To Pay for My Daughter's Education, I Agreed to a Very Unusual Proposal from My Boss – Story of the Day

As a single mom, I was ready to do anything to keep my daughter in the school she loved. When her scholarship was suddenly taken away, I turned to my boss for help, never expecting the strange, life-changing offer he was about to make.

When you’re a single mom, your brain never shuts off. There’s always something to worry about—lunches, shoes that suddenly don’t fit, doctor appointments, paying bills, and keeping your job.

Even in quiet moments, your thoughts are running laps. You lie awake at night, thinking about what you forgot, what needs to be done, and what could go wrong. It’s like a never-ending to-do list taped to the inside of your eyelids.

That’s why, when my phone rang in the middle of reorganizing Nathan’s schedule, I almost didn’t answer.

I had his calendar pulled up on my screen, color-coded, and packed with meetings, and I was deep in thought, wondering how I’d squeeze in Lily’s dentist appointment without messing up the whole day.

The phone buzzed again. I sighed, already feeling behind, and reached for it without checking the number. Something in my gut told me to pick up.

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

The voice on the line was calm, almost cheerful. My stomach dropped, and I gripped the phone tightly.

“Is she okay?” I asked.

“Oh yes, she’s perfectly fine. This is about the tuition grant.”

I sat up straighter. “What about it?”

There was a pause.

“We regret to inform you that the scholarship has been reassigned. There was a reassessment of eligibility. Your daughter no longer qualifies.”

My hand shook. “She’s already in class! She started a month ago. You can’t just take it back now.”

“I understand your frustration. But if you wish to keep her enrolled, the annual tuition is—”

I hung up. My body felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe. My skin buzzed. I stared at the wall, trying not to panic.

That school was her chance. It was everything. The small class size. The safe hallways. The books. The future. I told her we’d caught a break. I told her she belonged there.

By noon, I gave up pretending to work. I couldn’t read my emails. Couldn’t type one more sentence. I needed help. I needed money. I hated that thought.

There was only one person I could ask. I walked down the hallway, clutching my phone. My feet felt heavy. I stopped outside Nathan’s door. I took a deep breath and knocked.

He looked up from his laptop. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” My voice sounded too small.

“Sure,” he said, closing his screen.

I stepped inside and shut the door. “It’s about my daughter.”

He gave a slight nod. “Go on.”

“She lost her scholarship.” My voice cracked. “They said we have until the end of the week to pay tuition. If we don’t, they’ll give her spot to someone else.”

Nathan leaned back in his chair. “How much are we talking?”

I told him the number. He didn’t flinch, but I felt ridiculous even saying it. “I know it’s a lot. I’m not asking for a gift. Just a loan. I’ll pay you back every month.”

Nathan stood and walked to the window. He looked outside for a moment, quiet. “There might be another option.”

I frowned. “What kind of option?”

He turned around. “I need to get married.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry—what?”

“My grandmother is old-fashioned. Very. She made it clear in her will that I won’t receive control of the family estate unless I’m married. She wants a wedding before her birthday. That’s a week from now.”

I stared at him. “So... what does that have to do with me?”

“I need someone who can handle this. Someone I trust.” He looked at me. “You.”

I laughed. “You want me to fake-marry you?”

“Yes. We go to her estate. We act like a couple. The wedding’s on Sunday. After that, we go our separate ways. In return, your daughter’s tuition is covered. Forever.”

I was speechless. “This is insane.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But I don’t trust many people. And you have a reason to do it.”

I opened my mouth to say no. This was absurd. But my phone buzzed again. A message from the school: Please confirm your payment or let us know if Lily will be withdrawing. We have a waitlist.

They were ready to replace her.

I looked up at Nathan. “You’re sure she can stay in that school if I agree?”

“She will never have to worry about tuition again.”

I exhaled, my hands shaking. “Then... okay. I’ll do it.”

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

Nathan’s grandmother’s house looked like something from a storybook. It was big and fancy, with white stone walls and green vines crawling up the sides. When Lily saw the fountain in front, she gasped and ran straight to it.

“Lily, slow down!” I called after her.

Nathan gave a small laugh. “Let her run. It’s only water.”

“She gets excited,” I said, feeling like I had to explain her attitude.

He looked at me, smiling. “Yeah. I can tell.”

Before I could stop him, Nathan walked over to the fountain. Lily was already pointing at ducks swimming in the water.

Then Nathan started to chase her. He ran around the fountain with her, laughing. She giggled so loud I was sure the whole house could hear.

I didn’t move. I just watched. I had never seen Nathan act like this. Not once at work. Not anywhere.

He always looked serious, always busy. But here, he looked like a normal guy. A man who liked kids. A man who could play.

I wasn’t ready for how that made me feel.

Then I noticed someone standing on the porch. An older woman. She had silver hair pulled into a bun and wore a long dress. Her face looked calm, but her eyes felt sharp.

“Grandmother,” Nathan said. He stopped running and stood tall. “This is Grace. And that little hurricane is Lily.”

She walked down the steps with slow, sure steps. She looked at me from head to toe, then smiled.

“So this is the woman who finally tamed my grandson.”

I gave her a polite smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She took my hand and squeezed it. “Let’s have dinner. There’s a lot we need to talk about.”

The dining room was huge. A table that could fit 20 people was under a gold chandelier, but only the four of us sat there.

She sipped her wine. “So, how did you meet?”

Nathan went quiet. I jumped in. “At work…I spilled coffee on his laptop.”

“She didn’t even say sorry,” Nathan added, finally smiling.

The woman laughed, delighted. “Well, I must say, it’s about time you brought someone home.”

She clapped her hands. “Sunday, then. A small wedding. I’ve already alerted the planner.”

And just like that, it was happening. One day, I was begging the school to give me time, and the next, I was planning a wedding.

Everything moved fast, like I’d stepped into a dream I didn’t ask for but couldn’t turn off.

The following days blurred together. Lily and I stayed in a cozy guest room with soft quilts, white curtains, and a little vase of fresh flowers that changed every morning. I never found out who brought them in. It felt like magic.

Nathan’s grandmother kept us busy. There were brunches, garden tours, visits from the planner, and long talks about flower colors and seating charts.

I helped pick out flowers. I tried on dresses that didn’t feel like me. At first, I felt out of place, like I was acting in someone else's story. But slowly, it changed. I laughed more. I stopped checking my phone.

One night, I found Nathan kneeling by Lily, helping her color in a butterfly. Another night, we stayed up late, eating ice cream with plastic spoons and laughing over silly movies.

One morning, I saw a note on the fridge in Lily’s big, crooked letters: “I like Nathan. He’s funny.” I smiled and tucked it into my pocket.

That night, I stepped outside. The sky was dark and clear. Stars filled every corner above us. Nathan sat on the porch swing, alone.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked without looking at me.

I shook my head. “No.”

I sat down beside him. The swing creaked as we started to rock. We didn’t say anything for a while.

The night air smelled like roses and cut grass. I wrapped my arms around myself. It felt quiet in a strange way. Like the world had stopped moving.

He finally spoke. “Being here brings back things I try not to think about.”

I turned toward him. “Like what?”

“My dad,” he said. “He never stood up for me. He let my grandmother control everything.”

I didn’t answer right away. I let his words sink in. “That must’ve been really hard.”

He nodded. “I spent my whole life trying to make him proud. Nothing I did was ever good enough.”

I felt my chest ache. “I’m sorry, Nathan.”

He looked at me. His voice was soft. “You’re not like them. With you, things feel easy. They feel real.”

I swallowed. “Nathan… this is still fake.”

He didn’t flinch. “I know. But sometimes fake things… they start to feel real.”

He didn’t try to touch me. He didn’t move closer. He just looked at me, waiting. I looked at him, really looked. His face, his eyes, his quiet hope. And I felt it too. Just as strong. Just as real.

The night before the wedding felt like a dream I couldn’t wake up from. I moved through the house quietly, almost like I wasn’t really there.

Everything was ready. My dress hung by the window, glowing in the moonlight.

Lily was fast asleep, hugging the stuffed bunny Nathan had bought her. Her little hand clutched its ear like it was the only thing holding her to this place.

I tiptoed downstairs to get her a glass of water. As I passed the kitchen, I heard voices.

“…a single mother, Nathan. You can’t be serious.” It was his grandmother. Her voice was sharp and steady.

“She’s not just some woman I found on the street,” Nathan said. He sounded calm, but there was something tight in his words.

“She’s a burden. And she comes with a child. You’re humiliating yourself,” his grandmother replied without pause.

“She’s not a burden. And Lily isn’t either,” Nathan said, more firmly now.

“This isn’t love. This is fear. You’re afraid of being alone,” she said coldly.

“I’m not going to argue with you,” Nathan told her.

“If you go through with this farce, you’ll lose everything. Not one cent from this family. You’ll be cut off,” she said, final and cruel.

I didn’t wait to hear more. My heart pounded in my chest. I turned and hurried back upstairs.

I dressed Lily without a word, packed everything we had into a single duffel bag, and walked out before the sun had even risen.

The next morning, there was a loud knock on the door of the little house I’d rented. And when I opened it, Nathan stood there.

“You left,” he said, looking straight at me.

“I heard everything,” I snapped.

He blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Your grandmother. Last night. In the kitchen.”

His face changed. He took a slow breath. “Grace… if you’re this angry, then you didn’t hear all of it.”

I crossed my arms. “She called me a burden. She threatened you. She made it clear I wasn’t welcome.”

Nathan shook his head. “Yes, she did. But I told her it didn’t matter. I told her I love you. That I love Lily. That I would rather lose everything than lose you both.”

I couldn’t speak. He stepped closer. I just stared at him.

“Does that mean you’ve lost it all?”

He gave me a sad smile. “No. For the first time in my life, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. You. And Lily.”

My throat tightened. Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them.

Nathan swallowed. “And my father… he stood up to her. He told her she had no right to control me. That she couldn’t take the company from me. He backed me. For the first time ever.”

I didn’t answer. I just reached for his hand. And when he kissed me, it wasn’t part of the plan anymore. It was real. All of it.

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This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.