It was meant to be a marriage of convenience: I’d give him shelter, clothes, and money, and he’d pretend to be my husband. It seemed like a simple deal. A month after our wedding, I came home to a completely unexpected scene. The house, usually a mess, was spotless, and the smell of a delicious roast chicken filled the air.

In the kitchen, Stan—looking clean and confident—was cooking like a professional chef. “I didn’t want to live like a ghost in this house anymore,” he explained, revealing that he used to be a sous-chef before his life took a downturn. “I had no idea,” I said, shocked at how much I had underestimated him. We sat down for dinner, and he began to share more about his past. He told me how his life had spiraled out of control due to bad decisions and how he ended up on the streets. “People can change,” he said with a smile.

As I listened, I realized that Stan wasn’t just a convenient solution to my problem—he was someone who had been given a second chance. Our arrangement, which I thought would be temporary, was starting to feel like something more real. I had underestimated him, and now, I couldn’t ignore how much he had changed my life.