Outgrowing Love

After I had helped our law firm win nine hundred and ninety-nine cases in a row, my husband, who had kept our marriage hidden for years, finally agreed to hold a wedding and make our relationship public.

However, I waited until nightfall, and he never showed up. Instead, I saw a photo of him and his female assistant kissing in front of everyone at their wedding on Instagram.

Her caption read, [I was just being mocked by my coworkers for being a bachelorette no one wants, and then my lawyer hero came to save me. From now on, I’ll be his perfect employee during the day, and he’ll be my loving husband at night.]

In the photo, the wedding rings on their ring fingers were impossible to ignore.

For a moment, everyone expected me to break down and make a scene. However, I simply smiled and left a comment under the post.

[When are you two having a few kids? I’ll be sure to send over a big gift.]

The very next second, my husband, who had been unreachable all day, finally called me.

“Brit got pregnant out of wedlock, and the man who did it abandoned her,” he said coldly. “Her parents are extremely traditional. If this gets out, they’ll kill both her and the baby. As a lawyer, don’t you have any compassion for her at all?

“Delete that comment right now. Apologize to her personally,” he continued. “Once she gives birth to the child and everything settles, I’ll hold another wedding with you.”

I looked down at the divorce papers in my hand. Then, I let out a soft snicker.

“No need,” I said. “Mr. Larson, just wait to receive our divorce case.”

As soon as I said that, there was a brief silence on the other end of the call. Then, my husband, Sean Larson, spoke again, his tone edged with impatience.

“Andrea, can you be a little more rational? I told you, the wedding with Brit is just for show. Besides, I promised I’d make it up to you later and hold another wedding. Can’t you be patient? Can’t you wait a little longer?

“Do you really want to force things into the open? If people find out Brit got pregnant before marriage and was abandoned by some man, they’ll mock her and call her a tramp. Am I supposed to stand and watch as her parents kill both her and the baby?”

Listening to his self-righteous rant, I stood at the court entrance and let out a sarcastic laugh. Sean and I had registered our marriage seven years ago, but we never held a wedding and never made it public.

Back then, he had just poured everything he had into starting his law firm. He couldn’t afford a house or a car, and he couldn’t give me a real wedding. All he gave me was a promise of a future filled with happiness. So, we got married in secret, like thieves, hiding it from