To Pay for My Daughters Education, I Agreed to a Very Unusual Proposal from My Boss

As a single mother, I was used to juggling a million worries at once—school lunches, lost shoes, bills, doctor appointments, and the constant fear of letting something slip. My mind never rested. Even in silence, my thoughts raced, a constant loop of what needed to be done next.

So when the phone rang as I stared at my boss Nathan’s tightly packed, color-coded calendar, I nearly let it go to voicemail. But something in my gut told me to answer.

“Hello, this is the admissions office at St. Helena Academy. I’m calling about your daughter, Lily,” the woman said brightly.

My stomach turned. “Is she okay?”

“Oh, yes. This is about her tuition grant. There’s been a reassessment. I’m afraid Lily no longer qualifies for her scholarship.”

I sat bolt upright. “She’s already in school. You can’t just pull her funding now.”

“I understand this is upsetting, but if you wish to keep her enrolled, the annual tuition is—”

I hung up. My chest tightened. That school wasn’t just a school—it was her future. It was where she felt safe, seen, and like she finally belonged.

I tried to keep working, but by noon I gave up pretending. There was only one person I could turn to. I walked down the hall, phone clutched in my hand, and stopped in front of Nathan’s door. My voice felt too small when I knocked.

He looked up. “Hey, everything okay?”

“I need to talk to you. It’s about my daughter.”

I explained everything. That we had until the end of the week. That I wasn’t asking for charity, just a loan I’d pay back.

Nathan was quiet for a moment, then said, “There might be another way.”

I frowned. “What kind of way?”

He turned from the window and said, “I need to get married.”

I blinked. “What?”

“My grandmother made it clear I won’t inherit the family estate unless I’m married. Her birthday’s next week, and she expects a wedding before then. I trust you, Grace. I want you to help me pull this off. Marry me—just for show. Come with me to her estate, act like we’re in love, get married on Sunday. After that, we part ways. And in return, your daughter’s tuition will be covered for life.”

I wanted to say no. It sounded insane. But then my phone buzzed. A message from the school: Please confirm payment or let us know if Lily will be withdrawing. We have a waitlist.

I looked up at Nathan. “If I say yes… Lily’s education is guaranteed?”

“She’ll never have to worry again.”

My hands shook. “Then… I’ll do it.”

He nodded. “Good. We leave tomorrow. Bring Lily. Everything has to look real.”

Nathan’s grandmother’s estate looked like something from a dream—white stone walls, ivy crawling up the sides, a giant fountain in front. Lily gasped and ran toward it. Nathan chuckled. “Let her go. It’s just water.”

He chased her around the fountain, laughing, and for the first time, I saw him differently. Not as the buttoned-up boss who barely smiled, but as a man who could play, who could laugh, who liked kids.

Then I noticed her—an older woman standing on the porch. Silver hair in a bun, long dress, sharp eyes.

“Grandmother,” Nathan said. “This is Grace. And that little hurricane is Lily.”

She walked down slowly, eyeing me. Then she smiled. “So this is the woman who finally tamed my grandson.”

Dinner that night was surreal—just the four of us seated at a massive table beneath a golden chandelier. She asked how we met. I said I spilled coffee on his laptop. Nathan added, “She didn’t even say sorry.” She laughed. “Well, it’s about time.”

By the next morning, the wedding planner had been alerted. Everything moved quickly. Lily and I were given a guest room with white curtains and fresh flowers that changed daily. I never saw who brought them. It felt like a fairytale I hadn’t agreed to be in—but slowly, the edges softened. I laughed more. I stopped checking my phone.

One night, I walked outside to find Nathan on the porch swing, alone beneath the stars.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked.

I shook my head and sat beside him. We rocked in silence. Then he said, “Being here reminds me of things I’ve tried to forget. My dad never stood up for me. My grandmother controlled everything. Nothing I did was ever good enough.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

He looked at me, voice soft. “But with you… things feel real. Easy.”

I swallowed. “This is still fake, Nathan.”

“I know. But sometimes fake things start to feel real.”

He didn’t touch me. He just looked at me. And something in me shifted.

The night before the wedding, I moved through the house like a ghost. Lily slept soundly, clutching the stuffed bunny Nathan had given her. I went downstairs for water—and heard voices.

“…a single mother, Nathan. You can’t be serious,” his grandmother said sharply.

“She’s not just some woman. And Lily isn’t a burden,” Nathan replied.

“This isn’t love. This is fear.”

“If you go through with this farce, you’ll lose everything. Not one cent from this family.”

I didn’t wait to hear more. My heart thundered. I packed everything and left before dawn.

The next morning, a knock came at my door. Nathan stood outside.

“You left.”

“I heard everything.”

His face changed. “Then you didn’t hear all of it. I told her I love you. I told her I love Lily. And I meant it. I said I’d rather lose everything than lose you.”

Tears filled my eyes. “Does that mean you’ve lost it all?”

“No,” he said quietly. “For the first time in my life, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. You. And Lily.”

“And your grandmother?”

“My father stood up to her. Told her she couldn’t control me anymore. He’s backing me. Finally.”

I reached for his hand. When he kissed me, it wasn’t pretend anymore. It was real. All of it.

Would you like a follow-up story from Lily’s perspective later in life?