“I have less than a year left to live. Marry me, have my child — and I will provide for your family forever,” the wealthy landowner said to the poor farm worker 😢
The girl agreed for the sake of her sick mother and younger brothers, but on their very first wedding night, she accidentally overheard her husband’s conversation and realized that something far more terrible was hidden behind this marriage 😱😲
The poor girl was only twenty-two years old. Every day, she got up before dawn, put on her old rubber boots, and went to the farm, where she milked cows, cleaned the stalls, and helped feed the animals.
The work was hard and the pay was low, but there was almost no other way to earn money in the small village.
Her father had died several years earlier, and since then, the girl had essentially supported the entire family. Her mother was often ill and could barely work, while her two younger brothers were still in school.
Sometimes, there wasn’t even enough money for food. Whenever her mother needed medicine, the girl borrowed money from the neighbors and then spent several months paying back the debt in small installments.
She had already grown accustomed to living this way and had almost stopped dreaming of having a family of her own or a different life.
One day, the owner of the farm unexpectedly asked her to stay after work.
He was a wealthy landowner who owned the farm, several large plots of land, and almost half of the rental houses in the neighboring town.
He was about forty-five years old. He rarely spoke to ordinary workers and always kept his distance from them, so the girl was very surprised when the man offered to walk her home.
He barely spoke on the way, but when they reached the old wooden house, he suddenly stopped and said:
— I have less than a year left to live. The doctors can’t do anything.
The girl was confused and didn’t know what to say.
But the man continued:
— I want to leave a child behind. If you become my wife, I will pay for your mother’s treatment, buy your family a new house, and leave enough money for your brothers to get an education.
At first, the girl thought she had misheard him.
She refused and tried to avoid the owner for several days, but that was exactly when her mother’s condition suddenly became much worse. The doctor said she needed expensive treatment in the city. The family didn’t have the necessary amount of money.
A week later, the landowner came again and placed the money for the treatment on the table.
— Even if you refuse, I won’t take this money back, he said. — But think about my offer.
And the girl agreed.
She convinced herself that she was doing it for her family. The man treated her calmly, never raised his voice, and truly fulfilled everything he had promised. Her mother was sent for treatment, her brothers’ education was paid for, and repairs on their old house began.
They had a small wedding with almost no guests.
But on their first wedding night, the girl couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. Her new husband was sleeping beside her, while she kept thinking that in a few months, he might no longer be alive.
In the middle of the night, the man suddenly got up and left the bedroom. A few minutes later, the girl heard voices behind the wall.
At first, she paid no attention to them, but then she heard the words:
— She must not find out anything.
And only at that moment did the girl realize that something far more terrible was hidden behind this marriage 😱😨 The continuation of the story can be found in the first comment 👇👇
The girl froze. Her husband and the farm manager were talking in the study. She quietly approached the door.
— What if she finds out the truth too soon? the manager asked.
— Then everything will fall apart, the landowner replied. — I need her to decide for herself to stay here.
The girl felt her hands begin to tremble. In the morning, she demanded an explanation.
At first, the man remained silent, but then he admitted that he did not have any terminal illness. However, the real reason for what he had done turned out to be completely different from what the girl had expected.
Several years earlier, the landowner had already been married. His wife had died during a difficult childbirth, along with their baby. After that, the man decided that he would never start a family again.
But recently, he had learned that he really did have serious health problems. The illness was not fatal, but the doctors warned him that if he wanted to have a biological child of his own, he could not put it off for several more years.
He was afraid of falling in love with a woman again and losing her again, so he invented the story about his imminent death. He thought everything would be easier that way: no love, no lifelong promises, just an agreement.
The girl was horrified not because of his illness, but because of how calmly he had decided to control her life.
— You could have simply told me the truth, she said. — But you decided that it was acceptable to lie to a poor girl as long as you paid her family.
That very morning, she packed her things and left.
The landowner did not stop her and did not demand that she return the money. He continued paying for her mother’s treatment because he understood that the girl’s family should not have to answer for his deception.
