Daniel always carries the burden of bitter memories from his past that he cannot forget. A past that made him hate Emily. However, fate seemed to play a trick on him with this unexpected situation. Their swapped souls became an irony that was difficult to understand. And ironically, their souls can only return to their original place if one of them saves the other from an accident.
Daniel’s reverie had to be interrupted when he heard approaching footsteps and a door opening. Looking up, he saw Emily walking into the room with a limping step. Her carelessness had caused her to fall on the way down the stairs.
“What happened to you?” asked Daniel coldly.
“I accidentally fell down the stairs,” Emily explained, her voice shaking slightly from pain and embarrassment.
Emily’s gaze shifted to the sofa Daniel was sitting on. “I’m going to sleep here tonight,” she said, pointing to the sofa, which looked hard compared to the soft mattress.
Daniel looked at Emily with an unchanged expression, his voice flat, but there was a slight change in his eyes. “You should sleep on the bed, but if you’re not comfortable sleeping on the bed with me, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“No need. Let me sleep on the sofa,” Emily refused.
“Don’t argue,” Daniel said, making Emily pause.
“Okay then, but you should sleep on the bed too,” Emily suggested, her voice soft.
That night, a cold snow wind blew outside, but the atmosphere inside the hotel room was warm. Emily walked with limping steps, trying not to show the pain she felt. Daniel, who had previously chosen to ignore her, somehow felt something nagging at his mind. His cold demeanor cracked as he witnessed Emily’s struggle.
Without thinking, Daniel got up from his seat and approached Emily. “Let me see it. Sit here,” he said, pointing to the end of the bed.
Emily turned her head, surprised by Daniel’s change in demeanor. “No, I…,” before Emily could finish her sentence, Daniel was already kneeling in front of her.
Carefully, Daniel lifted Emily’s leg, checking her condition. Emily could only stare at him, surprised by the attention suddenly given to her. Daniel’s hand was now gently examining Emily’s ankle, looking for signs of injury.
“It looks like a sprain,” Daniel explained after a moment.
Emily nodded, her pain slightly distracted by Daniel’s unexpected concern.
“Thank you for being so kind to me,” Emily said in a voice full of gratitude.
The words of praise seemed to freeze Daniel in place. “Good?” he murmured, the word feeling strange on his tongue.
“Yes, you are a good person,” Emily confirmed, her eyes shining with unwavering trust.
“I’m not a good person as you think,” Daniel said.
“I’ve killed a few people I hated in my mind,” Daniel continued, his confession feeling like an unhealed wound.
Emily was surprised to hear Daniel’s words and gently said, “But you didn’t really do it, did you? Even though you may seem cold and heartless, I know you’re a good person.”
As Daniel removed his hand from Emily’s leg that he had been examining, his gaze was sharp. “Heartless?”
Emily laughed softly, then continued. “Yes, sometimes.”
Behind Emily’s smile was a warmth that made Daniel’s heart melt a little, but he quickly dismissed the feeling. “Em, I need your help. Marry me.”
“Marry?” Emily was surprised by Daniel’s unexpected question.
“Grandpa wants me to get married, but I’m not ready, especially with our souls constantly swapping back and forth like this. So, marrying you is the only solution I can think of right now,” Daniel explained, his voice serious but with a hidden tone of desperation.
“But…” Emily stammered, confusion filling her mind.
“I’ll renew our agreement, and you’ll get money from me every month if you marry me,” Daniel offered, as if it were a business transaction.
Emily’s mind was racing. How could she even consider marrying her boss? All along, her life’s dream was to marry Ethan, her first love, and build a happy family. But reality said otherwise. Her plan to marry Ethan had to end, and now she faced an impossible choice.
Emily shook her head. It had never occurred to her mind to marry Daniel.
“What are you thinking?” asked Daniel, breaking the silence, his voice soft yet insistent.
“I cannot marry you,” Emily replied firmly. “I believe that marriage should be based on love, we don’t love each other. How can we start a life together without love?”
“You don’t think that I will make you my wife forever, do you?” Daniel tried to confirm Emily’s thoughts.
“Eh? So, what do you mean?”
“We only got married, so Grandpa wouldn’t force me to get married again. I just want to avoid the arranged marriage that Grandpa is planning. Our marriage won’t last long and we’ll get divorced later,” Daniel explained.
“So, it’s just… a deal?” asked Emily, her voice barely audible.
Daniel nodded. “Yes, a deal that will benefit us both. I’ll give you the money, and I’ll be relieved of the pressure to get married.”
Daniel took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for the offer to be made. “I will give you $5, 000 every month if you marry me.”
Emily pondered for a moment, thinking about all the consequences of this decision. “How long do we have to stay in this marriage?” she asked, seeking clarity.
“A year,” Daniel replied quickly. “Enough time for Grandpa to get over the idea of marrying me off and hopefully by then, our souls will have returned to our respective bodies so you can easily plan your future.”
“A year…” Emily repeated, as if the word carried an immeasurable weight.
“You don’t have to answer now,” Daniel said, giving Emily space to think. “But I need your answer before this week is over.”
Emily nodded, knowing that this decision would change the course of her life. “I’ll think about it, sir. I’ll let you know before the end of the week.”
Daniel’s phone vibrated, a notification from Richard appearing on the screen. With a brief, meaningful look at Emily, he moved out of the room to answer the call. Emily, left alone, muttered in a tone full of confusion, “How can I marry Mr. Daniel even if it’s just an agreement?” she whispered.
Outside, a cold gust of wind brushed against Daniel’s skin as he dialed Richard’s number in a hurried motion, his fingers frozen but driven by urgency. Richard’s voice rang out clearly on the other side, echoing through the roar of the blizzard. “I’ve found an acquaintance of the trucker we’re looking for. There’s a chance he knows where the driver is at the moment.”
The information struck like lightning, not only Daniel’s mind but also his racing heart. This could be the crucial clue they needed. Richard’s voice came back from the other side. “Would you like to meet him?”
Daniel paused, his body freezing, not from the cold, but from the inner conflict that consumed him. He massaged his furrowed mid-brow, frustration mixed with confusion at not being able to do anything about his current situation of constantly swapping bodies with Emily. “I will hear from you. Find out soon and let me know later.”
“Yes, sir,” Richard replied, his voice full of determination.
With a gaze as cold as ice, Daniel looked at the raging snowstorm outside the window, the white flakes flying about as if reflecting the chaos in his mind. A moment later, he turned around, leaving the coldness of the outside world to return to the warm room, where Emily had fallen asleep.
Only the silhouette of her back was visible as Daniel opened the bedroom door, the dim light creating dancing shadows on the wall. With almost inaudible steps, Daniel approached the bed and carefully turned his back on Emily as well. They both lay with their backs to each other.
Although their bodies were trying to rest, their minds were awake. Daniel’s mind was filled with the figure of the truck driver he was looking for and the bad memories that kept haunting him from the past, while Emily was caught in a whirlwind of thoughts about Daniel’s marriage proposal and her confusing future.
The next morning, warm sunlight sneaks in through a gap in the curtains, signaling that the blizzard has passed. Emily woke up with a warm feeling enveloping her body. With her eyes still half-closed, she realized she was now hugging Daniel with one of her legs unconsciously raised above Daniel’s body. She just wanted to scream, but she quickly closed her mouth to not wake Daniel up.