The military was disciplined. I couldn’t just make accusations without proof. First, I had to go to the Tarrant County Clerk’s Office.
I went next door to ask my neighbor, Valerie Howe, to help look after Emilie. Then, I grabbed my birth certificate and ID card and took the shuttle bus to Tarrant County.
Tarrant County Clerk’s Office lobby had air conditioning on, but its coolness was no match for the icy cold in my chest.
I stood in line, and my hands and feet were as cold as a corpse’s.
When it was my turn, I slid my ID through the window, saying in a hoarse voice, “Hello, I want to check my marital status.”
The staff member, a woman in her thirties, took my ID, tapped a few keys on her computer, then looked up at me with a sympathetic gaze.
“Ms. Christina Steele? The system shows you and Mr. Tristian Kent filed for divorce on June 12 this year.”
Her words crushed the last sliver of hope in my heart.
“C-can I see the divorce papers?” I asked, my voice almost a plea.
She hesitated for a moment, then pulled up the electronic file.
On the screen, the so-called “divorce agreement” seared my eyes.
Its contents were absurdly simple. It read we had irreconcilable differences and agreed to divorce voluntarily. I, Christina, waived all rights to the couple’s joint property and child custody.
My name was on the signature area.
But the handwriting was crooked, like a child’s scribble. It was nothing like my neat script.
Yet the bright red fingerprint below, and the ID card seal beside it, were real.
Tristian, you calculating bastard!
You used a forged signature to steal everything from me!
I stared at the screen, trembling with rage. The staff member seemed to want to lighten the mood, adding casually, “Say, isn’t this convenient? Didn’t your ex-husband, Tristian, just register for marriage with a Ms. Owen this morning? Young people move fast these days.”
It was like a bomb went off in my head.
This morning?
He was already remarried to someone else?
So eager, so ruthless!
I could almost see him that morning: dressed in a crisp new military uniform, he held a young, beautiful woman at his side, both grinning from ear to ear.
Right here, in the same place where I learned that my own marriage was canceled, they were starting theirs.
As for me, their so-called “obstacle”? I was stupid enough to keep his home running and look after his paralyzed mother!
All the pain, humiliation, and resentment boiled into pure rage and icy hatred at that moment.
I swore I wouldn’t let Tristian and Megan enjoy their married life.
I squeezed my fists so tight, and my sharp nails dug deep into my palms, blood seeping through the skin.
The pain only made me more sober.
When I walked out of the County Clerk’s Office, the sun outside stung my eyes, but there was no warmth in my chest. My winter had long since arrived.
I wouldn’t cry or kick up a fuss.
Tears were the most useless thing in the world.
I’d make them pay the most agonizing price for what they’d done.
When I got home, it was already dark. The room was pitch-black.
I pulled out my phone, found Tristian’s number, and typed a text to him.
“Tristian, I’ve prepared a wedding gift for you and your new wife. Be at the reception room of your military camp at 9 tomorrow morning. See you.”
I knew tonight was his wedding night. He might not even checThere were no lights on. Only Emilie’s heavy, ragged breathing sounded in the darkness.
I flipped on the light and looked at the aged woman in bed, who was oblivious to everything. I had mixed feelings.
Once, Emilie had been the only anchor I had in this family and the reason I pushed through every hard day.
Now, she’d become my sharpest weapon and my only leverage against Tristian.
I whispered in my heart, “I’m sorry, Emilie. But Tristian left me no choice.”
I made a decision that even shocked myself.
I walked to the bedside and started packing Emilie’s clothes and daily essentials.
Then I dialed the private nursing home in town.
“Hello, Mr. Moody? This is Christina, Emilie’s family. Yes. I need to check her out. I’m coming to pack her things up right now.
Dean of the nursing home, Finley Moody, sounded stunned. “Tina, it’s the middle of the night. Why the sudden rush? Emilie’s condition is unstable. She needs professional care.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.