The Forged Marriage: A Farewell Beyond the Lens

Synopsis

"Ms. Hart, I'm sorry, but I can't find any marriage registration records for you and Adrian Bennett." The clerk slid the search results from the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario across the counter. My fingers dug into my pregnancy test results. My knees buckled, and I grabbed the edge of the counter just to stay upright. Five years ago, Adrian was poached by a top-tier BigLaw firm in Manhattan. I didn't hesitate. I left Toronto and followed him to New York. He promised that once he found his footing, he’d sort out my green card. But five years passed, and my marriage-based green card application was always "stuck in the paperwork phase." Meanwhile, Nora—the paralegal who joined the firm alongside him—had already gotten her green card approved through his sponsorship. When I finally snapped and threatened to move back to Toronto, Adrian lost his composure for the first time. He grabbed my hand.