Joint Weddings and Joint Divorces

My younger sister and I were married on the same day. I was married to Soren Doyle, a fire captain, and Juliet was married to Zach Lennon, who worked as a cop. As our husbands were childhood friends, we decided to buy neighboring apartments in the same unit.

Not long after the wedding, Juliet and I got pregnant.

Ten days away from my due date, a fire broke out in my apartment. My place was filled with heavy smoke. The smoke triggered my contractions, and blood trickled down my legs.

I could feel myself slowly losing consciousness. After some fumbling, I managed to reach my husband on the phone, only to be yelled at in annoyance.

"What's wrong with you, Eliza?" Soren snapped at me. "Why did you have to call me when I'm on duty? Did you know Jenna was tied on the rooftop by the suspect? Her life is literally hanging by a thread! You always cause so much trouble!"

He hung up without giving me a chance to explain myself. I tried to call again, but he had turned off his phone.

Just when I thought I was close to dying, it was Juliet who ran into the fire and carried me to safety on her back. However, she suffered symptoms of miscarriage after rescuing me.

The security guard told me that they suspected the fire was an act of arson, as the wires in the electrical room were deliberately cut into half.

After the harrowing incident, Juliet hurriedly called up her husband. Just like me, she was being scolded by Zach.

"What's wrong with you and your sister? Can you stop disturbing me at work when we're working hard on arresting Jenna's abductor? Soren and I must have been fools to have married you and Eliza!"

With that, Zach hung up on her.

My baby didn't make it. I gave birth to a stillborn on my way to the hospital.

Tragically, Juliet suffered a miscarriage as well. We hugged each other, wailing and weeping, as we came to the decision to divorce our husbands.

…

My body was weak and in pain. I trembled—my forehead dripped with sweat, and I was breathing heavily—from even the simple act of dialing a number from my phone.

"What is it this time?" Soren finally picked up after my fifth time calling him. "Do you want me to yell at you again?"

In the background, I heard a woman weeping pitifully. Oh, that must be Jenna McLeish.

I laughed, feeling sorry for my foolish self. "Let's get a divorce. You and Jenna have my blessing."

Soren was taken aback. There was a slight pause before he bellowed, "Eliza Kent, go fly a kite if you have too much time on your hands! I told you many times that Jenna and I are just friends!

"She also suffers from a fear of heights, and she's now on the rooftop on the 24th floor! Do you get how serious it is? This is a life-and-death situation!

"Stop overreacting whenever you hear Jenna's name! This is my final warning—I'll leave you if you keep making a scene. I don't care if you're pregnant!"

When Soren hung up on me, my tears fell onto the phone screen.