\n\n\n\n\nMy parents have been on my case about getting married for as long as I can remember. I feel like they have a timer ticking away in their heads, counting down the seconds until my hair starts turning white.\n\n\n\n
As a result, every family dinner turned into an impromptu matchmaking session.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMiley, honey,\u201d my mom, Martha, would start. \u201cYou remember the Johnsons\u2019 son? He just got promoted to regional manager at his firm. Maybe you two should grab coffee sometime?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, I\u2019m not interested in dating right now,\u201d I\u2019d say. \u201cI\u2019m focused on my career.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut sweetheart,\u201d my dad, Stephen, would chime in, \u201cyour career won\u2019t keep you warm at night. Don\u2019t you want someone to share your life with?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cI share my life with you guys and my friends,\u201d I\u2019d counter. \u201cThat\u2019s enough for me right now.\u201d\n\n\n\n
But they wouldn\u2019t let up. It was a constant barrage of \u201cWhat about so-and-so?\u201d and \u201cDid you hear about this nice young man?\u201d\n\n\n\n
One night, things took a turn for the worse.\n\n\n\n
We were having our usual Sunday dinner when my parents dropped a bombshell.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMiley,\u201d my dad said in a serious tone. \u201cYour mother and I have been thinking.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh boy, here we go,\u201d I mumbled.\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve decided,\u201d he continued, ignoring my sarcasm, \u201cthat unless you\u2019re married by your 35th birthday, you won\u2019t see a cent of our inheritance.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I blurted out. \u201cYou can\u2019t be serious!\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are,\u201d my mom chimed in. \u201cWe\u2019re not getting any younger, honey. We want to see you settled and happy. And we want grandchildren while we\u2019re still young enough to enjoy them.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is insane,\u201d I sputtered. \u201cYou can\u2019t blackmail me into getting married!\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not blackmail,\u201d my dad insisted. \u201cIt\u2019s, uh, it\u2019s incentive.\u201d\n\n\n\n I stormed out of their house that night, unable to believe what just happened. They\u2019d given me an ultimatum, implying that I needed to find a husband in a few months or kiss my inheritance goodbye.\n\n\n\n I was angry, but not because I wanted the money. It was more about the principle of the thing. How dare they try to control my life like this?\n\n\n\n For weeks, I didn\u2019t answer their calls or visit them. Then, one evening, I got an excellent idea.\n\n\n\n I was walking home from work, thinking about spreadsheets and deadlines, when I spotted him. A man, probably in his late 30s, sat on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign asking for change.\n\n\n\n He looked rough, had an unkempt beard, and wore dirty clothes, but there was something in his eyes. A kindness and a sadness that made me pause.\n\n\n\n That\u2019s when an idea struck me. It was crazy, but it felt like the perfect solution to all my problems.\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me,\u201d I said to the man. \u201cThis might sound crazy, but, um, would you like to get married?\u201d\n\n\n\n The man\u2019s eyes widened in shock. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, what?\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cLook, I know this is weird, but hear me out,\u201d I said, taking a deep breath. \u201cI need to get married ASAP. It would be a marriage of convenience. I\u2019d provide you with a place to live, clean clothes, food, and some money. In return, you\u2019d just have to pretend to be my husband. What do you say?\u201d\n\n\n\n He stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I was sure he thought I was kidding.\n\n\n\n \u201cLady, are you for real?\u201d he asked.\n\n\n\n \u201cCompletely,\u201d I assured him. \u201cI\u2019m Miley, by the way.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cStan,\u201d he replied, still looking bewildered. \u201cAnd you\u2019re seriously offering to marry a homeless guy you just met?\u201d\n\n\n\n I nodded.\n\n\n\n \u201cI know it sounds insane, but I promise I\u2019m not a serial killer or anything. Just a desperate woman with meddling parents.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, Miley, I gotta say, this is the strangest thing that\u2019s ever happened to me.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, is that a yes?\u201d I asked.\n\n\n\n He looked at me for a long moment, and I saw that spark in his eyes again. \u201cYou know what? Why the hell not. You\u2019ve got yourself a deal, future wife.\u201d\n\n\n\n And just like that, my life took a turn I never could have imagined.\n\n\n\n I took Stan shopping for new clothes, got him cleaned up at a salon, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that underneath all that grime was a rather handsome man.\n\n\n\n Three days later, I introduced him to my parents as my secret fianc\u00e9. To say they were shocked would be an understatement.\n\n\n\n \u201cMiley!\u201d my mom exclaimed. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell us?\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you know, I wanted to make sure it was serious before I said anything,\u201d I lied. \u201cBut Stan and I are so in love, aren\u2019t we, honey?\u201d\n\n\n\n Stan, to his credit, played along beautifully. He charmed my parents with made-up stories of our whirlwind romance.\n\n\n\n A month later, we were married.\n\n\n\n I made sure to get a rock-solid prenup, just in case my little scheme backfired. But to my surprise, living with Stan wasn\u2019t half bad.\n\n\n\n He was funny, smart, and always ready to help around the house. We fell into an easy friendship, almost like roommates who occasionally had to pretend to be madly in love.\n\n\n\n However, there was just one thing that nagged at me.\n\n\n\n Whenever I asked Stan about his past, about how he ended up on the streets, he\u2019d clam up. His eyes would cloud over, and he\u2019d quickly change the subject. It was a mystery that both intrigued and frustrated me.\n\n\n\n Then came the day that changed everything.\n\n\n\n It was a regular day when I returned home from work. As I entered the house, a trail of rose petals caught my attention. It led me into the living room.\n\n\n\n The sight that greeted me in the living room left me speechless. The entire room was filled with roses, and a huge heart made of petals was on the floor.\n\n\n\n And there, in the center of it all, stood Stan.\n\n\n\n But this wasn\u2019t the Stan I knew. Gone were the comfortable jeans and T-shirts I gave him.\n\n\n\n Instead, he was dressed in a sleek black tuxedo that looked like it cost more than my monthly rent. And in his hand, he held a small velvet box.\n\n\n\n \u201cStan?\u201d I managed to squeak out. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d\n\n\n\n He smiled, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.\n\n\n\n \u201cMiley,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to thank you for accepting me. You\u2019ve made me incredibly happy. I would be even happier if you truly loved me and became my wife, not just in name but in real life. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, and this past month we\u2019ve spent together has been the happiest of my life. Will you marry me? For real this time?\u201d\n\n\n\n I stood there with eyes wide open, struggling to process what was happening. A thousand questions raced through my mind, but one pushed its way to the front.\n\n\n\n \u201cStan,\u201d I said slowly, \u201cwhere did you get the money for all this? The tuxedo, the flowers, and that ring?\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cI guess it\u2019s time I told you the truth,\u201d he said before taking a deep breath. \u201cYou see, I never told you how I became homeless because it was too complicated, and it could have put you in a difficult position. And I loved our life together so much.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cI became homeless because my brothers decided to get rid of me and take over my company,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey forged documents, faked my signatures, and even stole my identity. One day, they dropped me off in this town, miles away from home. When I tried going to the police, they pulled strings, and I never got any help. They even bribed my lawyer.\u201d\n\n\n\n I quietly listened as Stan poured out his story.\n\n\n\n How he\u2019d lost everything, how he\u2019d spent months just trying to survive on the streets. And then, how meeting me had given him the push he needed to fight back.\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you gave me a home, clean clothes, and a little money, I decided to fight back,\u201d he explained. \u201cI contacted the best law firm in the country, one that my brothers couldn\u2019t influence because it works for their competitors.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cI told them my story and promised them a substantial payout,\u201d he revealed. \u201cAt first, they didn\u2019t want to take the case without an advance, but when they realized they could finally outsmart their rivals, they agreed. Thanks to them, a court case is set for next month, and my documents and bank accounts have been restored.\u201d\n\n\n\n He paused, looking at me with those kind eyes that had first caught my attention.\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll be honest with you,\u201d he smiled. \u201cI\u2019m not a poor man. I\u2019ve spent my whole life looking for love, but every woman I met was only interested in my money. You, however, were kind to me when you thought I had nothing. That\u2019s why I fell for you. I\u2019m sorry I kept all this from you for so long.\u201d\n\n\n\n I sank onto the couch, unable to process his story. I couldn\u2019t believe the man I married on a whim was actually wealthy and harbored genuine feelings for me.\n\n\n\n \u201cStan,\u201d I finally managed to say, \u201cyou\u2019ve really taken me by surprise. I feel like I have feelings for you too, but all this new information is overwhelming.\u201d\n\n\n\n He nodded understandingly and guided me to the dining table. We ate the dinner he had prepared.\n\n\n\n I shared my feelings with Stan once we finished eating.\n\n\n\n \u201cStan, thank you for such a romantic gesture. No one has ever done anything like this for me in my life.\u201d I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I spoke.\n\n\n\n \u201cI will marry you. That\u2019s my decision now. But could you ask me again in six months? If my decision remains the same, we\u2019ll have a real wedding. Let\u2019s first see how life goes with all of this new information for both of us. You have a tough court battle ahead, and I\u2019ll support you through it.\u201d\n\n\n\n Stan\u2019s face lit up with a smile. \u201cI\u2019m so happy. Of course, I\u2019ll ask you again in six months. But will you accept my ring now?\u201d\n\n\n\n I nodded, and he slipped the ring onto my finger. We hugged, and for the first time, we kissed. It wasn\u2019t a Hollywood kiss with fireworks and swelling music, but it felt right. It felt like coming home.\n\n\n\n As I write this, I\u2019m still trying to wrap my head around everything that\u2019s happened. I married a homeless man to spite my parents, only to discover he\u2019s actually a wealthy businessman with a heart of gold. Life really does work in mysterious ways.\n\n\n\n This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.\n\n\n\n The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided \u201cas is,\u201d and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n