Reed, the woman who had redefined my world. I checked my watch. She would be home soon. On the passenger seat, a s

honeymoon phase and into something real, something deep. I was an architect, I built th

o swing by the city clerk' s office to sign the final papers for the joint asset tr

ouch to our anniversary plans. We were officially

d stale coffee. A middle-aged woman with tired eyes took the folder from me. She

e flat. She typed our names into her computer. Her tapping

" I asked, my good m

typed again, her fingers moving with deliberate slowness. "Mr. Miller,

, sharp sound. "That' s impossible. We were married t

fessional boredom. "I' m sure you do, sir. But it was never file

my ribs. This was a mistake. A stupid, bureaucratic er

e is no record of your marriage. However," she paused, her eyes dropping

st made me dizzy. "See? It' s just unde

. "The marriage certificate on file is for Olivia

architect I had mentored, the one I' d trusted to help manage my projects while I

tammered, the words tasting like ash in

m sorry, sir. The documents are legally binding. O

my car, parked on a side street, the velvet box still on the seat besi

verseas assignment. Her face was beautiful, but her eyes were sad. "It' s so lonely

her, told her I' d be home soon. I trusted her. She was tal

time. She' d cried, telling me I was being paranoid, that Alex was just a friend who was there for her when I wasn' t.

bear to look at it. The invalid certificate. The legal marriage to Alex. He

o hear her deny it. I needed to see her face and have her tell me

rk. I was about to call her name when I heard her voice from the up

f course I miss you. It' s just... you know how he gets. Ethan is like a ch

od ran

I' m his devoted wife. To the world, you' re my husband. It' s a perfec

And I had nothing. Not even a re

years building, crumbled into dust in that single moment. There was

icked out, the furniture we' d chosen. It was all a

confront her. I wouldn' t give her the satisfaction of another

d disa

tie, every memory, every last thread that connected me to her. I would let her keep h