“I don’t care that you’re a homeless man! Listen, I really NEED to marry you because I…”
She looked over her shoulder, her hands trembling. “Because my father is forcing me to marry a man I don’t love. If I don’t show up tomorrow already married, he’ll sign everything over to him—my company, my inheritance… my entire future.”
The homeless man stared at her, stunned. “You want to use me?”
“No!” she said quickly. “Not use you. Trust you. You’re the only person who’s ever been honest with me. When everyone else treated me like a bank account, you treated me like a human being.”
He swallowed hard. “Renee… I live on the streets.”
“You live with more dignity than the men in suits around me,” she replied softly. “I can give you a home. A job. A new start. But I can’t give you a fake marriage. If we do this… it has to be real. At least a chance to be real.”
He searched her face for pity—but found none. Only sincerity.
The next morning, they stood in a small courthouse. No designer dress. No grand audience. Just two signatures and a leap of faith.
When Renee’s father stormed in later, furious, he froze at the sight of her marriage certificate. The deal collapsed. The greedy fiancé disappeared from her life.
Months passed.
The “homeless man” cut his hair, shaved his beard, and started managing one of Renee’s new charity programs—housing and job placement for people in need. He worked tirelessly, remembering every cold night he once endured.
One evening, as they locked up the office together, he smiled at her.
“You know,” he said gently, “you didn’t save yourself that day.”
Renee squeezed his hand. “Neither did you.”
They hadn’t married out of desperation after all.
They had married out of courage.
And somewhere between survival and second chances… love found them both.
