Marriage registration?

The news was like a blow to this head, leaving behind a stunned silence. Stunned, Silas couldn't even react. All he did was stare at her with a gaping mouth. Slowly, his brain started working, washing away his initial irritation.

It all made a horrifying kind of sense now. Lara's desperation, the urgency for this marriage – it all stemmed from her father's illness. However, Silas couldn't help but be skeptical.

Colton Smith was a cunning man, adept at manipulating situations to his advantage. Could this be another one of his elaborate schemes to force Lara into marriage?

"Did you say brain tumor?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Lara nodded, her chin quivering as she fought back a torrent of tears. "The surgery is risky," she choked out, "only a ten percent chance it'll be successful. He refuses to go through with it until I get married. Every delay further reduces his chances."