My Ice Hockey Husband Faked Our Marriage so I Joined His Rival

"Your marriage is a $50 souvenir, Ms. Vance. And your husband's already married to someone else."

In a single moment at the immigration office, my life as the wife of NHL superstar Liam Sterling evaporated. Our secret Vegas wedding was a fraud, and Liam was already legally married to his "manager," Sophia.

But the cruelty didn't end there. Liam expected me to adopt a "war hero's orphan", a child that was actually his and Sophia's secret son. He didn't want a wife. He wanted a world-class doctor to fix his career and a free nanny to raise his real wife's child.

Liam made one fatal mistake: he forgot that I'm the only one who can keep him on the ice.

I signed a record-breaking contract with the Titans, his bitterest rivals.

Now, while Liam's knee shatters during the playoffs, I'm on the enemy's bench, healing the only man who can destroy him.

He want a nanny? I'm sure he'll get his worst nightmare.

Elena's POV

"Your marriage certificate is a $50 souvenir, Ms. Vance."

The words hit me harder than any stray puck I'd ever dodged on the ice. I just stared at the man across the desk, Officer Miller, whose face was as sterile and cold as the government office we were sitting in.

"I'm sorry?" I finally managed, my voice sounding like it was coming from underwater. "That's a legal marriage certificate. I've had it framed on my nightstand for a year."

"The registration number is invalid. The seal is decorative." Miller corrected, his tone dropping an octave, devoid of even a shred of empathy.

He tapped the ornate, gold-embossed paper with a heavy finger. "It's the kind of thing you buy at a Vegas gift shop so you can pretend to be married for the weekend. In the eyes of the United States government, you are single."

The room began to spin. The low, irritating hum of the fluorescent lights above suddenly felt like a drill boring into my skull. My hand went instinctively to the diamond ring on my finger, modest, elegant, and suddenly feeling like a burning brand of shame.

“It's the playoffs, El,” Liam's voice echoed in my head, smooth as velvet, the same voice that had charmed millions of fans and convinced me to marry him in a secret, midnight ceremony. “Coach will kill me if I miss practice. Just handle the paperwork. You're the smart one.”

I was the smart one.

I was the head team doctor for the New York Glaciers.

I had spent my career stitching up jagged lacerations and popping dislocated shoulders back into sockets while twenty thousand fans screamed for blood. I was trained to handle high-pressure, life-or-death situations with surgical precision.

And yet, I had been living a lie for three hundred and sixty-five days.

"There has to be a mistake," I stammered, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. "My husband, Liam Sterling... he's the star forward for the Glaciers. His management team