A poor, desperate student married a wealthy 76-year-old woman — and a week after the wedding she made him a strange offer
Arthur, 23, could hardly stand. His life had become an endless struggle to survive: his mother was seriously ill and had been unable to work for years, and his little sister needed daily care, food, clothes and school supplies.
All the expenses — medicines, medical treatments, bills, food — rested on one person’s shoulders. He worked wherever he could: as a courier, a mover, and tutoring other students, but money was desperately short.
Debt piled up, interest weighed on him, and every day Arthur asked himself, “How much longer can I hold on?”
One day a friend introduced him to an unusual woman. She was 76, and despite her age she had a clear mind, a sense of humor, and incredible charisma.
She turned out to be a billionaire, a woman used to luxury and attention, but at the same time surprisingly lonely. At their first meeting, Arthur realized he wasn’t dealing with an ordinary rich old lady but with an intelligent, self-assured woman who could listen and appreciate a conversation.
When she unexpectedly proposed marriage — Arthur didn’t sleep for several nights. His heart told him one thing, his reason another.
But before his eyes were his mother, who needed care, and his little sister, asking him for money for school supplies. The decision wasn’t easy, but he accepted.
“I’ll live a few years with this elderly woman, but my mother and sister won’t be left wanting,” he told himself, convincing himself he’d done the right thing.
A week after the wedding, Arthur had already grown used to the quiet, almost chilly life in the enormous house. He and his new wife slept in separate rooms, spoke rarely — a quick word at breakfast or dinner — but never like a married couple.
One evening she invited him into her study to make an unusual proposal that left the young man stunned.
Arthur felt the tension in the room. She sat silent for a long time, looking over her glasses, then said:
“I have no heirs. No husband, no children. And I understand perfectly well why you married me. You thought I wouldn’t notice? You needed money, not me.”
Arthur wanted to explain, but she raised her hand and didn’t give him a moment to speak.
“Don’t rush. I’m not judging you. On the contrary, I respect your honesty with yourself. That’s why I want to propose a bargain. For the rest of my life you will stay by my side. To everyone, we will be husband and wife. But I demand neither intimacy nor love from you. We will continue to sleep in separate rooms. However, one condition: you must remain faithful to me. No other woman. No scandal. The slightest suspicion will be enough for you to receive nothing.”
She paused, then added softly but firmly:
“And one more thing… do not wish for my death. If an inquiry finds that I died unnaturally, all your inheritance will go to charity. I do not want a murderer — I want a faithful companion. Just someone at my side so I won’t feel alone.”
Arthur was silent. Relief at not having to share a bed mixed in his head with fear at the strict conditions and a strange respect for this woman who seemed to have planned every detail.
“Think about it, Arthur. You will receive more than you ever dreamed of. But only if you withstand the test of time,” she concluded.
He understood that his answer would determine not only his family’s fate, but his entire life.