1x1 rp blog

“There are a lot of fake marriages happening for different reasons, this one is unique of course but it’s not rare to have fake marriages happen.” Marcus was aware that he sounded like the type of person that would engage in something like this, but he wasn’t. He may have a friend or two that found the easy way to achieve things and though he wasn’t a fan of that method, in this case he was willing to help Sofia and Manny any means necessary. “As long as it takes for you to win this,” he said. “Mine’s not going anywhere either, I’m too busy to go on dates let alone settle down any time soon. As to how we explain to Manny… that might be tricker but the good thing is that he already knows me and knows we are family. It’s better than a stranger getting involved altogether.”

“It might happen for one reason or another, but usually I’d assume both people are getting something out of this. You’d be doing this just for me. And Marcus, you deserve a real marriage. You might not have time for it now, but one day you will be, and you’ll have to go through an entire divorce just to get to be with a woman you love. I’m not worth the hassle,“ she frowned and ran a hand through her hair. While she believed she wasn’t the hassle, she knew Manny was but she had to at least try to give Marcus as many outs as she could before he tied himself to them. “If we really do this, I want a prenup. To protect you. I don’t want to take anything from you.”

Marcus’ heart hurt for Sofia. No mother should ever feel like they had to worry about all of this for their child. Especially not when Manny was so little and young. If he knew what was happening, it could cause for so many traumatic memories to resurface when he was older. And it wasn’t fair for Sofia either. For the time being, Marcus was going to do whatever he could in his power to help them, even if that meant going against his own brother. His arms wrapped tighter around her to hold her as close as he could for comfort, being the only thing he could provide for her at the moment. “Yeah, let’s not talk about it anymore for tonight. Just try to relax and keep calm.” 

“Weird, and to think you didn’t even consider the other option where we could pretend to play happy families and act like we all got along. Don’t act like I’m that daft. I do know Manny’s name, and in fact you can thank good ole Uncle Marcus for mentioning him to me.”

“You lost that option when you literally paid me to disappear from your life with my child. Why would I ever want to play at being a happy family with you? It doesn’t matter if you know his name. You don’t know anything about him.”

@nurse-sofia-alvarez

“It was too much to think you had a brain, huh? I offered you the easy way out and you decided not to take it so look where we are now. And nobody to blame but yourself too.”

“Maybe you’re the one without the brain if you thought I was just going to hand my child over to you without a fight when you don’t even know his name.”

“It’s not that uncommon.” Marcus had heard of a few cases before, sure he didn’t think it was something he was going to think about ever but here they were. He wanted Sofia to have full custody of Manny and after seeing everything that the lawyer laid out for them if they didn’t go through with this plan – there was a high chance she could lose. “I know it’s very extreme for us and nothing we would’ve seen coming, but after it’s all over there’s always divorce Sofia. It doesn’t mean it has to be forever, I wouldn’t want to keep you from doing whatever you wanted in the future. It’s a temporary solution to ensure that Manny will remain with you. I think you’re the one that really needs to think about this here.”

“Isn’t it?” Sofia looked over at him, trying to read what was going on in his head. “When have you ever heard of this outside of what the lawyer just told us?” She certainly never had. It sounded so dramatic, but then desperate people were prone to do dramatic things. “But how long would we have to stay together for them to believe this? There’s got to be some rule against it right? Like there’s a rule against marrying for a visa?” she rambled, her mind taking her in 100 different directions. You don’t want to keep me from my future? Marcus, you’re the one that would be putting your love life on hold for me. Believe me, mine’s not going anywhere. We don’t know how long this could last or, how would we even explain it to Manny?”

“Alright fine,” he agreed, for now. Marcus didn’t want Sofia to pay him or feel like she needed to, but if he had to let her believe that that was what she needed right now then he’d do that.  “Manny can still say something, he knows you and you alone. Has Ricky even attempted to learn his name? Or hold him once? Kids are smart, Sof.” There was probably not much Marcus could say to ease Sofia’s worries and he didn’t blame her. His brother was doing this the worst way possible and sometimes Marcus wished he could just pay him off but that was just going to put Ricky at an advantage and Marcus refused to give him what he wanted. “We’ll figure this out,” he smiled at her lightly, reaching out for her hand. 

“Thank you,” she said softly, relieved that he’d let her win this one. Usually she argued his gifts but let them happen, but this time was different. It had to be different. She needed to feel like she wasn’t a pushover. She needed to feel like she could take care of the two of them if all else failed. “No...he hasn’t,” she said slowly, knowing that Marcus was right. Ricky hadn’t even known Manny’s name when he’d come by, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do his research. She sighed and turned her head further into his shoulder, seeking out his comfort. “I don’t want to think about it anymore tonight,” she confessed. Her eyes squeezed shut, trying to shut out everything that was threatening to overwhelm her. “Can we just...put a pin in it?”

I have had clients do this before and won their cases. It is an idea that is very out there but it works. With you two together, the chances are higher and there is no way the judge would be against your favor. You don’t have to decide now what you want to do but the clock is ticking. Let me know what you decide. 

After the lawyer exited the conference room, Marcus turned to look at Sofia. It was a huge step. One that he hadn’t thought about before and he was sure Sofia hadn’t thought about either. Marcus loved both Sofia and Manny and he’d do anything to help them, but he also didn’t want to push for something that Sofia wasn’t on board with. “It’s crazy to even think about it, right?” They could play the part. They had been friends for so long now that they could sell it. Marcus was actively involved in Manny’s life that no one would think it was weird, except maybe his family. Something so sudden like that this wasn’t like Marcus and there would be a lot of convincing to do. “What do you think about it?”

Sofia sat there in utter shock of the idea that was placed before them. Sure the facts and statistics and logic behind it added up, sure it would tip the scale unquestionably in her favor, but it was a big ask. She wasn’t even sure if it was right of her to ask something like that of Marcus. She said she’d do anything to help ensure Ricky didn’t stand a chance of taking Manny, but this? Essentially asking Marcus to throw away his life on her? How could she do that to the man who had already given so much to her and her son? “It’s-I can’t believe it’s something that people really do,” she admitted, still in a bit of a daze. She lifted her eyes to his face, trying to get a gauge on his opinion about the entire thing. “It would be extreme...but then I’m sure Ricky will be too,” she said, still mulling the idea over in her mind, not able to give him a proper answer just yet. “I mean what do you think? This-this doesn’t have to be your problem, but if we actually went through with this, it would be. There wouldn’t be a way out of it for you.”

“Sofia, please… you don’t have to. I’m helping you because I want to not because I want you to pay me back.” He told her once more, though he could say it over and over and she’d still say that she was going to pay him back. Marcus knew that if the roles were reversed, he’d do the same as her and want to pay back whatever was given to him so he didn’t blame her. He wished there was a way he could help her even more than just throwing money at lawyers and offering financial support. There had to be a better way to help her, a way where she didn’t have to pay him back for anything. “They can’t just look at that. If it had to do with mainly money, they wouldn’t let more than half of the families out there foster kids for a check. Your home is safe, you give your son unconditional love and more. They’d be stupid and a shit judge to look past that.”

“I don’t have to, but I need to, Marcus.” It was almost a matter of pride after Ricky had accused her of being a gold digger. She needed to prove to herself that she could look out for Manny herself. “I know you don’t want me to pay you back, and I know I never have to, but...” She didn’t know how to explain it. Taking Marcus’ charity felt wrong, so even if it took her years to find a way to pay him back, she would. This was her fight for her son. “I need you to let me pay you back eventually once all this is over. Please?” She looked over at him, hoping her eyes could convey what she couldn’t put to words. “I know that they shouldn’t be able to, but money? That’s a hard fact. Everything else, they could probably find a way to fabricate. Manny is 5 so how much can his opinion hold up? I just have to be prepared for the worst case scenario, and I have to figure out how I’m going to fight it. I appreciate that you’re trying to be optimistic, Marcus, but this is the guy that accused me of not being pregnant with his kid then paid me off to disappear. I don’t expect him to be honorable about any of this.”

Hearing her say that he was one of the best things that had happened to her and Manny – it made him feel something deep inside him. Marcus cared so much for the two of them, way too damn much. The two were the main part of hi family he kept in touch regularly, seeing them almost every day and stopping by their home. Marcus nodded and gave her a small smile, understanding that whatever may come out of her mouth in moments of distress, she didn’t truly mean and she still wanted him in her life. Which was a relief for him, he didn’t know what he’d do without them in their life. “I won’t just get you a reliable lawyer, I’m going to get you the best lawyer we can find for this.” He promised her. His arm went around her middle, holding her close to comfort her, while his other hand still held hers. “Not to sound cocky or anything but between Ricky and I, he’s not the one who has a successful company worth millions.”

“I’m still going to find a way to pay you back,” she insisted, snuggling into his comfort as his arm went around her. She might not be willing to say no completely to his help, but she still wanted to do what she could to help out. Manny was her son, and no matter how much help Marcus was, she still felt like she had to be the one to provide for him as much as she could on her own. Especially after her short conversation with Ricky. She didn’t want to give any judge any reason to think that she couldn’t care for her own son. “I know, but that’s your money that you earned. It’s not mine. You can finance all the judges you want, but at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to how well I can support my family, right?” she questioned, not meaning to take another dig at Marcus’ wealth or lifestyle. It was simply that no one cared how much the uncle made. His financial situation was completely independent from her own even if he insisted on helping out.

“It’s fine,” he reassured her once more. Perhaps Marcus had been a little too excessive with his gifts and overstepping with his generosity. It was just natural for him to want to help especially when it came to Sofia and Manny because he loved the two of them. And also because he hated that his brother had put them in the situation they were in. “I can’t promise that we’ll find a judge that won’t be corrupted but we can hope. I’ll talk to the lawyers and see what else they tell me – actually, you should be the one talking to them and not me.” Even though Marcus wanted to know every single detail he could know, making sure that he was keeping up with every step of the case and be ready to be there for Sofia and Manny. Sofia’s question about Ricky almost broke him, he could see the fear of losing her son and it hurt him. “It is a large sum of money with his name written on it but he doesn’t have one thing you do, Manny’s love. They might ask him questions and the judge will have to see that Manny doesn’t even know his own father. They can’t give custody to basically a stranger.”

“It’s not fine,” she shook her head. “Marcus, you are...you’re one of the best things that’s happened to me since Manny, and I mean that outside of all the toys and gifts. You’ve been my rock,” she said softly. Her hands on his gave a little squeeze. It was important to her that he know how much he meant to her and that her comment over the phone had simply been one from a panicked place. “You’re my best friend, and no matter how we came together, I’m glad you’re in my life now, okay?” Her eyes searched his, making sure he understood what he meant to her. “Yeah,” she nodded. “I’ll...If you can make a list of reliable lawyers, I’ll talk to them. Actually, I wouldn’t hate it if you went with me to talk with them.” Sofia didn’t know about the law or lawyer types. She didn’t know what she was getting into, and she was a little scared of making the wrong choice. This as something she couldn’t screw up. She sighed at his answer and scooted closer, laying her head on Marcus’ shoulder. “I hope you’re right. I hope it’s really about what’s best for him and not about who has the most money.” Because if it was about that, Sofia knew there was no way this would end well for her.

“I know,” he nodded, though he was still a bit hurt about it. Marcus just wanted to help her out and Manny, he didn’t want anything in return. Not even a ‘thank you’ at times. It all came from his heart and what kind of person would he be if he sought out for something in return? “I don’t know much about family cases but me being involved shouldn’t affect you at all. We know that he’s doing this for money, he has to be. Why else would he suddenly be interested in Manny? The judges will need to see that and there’s no way we’re going into this with a judge that will let themselves be corrupted by money.” It was unfortunate that there were way too many judges who did let themselves be driven by money and didn’t care about what the case really entailed. Marcus sat next to Sofia, taking her hands into his to provide some sort of comfort. “I can testify for you, you need to get people who truly know you and Manny to testify for you. Provide strong statements that you are the most fit for your son.”

“I don’t know what’s come over me,” she confessed softly. Sure she’d always tried to turn down Marcus’ gifts and generosity, but she’d never been so quick to turn him down or undermine everything he’d done for her and Manny. She hated that Ricky’s comment about her mooching off of Marcus had gotten to her so easily. “I know he doesn’t want Manny out of the goodness of his heart, but,” she shook her head. “I think you have more faith in people than I do. How are we possibly going to make sure we find a judge that can’t be corrupted? By money or promises, or, some other thing?” She was a nurse. She worked in a job all about helping people, and she still saw all the corruption in the hospital. She saw how the rich benefited over the poor, why wouldn’t it be the same everywhere else. She glanced up at the warm feeling of his hands around hers, and already a sense of calm was starting to make it’s way through her panicked mind. She nodded, letting the information settle over her. “I’ll start making a list...Marcus,” her voice was small as she looked up at him.  “Tell me the truth. How far do you think he’ll go to get Manny? I need to know. I need to be prepared.”