I Married His Enemy Instead

'Ms. Johnson, your marriage certificate is fake.

'The system shows that the name of Mr. William Clark's spouse is Sophia Lopez, and they have a six-year-old son.'

I was holding my daughter, Emmy, at the time. My ears were rang as I recalled the words that escaped the lips of the staff member at the vital records office while passing the piece of marriage certificate, which now had a trashy feel to it, back to me.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated, snapping me out of my thoughts. I checked and saw that it was a message from Sophia.

'Heather Johnson, my beloved husband, William, is attending my son's parent-teacher meeting and doesn't have time to help you with your illegitimate daughter's birth certificate application.'

I clutched my phone and stared at the text message. Tears blurred my vision, for it made my eyes sting when I saw Sophia calling Emmy illegitimate.

I kissed Emmy's forehead and carried her out of the hospital.

…

When I was on my way home, I called William's archnemesis, the very man he despised with every fiber of his being.

"I'm currently single. If your offer still stands, I'll marry you in five days."

The Other Woman

I had just placed the fake marriage certificate on the living room table after arriving home when William Clark, my "husband," pushed the door open and entered. "Honey, I'm home. Did the baby give you any trouble today?"

He opened his arms, wanting to hug me.

However, he instantly froze when he caught sight of the marriage certificate on the table. "Why did you take the marriage certificate out?" he asked.

I forced a smile and replied, "I'm thinking of finding some time to apply for Emmy's birth certificate."

William immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't need to worry about it. Just stay home, rest well, and take good care of Emmy."

After that, he picked up the marriage certificate and hastily scurried to the room to take a shower.

…

Meanwhile, I sat on the couch, quietly recalling the memories we'd made throughout our marriage. My heart ached so much that it felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a merciless hand.

Suddenly, William's phone, which he had placed on the table, vibrated. I opened his WhatsApp and saw an unread message in a pinned chat. I immediately went to the privacy settings and disabled the Read Receipts option before reading.

'William, Ethan is making a fuss about wanting you to keep him company.' The latest one read.

There was no doubt that the other party was Sophia.

As if I wasn't devastated enough by the news of the fake marriage certificate, I further tortured myself by swiping the screen and reading their chat history.

'I'll drop by your place tonight. You and Heather both had babies, but your body still looks great even after giving birth. Heather has so many stretch marks on her stomach that I really can't muster any interest in her,'