CHAPTER 5 Accidental Husband

　　He rolled his eyes before standing up and he headed to the table where he placed the phone.

　　Checking the caller ID, it was a very close friend of his, Khalid, immediately, he picked up the call. "Yo, man."

　　"My guy, how're you doing?"

　　"Trying to be sane, man, this shit is all fucked up." He said to Khalid over the phone, then sighed right after.

　　When Gloria refused his proposal, he called Khalid on his way to the bar to express his pain and frustration to him.

　　Right after he left the hotel room and parted ways with Autumn too, he called Khalid and told him about the marriage certificate. So, Khalid knew exactly everything that was going on.

　　"Have you talked to your old man yet?" Khalid asked.

　　"Yeah. He badly wants me to get married. He was a bit pissed to know that Gloria said no to me."

　　"So, what did you tell him?"

　　"What else, Khalid?" Perry scoffed. "I mean, the one time I tried to be committed to someone, she left for someone else! Dude, I can only get married when I love someone again, and if you ask me, I am not ready for that anymore. I've lost all my hope and I don't even want to try again."

　　"Hmmm," Khalid simply replied. "What did your father say when you told him all that?"

　　"What else would he say? Of course, he reminded me of how I have to be a married man before I can claim my part of my grandfather's shares!" Perry replied and sighed.

　　"It's all so shitty, man. I have no idea what to do next." There was a pause for a few seconds, and Perry thought Khalid was no more on the phone. "Dude, are you still there?"

　　"Yes."

　　"So, why didn't you reply to me?"

　　"Because I might have a solution," Khalid said. "I was thinking about whether or not to tell you about it."

　　"What the…" Perry scoffed. "Tell me every fucking thing! I'd do anything to get this over with, man."

　　"Do you want to get your inheritance?"

　　"What sort of question is that? Of course, I want to. You know I do."

　　"Good. Then don't go ahead with the divorce." Khalid blurted out.

　　"Excuse me?" Perry asked, trying to figure out what his friend had just said.

　　"Why don't you cancel the divorce and use your marriage with this random girl to get your inheritance?"

　　Perry nodded his head as he reasoned what Khalid had just said. "Then after I get my inheritance, I'd file our divorce."

　　"You're getting me, man."

　　Perry sighed as his mind went to how dramatic the lady was in the hotel room. "But what about the lady? This plan of ours, will she accept it?"

　　"It's left to you to convince her," Khalid replied and hung up, leaving Perry there thinking about whether or not to follow his advice.

　　"One more bottle of Ciroc here!" Raya, Autumn's other friend, called out to the bartender from their table. They were at the club to have some drinks together and have some fun since the weekend was going to be over that day.

　　"Yes, Miss!" The bartender replied at the top of his voice amidst the music and noise in the club.

　　"So, you were saying?" Ella asked Autumn as she gulped in her last cup of wine.

　　"Saying what?" Autumn asked, unsure of what she was talking about.

　　"Your crazy night, duh. You said you wanted to tell us how it went with the guy," Ella reminded her and Autumn muttered an oh.

　　"Yeah, that's true," she said and shifted her chair closer to their table. "Okay, guys. You won't believe that I had a husband before I had a boyfriend!" She blurted out, while the other two girls stared at her, wondering what she was talking about.

　　"Did a random guy propose to you?" Ella asked her with raised eyebrows.

　　"Yeah, 'cause I don't understand what you mean by having a husband," Raya replied and shrugged. The bartender arrived at that moment and dropped the requested bottle of alcohol on their table, before taking his leave.

　　"The man I met the last time we had a night out, uh? We had a good night and all that, and when we woke up the next morning, guess what I saw?" She didn't wait for them to guess before she said it herself. "A signed marriage certificate between both of us!" She exclaimed.

　　Raya and Ella looked at each other and back at Autumn. "You must be joking!" Ella exclaimed in shock.

　　"How in the world did that even happen?!" Raya added as she and Ella stared at Autumn, expecting her to give them the full details.

　　"I was as surprised as you guys. I kept on freaking out because the guy claimed he had no idea when that happened too!" She said and the girls gasped. "But he called his lawyer and he explained that we had gone to the nearest chapel when we were drunk, and we were joined together. Hence, the marriage certificate was signed by both of us."

　　"Wow," the girls muttered in realization.

　　"So, what are you going to do about it?" Ella asked her, a sincere look of concern on her face. She was aware that something like that could affect her new job in one way or the other, so she had to do something about it quickly.

　　"We'll divorce. It's simple." Autumn said and shrugged.

　　"That's better," Raya said. "Anyway, how's the guy? If he's hot enough for you, I'd advise you to start a relationship with him though."

　　Ella and Autumn shoot their heads in Raya's direction. "Start a relationship with someone she doesn't know?!" Ella asked her.

　　"Nah, girl. I ain't doing that." Autumn replied and scoffed. "I can't wake up one day and see a signed certificate between me and some guy named Perry Moore and expect me to—"

　　"A guy named what?" Ella asked, her eyes wide open in shock.