Crashing His Fake Wedding

Synopsis

"I have to take this contract out of state, Claire. Just one year. When I get back, we’ll finally have the down payment for the house." We’d been married for over two years, crammed into a tiny one-bedroom rental on Chicago’s West Side. Dominic dropped this news on me the exact same day he moved his paralyzed grandmother, Evelyn, and his grade-school-aged sister, Lily, into our apartment. "I need you to look after Evelyn and Lily," he had said, bags already packed. "It’s just temporary. We’re family, Claire. You’re the only one I trust with them." Then he walked out the door. From that day on, I became a single mother and a full-time nurse. I managed Evelyn’s daily care, handled Lily’s school drop-offs and pick-ups, cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, and somehow squeezed in my freelance copywriting jobs just to keep us afloat. I was running on fumes, burning myself out day and night. At first, Dominic texted to ask how I was holding up. But soon, his excuses became a broken record. The project is too demanding. I'm swamped. Even his phone calls dwindled to almost nothing. I survived that grueling year, only to receive another text. Project isn't wrapping up. Might need to stay another year. I believed him. Until Lily’s birthday approached, and I saw the messages light up on her child's Apple Watch. Vanessa and I are picking you up at the usual spot on Friday for your birthday dinner. Tell Claire you’re sleeping over at Emma’s house. Don't let her find out. That was how I learned his out-of-state contract was a lie. He had been in Chicago the entire time.