The Stand-In Played Cold, the Truth Burned

Synopsis

Jeffrey Carter placed the divorce papers on the table. Then he suddenly smiled, "Actually, I'm not your husband." Before I could process it, he pulled out a stack of photos from the drawer and spread them out one by one. He said, "Your husband is in Nexus right now. He's the father of two kids." Three years of my real love was ripped right out of my chest. My throat tightened. "Then who are you?" "Jeffrey's stand-in." He lit a cigarette and looked at the tears welling in my eyes with narrowed eyes and an unreadable half-smile. He went on, "He said that after you two got remarried, you got needy and high-maintenance, like a surveillance camera. He got tired of it, fed up. "So he had me get surgery to look like him. Drag you along. Leave you cold. Wait until you couldn't take it anymore and left on your own. Then he'd just sign the papers." His eyes landed on my wedding ring. He paused. "But I got tired of it after only three months. I'm coming clean. Just go ahead and get the divorce." I couldn't believe it. I flew to Nexus that same night. On a foreign street where I didn't speak the language, I suddenly heard someone behind me saying in a whining voice in my own language. She said, "Honey, I'm so painfully full again. It hurts." I whipped my head around. It was Lisa Evans. The same girl who had groveled at my feet three years ago and sworn to stay far, far away.