It was on our fifth wedding anniversary that my husband, Hank, handed me divorce papers. "My mom's really sick, like, not long for this world. Her dying wish is for me to divorce you," he mumbled, avoiding my eyes. "I promise it's just a temporary thing. As soon as she's gone, we'll get remarried, I swear," he added, pleadingly. Looking at Hank's haggard face, I caved and agreed. I was such a fool. Barely divorced, and Hank's already plastered wedding photos with his high school sweetheart all over Facebook! And his supposedly terminally ill mom? Standing right there in the pics, looking healthier than ever! 1 "Sarah, when did you and Hank split up?" My best friend, Chloe, frowned, her eyes filled with concern. "Such a big deal, and you didn't even tell me?" I was utterly confused, bordering on disbelief. Hank and I were supposed to be faking the divorce, keeping it under wraps. How did Chloe find out? "Where did you hear that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Chloe's eyes widened, her voice rising in disbelief. "Hank posted his marriage certificate with someone else all over Facebook! Where have you been?" She kept talking, but my brain just short-circuited. "Hank and a marriage certificate" kept echoing in my head, blocking out everything else. This couldn't be happening. A knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach. My voice trembled as I asked, "You're kidding, right?" Hank and I had a good marriage, at least, I thought we did. The devastated look on his face when he suggested the fake divorce, every expression, every detail was burned into my memory. How could he suddenly be marrying someone else? But Chloe's reply hit me like a ton of bricks, shattering the last vestiges of hope. "I'm not kidding, Sarah. It's real!" Panic surged through me. I fumbled for my phone, my fingers shaking as I frantically tried to call Hank. But all I got was that cold, robotic voice: "The person you are trying to reach is currently on another call." I frantically pulled up our text history, and realized it had been ages since he'd replied. The chat box was filled with messages I'd sent - little updates about my day, sweet nothings – now they just seemed like a cruel joke. Refusing to give up, I opened Facebook, only to find he'd blocked me. Chloe sent me the photo. My hands trembled as I tapped to open it. The woman in the picture was Tiffany, Hank's high school sweetheart. I remembered seeing her at our wedding. Dressed to the nines, she looked more like the bride than I did, standing next to Hank, radiating confidence. I'd asked Hank if he still had feelings for Tiffany. He'd denied it flatly, a staunch and immediate no. But now, seeing them together in the photo, beaming with happiness, with that bright, celebratory backdrop… it felt like a knife twisting in my gut. Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision. "Hank, say something!" "You wouldn't do this, right? They're lying, aren't they? You didn't marry someone else, did you?" But my messages vanished into the digital void, unanswered. I was completely devastated. I stumbled to the hospital, only to find that Hank's mom had never even been admitted. When Hank told me she was sick, he'd choked up several times, struggling to get the words out. He'd lost weight in those few days, and it was heartbreaking to watch. Was it all an elaborate lie, a carefully crafted scheme? If he had a change of heart, couldn't he have just told me? I wasn't going to chain him to me. I desperately needed to talk to Hank, to get some answers. But it hit me then. Apart from the time his mom stayed with us, I didn't even know where he lived. Desperate, I went to his office. His colleagues told me he was on leave, prepping for his wedding. When Hank and I planned our wedding, I'd handled everything – buying the house, the renovations, picking the dress, setting up the venue. Hank said he was too busy at work to take time off. Looking back, it wasn't about being busy. It was about me not being important enough for him to take time off work. The more something remains unanswered, the more driven you are to find the truth. I requested a leave of absence from work and went on a frantic search for Hank. I looked everywhere I could think of, everywhere he might be, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally, Chloe told me the date of Hank's wedding. And so, after our sham divorce, I saw Hank for the first time. At his wedding. To someone else. I stood in the back, watching Hank slip a diamond ring on Tiffany's finger. His smile was brighter than the sun, but it felt like a slap in the face. His mom, the one who'd been practically on her deathbed, was standing next to him, looking spry and joyful. She looked nothing like the woman who always looked at me with disdain! "Hank!" My voice was raspy and trembling with anger and hurt. My shout must've startled him because Hank froze and slowly turned around. His smile vanished the moment he saw me, replaced by a look of panic and embarrassment. His mom saw what was happening and hurried over, pushing me, saying, "Everyone, carry on, let's not ruin the happy occasion." I dodged her hands, my eyes locked on Hank. Tears were already welling up. "What is going on? You said it was a temporary divorce! You said your mom was dying and wanted to see you happy!" With each word, I took a step closer to Hank. Each step added to my pain. I was a mess. The Hank in the tailored suit looked as handsome as the day I met him. But in that moment, he felt like a complete stranger. Time flies. But what hurts most is that he was no longer the man who was head over heels for me. Chloe shielded me from the curious, gossiping crowd, finally clearing a path to Hank. "Sarah, can we talk about this after the wedding? Please?" Hank's voice was urgent, his eyes darting around. "It's not what you think. I can explain." I looked at him, my heart heavy with bitterness and anger. I laughed, a cold, humorless sound. "Hank, are you just trying to get me out of here so you can keep up the charade?" We stood there, locked in place, the air thick with tension. Then Tiffany walked over and linked her arm through Hank's, the smugness of a victor etched on her face. "Sarah, before you start interrogating Hank, maybe you should look in the mirror," she said. "He was married to you for five years, and you couldn't give him a child. My son with him is already five years old." "What?" I felt like I'd been struck by lightning, my body frozen, my mind blank. Chloe lost it, exploding in rage. "You two are scum! You were cheating five years ago, Hank! You even had a kid with her! You've been faking it all this time, marrying our Sarah. What kind of a sick game is this? You son of a bitch!" Hank and I had been together since college. After graduation, I gave up everything in my hometown and moved to his city so we could be together. In the beginning, he was perfect. He took care of the house, and he was so sweet and thoughtful. But over time, things changed. He grew distant, saying our love had turned into a comfortable companionship, and we didn't need to try as hard anymore. Like an idiot, I believed him. I actually thought love could just naturally evolve into a companionship. Now I realized he'd given his love to someone else. All I got was a lame excuse for a relationship. "Hank, is it true?" A chill ran through me. My need for answers dissipated. He looked down, hesitating before muttering, "Yeah." "Okay, I understand." My heart shattered into a million pieces. Turning to Chloe, I said, "Chloe, let's go." At this point, the only thing I could do was salvage what was left of my pride. But Hank actually left Tiffany and chased after me, grabbing my arm. "Sarah, I have a reason, don't be mad." "I'll explain after the wedding," he said desperately. "What's there to explain!" Chloe shoved Hank's hand away, pulling me with her. She ranted about Hank the whole way, trying to make me feel better. But I didn't want to hear anything. When we pulled up to her place, I stopped her mid-sentence, "Chloe, go home. I'll pack my things and come over later." "Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" She looked at me, concerned. I managed a smile, trying to reassure her. "I'm fine, don't worry." We'd had some good times. Sarah could move on. And now that the temporary divorce had become a real one, there were things I couldn't let go of. Things that were mine. I needed to get them back. The house I lived in was bought before we were married, and it was mine and mine alone. I decided to sell the house and use the money to go home and be with my parents. When the real estate agent brought someone to view the house, Hank showed up unannounced. He saw the man in the house and started yelling. "Sarah, we're only temporarily divorced. How can you bring another man into our house?" I couldn't be bothered to deal with him. I arranged for the real estate agent to come back another day and politely saw him out. But Hank wouldn't let it go. He blocked the doorway. "We need to get this straight, or nobody's going anywhere." When we were dating, I'd only seen the good in him. His flaws were quirky and endearing. Now, without the rose-colored glasses, I realized how awful he was. "We're divorced. You have no say in my life." I pushed past him, apologizing to the agent before seeing him out. When I went back inside, Hank was still standing in the entryway, fuming. "Sarah, we agreed it was just a temporary divorce!" I stared at him like he was crazy. "Did you forget you got married again?" "I had my reasons, and Tiffany and I's wedding was a sham, too. The kid was an accident, I don't know how it happened." "My mom found out about the kid and said she was on her deathbed and wanted to spend some time with her grandchild." Hank spouted excuse after excuse, acting like it was my fault for not understanding. But his excuses meant nothing to me. I didn't want to hear them. And, from what I saw at the wedding, his mom was doing just fine. "Hank, since the temporary divorce is a real divorce now, we need to divide up the property. I've hired a lawyer." "As for this house, it was mine to begin with. I'm selling it, and you can't come here anymore."
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