On her wedding day, Sophia wore the perfect dress but felt nothing like a bride. Her heart was heavy with a choice she didn’t want to make—marrying Richard Langford, a powerful older man who had offered to save her struggling family in exchange for her hand.

The ceremony was lavish, but her vows were empty. Richard never claimed to love her, and she accepted the arrangement out of duty, not desire. But on their wedding night, Richard revealed a truth: he was dying, and their marriage was his way of ensuring his legacy went to someone he respected—not someone who feared or used him.

Surprisingly, he gave her an out—legal papers to walk away anytime. But instead, Sophia stayed. Over time, their distant arrangement softened. She discovered the man behind the fortune: kind, creative, and quietly broken. What began as sacrifice grew into understanding, then into something deeper—care, companionship, maybe even love.

Richard passed away less than two years later, leaving everything to Sophia. Now, she runs his foundation, funds young architects, and honors his memory. Every year, she returns to the cliffside where they once walked, laying flowers not out of obligation—but out of quiet, unexpected love.