My class welcomed a new student for German tutoring.
Chatting with him, he casually mentioned his mom was Scarlett, a huge star, beautiful and rich.
What a coincidence. My wife of seven years was also named Scarlett, and she was a big star too.
I immediately contacted Scarlett and asked for a divorce.
But I forgot, from the very beginning, we were never legally married.
Turns out, I was the other man, the one who unknowingly intruded on someone else’s relationship.
“My mom’s Scarlett, the big celebrity. She’s loaded and gorgeous.”
“Mr. Alex, you better teach me well, and your pay won’t be bad either.”
Seven-year-old Leo, standing in front of me, declared with a smug grin.
*Clang!* The phone I was using to text Scarlett slipped from my hand, hitting the floor.
My wife’s name was also Scarlett, and she was also a big celebrity.
We had been “married” for seven years.
Just moments ago, I was texting her, asking if shed be home tonight.
My chest tightened with a suffocating dread, but I forced myself to calm down.
*No way*, I told myself. *It has to be a coincidence.*
“Leo, can you show me a picture of you and your mom?”
Leo beamed with pride.
“Of course! I grew up overseas, and my mom took tons of pictures with me.”
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through photos to show me.
“This is my mom and me riding horses.”
In the picture, Scarlett smiled sweetly, holding Leo at a stables.
Scrolling further, there were not only photos of just the two of them but also pictures of a family of three.
The photos were taken in a luxurious villa, a young man in a suit holding Leo’s hand with one hand and Scarlett’s with the other.
“This is my dad. He’s super impressive too! He’s Victor, the CEO of the Sterling Group.”
Leo kept chattering on.
Every single word was a blade slicing into my heart.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I snapped his phone shut, my chest seizing with a wrenching pain.
“Leo… Teacher’s not feeling well. I’m going home.”
I fought back my emotions, walking out.
Just then, I ran into a well-dressed man.
I recognized him instantly. He was the man in the pictures.
Leo’s fatherVictor.
“Hello, Mr. Alex. It’s Leo’s first day for German tutoring today. How’s he doing?”
Victor adjusted his sleek designer frames.
Suddenly, his phone rang with a FaceTime call.
The caller ID flashed “Wifey.”
He answered, and Scarlett’s beautiful face appeared on the screen.
“Honey, you and Leo just got back. I cleared my schedule tonight. Let’s go to that French place.”
My blood ran cold.
Scarlett and I had been together for seven years.
But now, she was calling someone else “Honey.”
And most importantly, they had a seven-year-old son.
That meant she was already pregnant with Victor’s child when we got “married.”
I felt like my emotions were about to snap.
Right then, all I wanted was to find Scarlett and get to the bottom of everything.
I told Victor I had an urgent matter and left the tutoring center.
On the way home, I kept calling Scarlett.
She didn’t pick up any of my calls. Instead, she just texted me back:
Honey, I have to work late on set tonight. I won’t be home.
My heart shattered into a million pieces.
If I hadn’t just seen Victor on a FaceTime call with her, I might have bought that excuse.
Looking back on our years together, it wasn’t the first time she used that line to avoid coming home.
Every time, I never doubted her.
You *have* to come home tonight. There’s something I need to tell you.
After I sent that message, she never replied.
I had no choice but to call Chloe, her assistant.
Since Scarlett was a celebrity, our “marriage” had been a secret.
So, besides Chloe and a few close friends, hardly anyone knew we were a couple.
“Do you know where Scarlett is?”
I tried to keep my voice sounding normal.
Chloe stammered a bit on the other end.
“Alex, Scarlett’s got work today. Is there something you need?”
“No, nothing. I just wanted to know where she was, so I wouldn’t worry.”
“She texted me earlier, said she was going to dinner before work, right?”
I knew if I didn’t frame it like this, Chloe wouldn’t tell me her location.
Chloe quickly said,
“Oh, right, right. Scarlett’s heading to The Grand Bistro for dinner now, then she’ll be off to work.”
I drove to The Grand Bistro.
As soon as I arrived, I saw Victor, holding Leo’s hand, with his arm wrapped around Scarlett.
A picture-perfect family of three. It was hard not to envy them.
But the sight felt like a knife twisting in my eyes.
All these years with Scarlett, even though her work often kept her away, our relationship felt strong.
So, I never doubted a single word she said.
She said she was busy, and I believed her.
She often went on business trips to London, claiming she had many collaborations there, and I believed that too.
But now I knew: she was actually hiding from me, giving birth to Leo!
And I, like a fool, thought she was genuinely working.
My chest tightened, a suffocating pain gripping me.
I managed to pull out my phone, snapped a photo of their family, and sent it to Scarlett.
Twenty minutes later, Scarlett called me back.
“Alex, please, let me explain! It’s just a scene we’re filming!”
Her voice was laced with panic.
She sounded terrified that I would be angry.
If Leo hadn’t transferred to my class today, I would never have suspected her.
She was such a master manipulator; she had me completely fooled into thinking she loved me.
“Scarlett, I saw everything.”
My voice was hoarse.
“No, really, it’s just a scene. We’re filming a family dinner scene today.”
It was utterly laughable.
Even now, with everything laid bare, she was still lying to me.
“Leo showed me your family pictures. And photos of just you and him.”
“He said you’re his mom, and Victor’s his dad.”
The words tore at me, my voice trembling.
“Scarlett, let’s get a divorce.”
As I said it, I suddenly remembered we were never legally married.
She had claimed that as a rising star, she had to maintain a single image. She said her agency would drop her if they found out.
I believed her.
But now I knew why she didn’t want to legally marry me.
Because she was already legally married to Victor.
And I was the other man, the home-wrecker.
I didn’t even have the right to ask you for a divorce.
“My bad, I forgot. You never legally married me.”
My voice caught in my throat.
“I don’t have the right to ask you for a divorce.”
The sting of betrayal from the one you love most… it was a brutal taste.
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