Because my CEO husband always prioritized his first love, I came to the registry office, ready to file for a forced divorce.
But the clerk took my documents and looked at me with disdain. Miss Hayes, your marriage certificate is fake…
I thought I’d misheard, checked again and again, my heart sinking with every agonizing inch.
Six years of dating, 2,190 days. I thought I’d finally gotten what I wanted.
Turns out, this marriage was nothing but a complete scam.
Suddenly, the clerk’s eyes held a hint of pity and reluctance.
The system showed that my CEO husband had already registered his marriage with a woman named Willow Grant half a month ago.
The moment I saw her picture, I froze. It was his first love.
I tucked the fake marriage certificate back into my bag, then sent a message to Amelia, my mentor.
“Amelia, I’m coming to New York with you to start a business.”
1
She seemed busy on the other end, no immediate reply.
I slipped my phone into my pocket, hailed a cab by the roadside, and gave the driver an address…
It wasn’t until late evening that I finally got home, exhausted. As I pulled out my keys, I heard a “ding” behind me.
Liam Walker stepped out of the elevator, a smile on his face.
“Scarlett, where have you been?”
I stared at his smile, momentarily stunned.
“I went to the place where we got our certificate. I wanted to take a few more photos for memories, but I found it’s an empty lot now. Do you know why?”
As I spoke, my eyes were fixed on Liam, trying to catch a flicker of guilt on his face.
But the man only stiffened for a second before regaining his usual calm demeanor.
“You must have gone to the wrong place. We already have the marriage certificate, we can take photos later when we have time. I brought you macarons, a new flavor from your favorite shop. Try them later and see if you like them.”
With that, Liam handed me the bag and walked straight into the bathroom, pushing the door open.
I lowered my head, a weak, cynical tug at the corner of my mouth.
“Liam, there is no ‘later’ for us.”
I silently walked into the study and put the fake marriage certificate back in the safe.
Three days ago, after getting the certificate, Liam had only shown it to me once before quickly locking it away.
At the time, I naively thought it was a sign of how much he valued our marriage.
It wasn’t until last night, when I got up for water, that I accidentally overheard him on the balcony talking on the phone.
“Liam, how are you back with Willow Grant again? You chased her for three years, and she agreed to you one moment, then eloped abroad with someone the next. She betrayed your feelings like that, don’t tell me you still like her?”
Liam was silent for a few seconds before he slowly spoke.
“Willow and I registered our marriage half a month ago. Her parents were forcing her to marry an old man, and I couldn’t bear to see her suffer that kind of injustice…”
I froze, feeling as if I’d been plunged into an ice-cold abyss.
Both I and the person on the other end of the phone knew it wasn’t just “couldn’t bear” for Liam.
He had never stopped loving Willow Grant.
Six years. I thought I had finally achieved my dream, to spend the rest of my life with the man I loved.
But in the end, I discovered.
I had never truly entered Liam’s heart.
The marriage certificate was fake, and these six years of ‘love’ were all fake…
How ridiculous, how pathetic.
Since Liam had already married Willow, there was no need for me to stay here and humiliate myself.
From now on, I would move towards a future without Liam.
Liam’s phone, left on the coffee table, suddenly rang.
The specially set ringtone for a specific contact was glaringly obvious in the silent living room.
I hesitated for a moment, but decided to walk over.
However, before I could reach the coffee table, a figure, still damp from the shower, bumped into me.
My calf hit the sharp table corner hard, the intense pain instantly bringing tears to my eyes.
Yet Liam, the cause of it all, didn’t notice a thing.
He grabbed his phone and turned back into the bathroom.
I limped to the sofa, enduring the pain.
Just as I sat down, I heard his voice from the bathroom, full of tension yet feigning calm, gently reassuring someone.
“Don’t be scared, hide in your room and don’t come out. I’ll be right there.”
A wave of bitterness washed over me.
In our six years together, Liam had always been calm and rational around me.
But seeing him flustered over a phone call today.
I finally understood there was no such thing as innate coldness; it was simply because he didn’t love me.
Liam walked out of the bathroom, his expression anxious.
He didn’t stop as he passed me, only tossing out, “Something came up at the office, don’t wait for me.”
And because of that, he missed the fact that I, who always handed him his jacket and told him to come home early, didn’t ask a single question or even look up at him this time.
I sat alone on the sofa for a long time.
Only when the pain in my leg slowly subsided did I stand up and return to the bedroom, starting to pack my things.
Couple’s mugs bought long ago but never used by Liam;
Couple’s rings I made myself but hadn’t given him yet;
A bouquet I made by hand for our wedding;
A meticulously drawn painting celebrating our new marriage;
Now, all of them were thrown into a trash bag without a second thought.
After two whole hours, the room was half-empty.
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, my phone suddenly rang. Amelia’s voice was filled with excitement.
“Scarlett! I’m on a business trip abroad right now, and I just woke up to this great news. Welcome aboard! I’ll be back in the country in a week, then I’ll pick you up to go to New York. But… didn’t you say you were getting ready to marry your boyfriend? Will he agree to you going to New York?”
I fell silent for a moment.
Even though Liam and I had been together for six years, he disliked showing off, so very few people knew about our relationship.
It wasn’t until three days ago when Amelia asked if I wanted to join her new studio in New York.
That I told her I was getting married.
But who would have thought, only a few days later, L
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