I Married My Boss for Peace
Chapter 1: The Night Everything Broke
Emily Carter was only nineteen. She lived in Maplewood with her mother and father. They were gentle, loving people. Her father called her “sunshine.” Her mother said, “You will make us proud one day.” Emily believed them. She wanted to study business and open a small coffee shop with her parents. Life looked bright.
One evening, they went to her school. Emily had just received an award. She laughed, she hugged her mother, she said, “This is the best day of my life.” Her father drove the car home through soft rain. Emily sat in the back seat, holding her trophy. Suddenly the light from a truck blinded them. There was a scream, a crash, and silence.
When Emily opened her eyes, everything was white. She was in a hospital bed. Her arm hurt, but she didn’t care. She whispered, “Mom? Dad?” The nurse looked down and didn’t answer. Emily felt her chest freeze. She kept saying, “Please tell me they’re fine.” The nurse only touched her shoulder and walked away. Emily turned her face to the wall and cried until her voice was gone.
At the funeral, rain fell again. She stood beside two graves and held a flower in her shaking hands. “I’ll do everything you taught me,” she said through tears. But when the last guest left, she realized she had no one now. The house felt empty. The clocks still ticked, but the world had stopped.
A few days later her uncle Robert came. He wore a black coat and fake sadness. “Come stay with us,” he said. His wife Martha nodded quickly. “You shouldn’t be alone, dear.” Emily thanked them. She wanted to believe they cared.
For the first week, they were kind. Robert bought her medicine. Martha made soup. Emily thought maybe family still existed. But soon, she noticed whispers at night, locked drawers, and small lies. One morning, she heard Robert on the phone.
“She’s too young to understand the papers,” he said.
Emily froze in the hallway. Later she asked him, “Uncle, what papers?”
He smiled coldly. “Nothing you need to see.”
Days later, Martha told her to clean the dishes. Then the floor. Then the clothes. Emily obeyed without question. One evening she said softly, “I would like to continue my college.” Martha laughed. “College? You should learn to be grateful.”
That night Emily found her father’s old briefcase missing. She ran to Robert’s room. “Where is Dad’s file?” she asked.
He turned angry. “Don’t shout in my house!”
“This was my parents’ house,” she cried.
He hit the table hard. “Not anymore. Everything is mine now.”
Emily stood still, shocked. “You took everything?”
Robert pointed at the door. “Get out before I call the police.”
She begged, “Please, I have nowhere to go.”
Martha said quietly, “Let her go. She’ll learn.”
Emily walked out with one bag and her mother’s photo. The night was cold. She sat near the gate for hours, crying. “Why did you leave me?” she whispered to the sky.
The next morning, she tried to call an old friend, but her phone had no balance. She sold it for a few dollars to buy bread. The shopkeeper asked, “Are you okay?” She smiled weakly. “Just hungry.”
That night she slept at the train station. People walked past without seeing her. A child dropped a blanket near her. She wrapped it around herself and whispered, “Thank you, little angel.” She looked at the stars and said, “Mom, I’ll be strong. I promise.”
When morning came, she stood up, brushed her clothes, and took a deep breath. “I will find work,” she told herself. She didn’t know how, but she knew she couldn’t give up. Somewhere, a door would open. Somewhere, someone would see her worth.
And that is how her long, painful journey truly began.
Chapter 2: The House That Wasn’t Mine Anymore
Emily spent her second morning at the train station watching people come and go. She held her mother’s photo close and whispered, “I’ll find a way.” Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten properly for two days. A woman selling sandwiches noticed her pale face and gave her one for free. “You remind me of my daughter,” the woman said. Emily’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.
That small kindness gave her courage. She washed her face in the public restroom and started walking toward the city. Every few blocks, she stopped to ask people, “Do you know any job I can do?” Some ignored her. Some smiled with pity. She kept walking anyway.
By afternoon, her legs hurt. She knocked on doors of small shops. One man said, “We don’t need anyone.” Another said, “You’re too young.” She thanked each of them and walked away. Her hope was fading, but her will was not.
That evening, she sat on the side of the road and looked at the lights far away. “Dad, you always said I can do anything. I’ll prove you right,” she said softly.
Next morning, she went to an old neighbor’s house to ask for help. Mrs. Patterson, who once smiled warmly at her, now looked uncomfortable. “Oh, Emily, I wish I could help. My husband wouldn’t like it.” Emily smiled politely. “It’s okay, I understand.” She turned and walked away with tears in her eyes.
By the third day, she was weak. A guard at a building saw her sitting outside. “Hey, you can’t stay here.” She nodded and moved. She had no direction left, only faith that something good would come.
At night, she sat under a streetlight, counting the little coins left. She whispered, “Just one chance, that’s all I need.”
The next morning, she saw a tall building with a big sign — Cole Enterprises. People in suits walked in and out. She thought, Maybe this is my chance. She walked inside and stood near the reception desk. “Excuse me, can I speak to someone about a job?”
The lady behind the counter frowned. “Do you have an appointment?”
Emily shook her head. “No, ma’am. I just need work. Any work.”
“We don’t take walk-ins,” the lady said and looked away.
Emily felt her throat close. She turned to leave. That’s when the elevator opened. A man in a gray suit stepped out, talking to someone on the phone. His voice was deep, confident. He noticed Emily and stopped walking. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“She came for a job,” the receptionist said quickly.
The man looked at Emily’s tired face. “What’s your name?”
“Emily Carter,” she said softly.
He nodded once. “Hire her as my assistant.”
The receptionist looked shocked. “Sir, she has no experience.”
The man said calmly, “Then she’ll learn. Everyone starts somewhere.”
Emily blinked. “Sir… thank you.”
He smiled slightly. “You start tomorrow. My name is Justin Cole.”
That one moment changed her world.
She left the building holding the small paper that confirmed her job. She couldn’t stop smiling. She bought a sandwich, sat on a bench, and whispered, “Mom, Dad, I did it.”
That evening, she found a tiny room for rent. The walls were cracked, but it was safe. She placed her mother’s photo on the table and said, “We have a home again.”
The next morning, she put on her only clean dress and walked to the company early. Her heart was racing, but she felt proud. At the front desk, the same lady now smiled politely. “Mr. Cole is expecting you.”
Justin’s office was big and bright. He looked at her and said, “Welcome, Emily. I hope you’re ready to work hard.”
“I am, sir,” she said quickly.
He smiled faintly. “Good. Honesty matters more than experience.”
Emily worked all day. She carried files, made coffee, and wrote notes. Everyone watched her quietly. Some whispered that the boss was giving her too much attention. Emily ignored them. She didn’t care about gossip. She cared about earning her own bread.
When she returned to her room that night, she looked at the small envelope with her first advance payment. It wasn’t much, but to her, it felt like gold. She held it close and whispered, “I’m safe now.”
But deep inside, a small voice said, “You don’t know what this job will bring.”
Emily brushed the thought away. She was happy for the first time in months. She believed that kindness and hard work could change everything. She didn’t know that sometimes life hides storms behind smiles.
And far away, in his big house, Justin looked at her file again and smiled in silence. “Emily Carter,” he whispered to himself. “You’re special.”
That night, she slept peacefully, unaware that her life was about to twist again.
