Chapter 1

Today was the day for us to sign our marriage certificate. I put on my best makeup, slipped into a white dress, and headed to the county clerk's office, my heart full of joy.

But while driving there, my boyfriend suddenly slammed on the brakes mid-way.

He looked at me and said casually, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. My nephew will be moving into our matrimonial home after our marriage."

I was taken aback. Why should his nephew stay with us?

Not surprisingly, I refused. At this point, my boyfriend became incensed. "If you don't agree, we can forget about getting married!"

I laughed scornfully before dialing a number right in front of him. "Hello, Mr. Zoeller? Shall we get married? I'll be waiting at the entrance to the county clerk's office. Yes, today. Now."

*****

Today was the day for us to sign our marriage certificate. I got up extra early excitedly.

Looking in the mirror, I thought I looked great with my bright eyes, rosy lips, and pearly white teeth.

I made sure every strand of hair was perfectly styled.

I put on a white dress whose skirt flared out like a blooming lily as I twirled.

I had been waiting for this day for three years.

Justin and I had been together for seven years, ever since we met in college.

We had agreed to get married three years ago.

But he kept delaying our plan with excuses.

He said we should wait until his job was more stable.

He said we should wait until we had saved enough for the down payment on our new home.

I tried to be understanding because his family wasn't rich.

After paying for my basic expenses, the bulk of my paycheck went to him.

I helped him pay off his student loans. I bought him a decent suit for job interviews.

I even helped pay for half of his younger brother's college tuition fees.

My friends all said I was a fool. They joked I was doing charity work.

But I simply laughed it off and told them we were truly in love.

Now, we were finally tying the knot.

Our new matrimonial home was bought with money from both our families, and the deed had both our names on it.

My driver's license, for use as proof of ID at the county clerk's office, was packed safely in my bag.

The thought that I would finally have a place to call my own, and that I would have my name officially printed on a marriage certificate, made my heart race with excitement.

Justin came to pick me up in his car. He looked extra smart today in the crisp white shirt I had bought for him.

He gave me that same dazzling smile that he had always had since our college days. "Jackie, you look stunning today!"

I could feel my cheeks growing warm from blushing.

After getting in and belting up, I watched him discreetly.

The sunlight poured in through the car window and cast a gentle, golden glow along his side profile.

Everything was so perfect it felt like a dream.

As the car cruised smoothly toward the county clerk's office, I was thinking about how I would post to my social media account once we got our marriage certificate.

I had already planned the caption for the photo: [Here's to our happily ever after!]

The photo would show the two of us beaming and holding the marriage certificate between our hands.

Screech! The car lurched to an abrupt stop before pulling to the side of the road without warning.

My body was thrown forward by the momentum of the braking.

"What happened?" I asked as I tried to calm my rattled nerves.

At first, Justin didn't say a word. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned toward me with a very grim expression.

"Jackie, there's something I need to discuss with you," he said.

My heart skipped a beat. My gut feeling told me it was not going to be good news.

"What's up? Why so serious?" I said, pretending to be relaxed and flashing him a smile.

He pursed his lips and appeared somewhat evasive.

"You remember our matrimonial home, which we bought collectively?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I answered cautiously, unsure where this conversation was going.

He paused, then locked eyes with me, as if he had finally made up his mind.

The warmth in his gaze had vanished. In its place was an authoritative sternness

"Let my nephew stay in our new home with us," he finally stated decisively.

My mind went blank momentarily as if a bomb just went off in there.

I thought I had misheard and asked him, "What did you just say?"

"I said, let my nephew Royston move in with us," Justin repeated firmly.

Royston was his older sister's 5-year-old boy, who was going to start school soon.

I knew his sister had been losing sleep over getting Royston into a good school.

The schools near his sister's official residential address were all terrible.

But what did her son have to do with me? And why did he have to move into our matrimonial home?

"Justin, have you lost your mind?" I blurted out, staring at him in disbelief.

"I have not. I'm perfectly rational," Justin argued back with a frown.

I could tell he was starting to lose his patience.