Chapter 11 I Will Not Sell My Body

• Enrique's eyes widened. "Did I hear you correctly? Can you repeat that?"
• "You heard correctly. I want to hire you to be my daughter's father," the woman said solemnly.
• "Is this a joke?" Enrique asked incredulously.
• "I'm dead serious."
• "I'm not the type of person you think I am, Ma'am. Even though I'm quite poor and you're very beautiful, I can't accept that kind of arrangement. No matter how destitute I am, I won't sell my body," Enrique firmly refused, but his words were interrupted.
• "What are you thinking?" The woman glared at Enrique and clarified, "You need to understand that I want you to be my daughter's father, not my husband. Furthermore, I'm only asking you to pretend to be her father in front of her, nothing more. Put away those unsavory thoughts in your mind."
• "Oh, I see. I thought... Well..." Enrique let out an awkward chuckle after hearing her words.
• The woman's following words hit him like a thunderbolt once more. "My daughter's time is running out."
• "What?"
• "When she was three years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia. It has been over two years now. During these past two years, she has been fighting the illness relentlessly. I have tried every possible solution and given it my all. However, from the beginning, the doctors told me that this is a disease that is extremely difficult to cure. Despite that, we never gave up on treatment. We sought the best hospitals in the world, consulted the finest specialists, and continued with treatments throughout these years. But her condition has never stabilized. Last night, she was critically ill again. Fortunately, the hospital managed to stabilize her, but they have given me the final prognosis – it is unlikely she will live for more than six months." The woman who owned the BMW couldn't hold back her tears as she shared this heartbreaking news.
• Enrique's disbelief was evident as he stammered, "H-How is that possible? She's such a beautiful little girl. How could that happen to her? Isn't it just leukemia? I heard that chemotherapy is supposed to stabilize the condition. It can be cured through a bone marrow transplant, right? You shouldn't be lacking the funds for treatment." Enrique couldn't accept that such a lovely and adorable young girl could be afflicted by this illness.
• The woman shook her head and said, "She has been able to survive until now thanks to chemotherapy. As for a bone marrow transplant... Well, we simply couldn't find a compatible donor. Everyone in the family tried, and every blood relative made an attempt, but there was no match. I-If my husband was still alive, we could have had another child to save her, but..." The woman trailed off, wiping away her tears.
• Enrique fell silent. He still couldn't fully accept this reality. He had always been a compassionate person, and that was especially true given how adorable the little girl was. Besides that, he could empathize with a mother's anguish.
• "I can't save her, but I am determined to do everything in my power to ensure that every day she spends in this world is filled with happiness. You saw how much she misses her father terribly, even mistaking you for him. I don't want her to have any regrets or disappointments in her final moments. That's why I'd like to ask if you could pretend to be her father during the last stage of her life. You don't have to do much, just occasionally come to visit her. I think seeing you from time to time would bring her comfort. As I mentioned earlier, I'll pay you a salary. You said you can earn ten thousand a month from your grilled food business. I'll give you twenty thousand a month, deducting it from the money you owe me for the ring. It'll continue until my daughter passes away. If she doesn't make it to the point where you've paid off the full eighty-eight thousand, then I'll waive the rest. If she's fortunate enough to live longer, I'll pay you the remaining amount in cash," the woman continued.
• "Sure," Enrique replied after a moment of silence, sounding resolute. He then added, "But I don't have time in the evenings. After all, I need to run my food stall at night."
• "Given her current condition, she needs to stay in the hospital. You don't have to be there constantly. Just drop by from time to time when you can, have a chat with her, bring her joy, and let her know she has a daddy who loves her. That should be enough and won't interfere with your regular work," the woman explained.
• "Got it." Enrique nodded. Glancing at her, he asked, "Can I go in to visit her now?"
• "Okay," the woman said, looking at Enrique with a hint of surprise. She nodded and even smiled at him, which was the first time she had smiled at Enrique since last night. Enrique's heart nearly melted because her smile was truly beautiful.
• However, at the moment, his primary focus was on the little girl. He nodded back at the woman, then turned and headed toward the hospital room. The woman followed closely behind him. When they reached the door of the room, Enrique hesitated for a moment before asking the woman, "C-Can I go in?"
• "Go ahead."
• "Is it okay to lie to a little girl?" Enrique asked hesitantly.
• "I simply wish for her to find happiness in the remaining days of her life, to depart without any lingering regrets. Her greatest sorrow is not having had the chance to see her father," the woman expressed.
• Enrique nodded and replied, "I understand."
• With that, he pushed the door open and entered the ward.
• In the ward, the little girl remained in her bed with an oxygen tube in her nose and her hand connected to an IV drip while the machines beside her emitted continuous beeping sounds. A middle-aged woman sat beside her.
• "Daddy, you're here!" The little girl had been lying still in bed, but the moment she spotted Enrique entering, she eagerly sat up and called out to him.
• Being suddenly called "Daddy" by someone caught Enrique completely off guard. He didn't even know how to react or respond. In fact, he felt himself blushing. He was a grown man who had never even been married, let alone become a father.
• "W-What should I say?" He smiled at the little girl and quietly directed the question to the woman beside him.
• "Her name is Annie. Let her know that you have been working at Anglandur all this time and have returned to keep her company. Reassure her that you won't leave her again. Express your love for her and how much you miss her," the woman whispered gently to him.
• "Um..." Enrique felt a little uncomfortable having to say those sentimental words, even though the person he was speaking to was just a young girl.
• "Daddy, what's wrong?" the little girl asked.
• "Uh, I... I missed you. Did you miss me?" Enrique stuttered as he approached the little girl's bedside, finding it somewhat difficult.
• "Of course I did. I miss you every day. Daddy, why didn't you come back to visit me? Don't you like me?" the little girl questioned, her eyes wide with innocence and curiosity.