmth hit her face, carrying the smell of coffee and fried bacon. She slipped into a booth near the back, rubbing her cold hands together. Naledi Rain ordered coffee with a little bit of milk. Then she heard him.
"...need a wife before the end of the year. It's the only way."
Her eyes perked up. She was not the type to eavesdrop, but desperation made her listen. The man's voice was deep, firm. He spoke with the kind of frustration that came from being backed into a corner.
"If I don't marry anyone anytime soon, they'll take Lincoln away. Neither my mom nor I wants that."
Lincoln? A child
Naledi turned her head slightly, just enough to get a glimpse of him. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, with tired eyes and an air of authority. He looked like someone who had spent too much time fighting the heart and the world. Across him sat a man. They looked the same age. He nodded solemnly.
"You know how Melody's family is, Shawn. They never approved of you, and now that she's gone..."
Melody. A wife, now deceased. The pieces were falling together. Naledi Rain's heart pounded. "This is it, the opportunity I need," Naledi murmured to herself. Before she could stop herself, Naledi Rain stood up and walked up to them. Shawn's ice blue eyes lifted towards her, wary, guarded.
"I couldn't help but overhear," she said, her voice steady despite her nerves clawing at her insides. "You need a wife, I need a husband."
Silence. His expression darkened.
"I think you should leave," he said, cooly.
"I'm not asking for love," she continued, underterred. "I'm asking for a deal. A contract. You need to keep your son, I need to stay in this country. We can help each other.|"
His gaze swept over her, assessing, calculating. The other man across from him shifted across from him
"You don't know me," Shawn said finally.
"You don't know me either," Naledi countered. "But we both need something from one another. Think about it."
She turned on her heel, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had just gambled everything on one desperate proposal.
Naledi Rain barely made it to her booth to get her things before his voice stopped her.
"Sit down miss."