ANMELDENI had been dating my boyfriend, Julian Hayes, for four years, yet my best friend Fiona Blake still looked more like his girlfriend than I did. Whenever the three of us went furniture shopping, the sales associate would hand Julian and Fiona a catalog for couples. Whenever we went out for fondue, the server would ask if Julian and Fiona wanted a photo together. At the beach, a stranger once handed me her phone and asked, "Would you mind taking a picture of your friend and his girlfriend?" I smiled, took her phone, and raised it to take the picture. On the screen, Julian and Fiona looked every bit like a couple. Fiona always brushed it off. "We just have similar face shapes. It's a coincidence." Julian always reassured me. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. You're my only girlfriend." And year after year, I believed him. By our fourth year together, I started pushing him to finally set a wedding date. He said he was too busy and promised we'd set the date the following month. But when the next month came, he had another excuse. Fiona's visa was about to expire. She wanted to stay in the United States, and the easiest way to get a green card was through marriage. I stared at him. "And so?" He was silent for a long moment before finally answering. "I'll marry her first and sponsor her application. It's only a formality. Once she gets her green card, we'll get divorced." For a moment, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "And what about me?" He answered without hesitation. "Just give me a few years. It'll be over before you know it." A week later, Fiona posted a photo on Instagram. She held up their marriage certificate and leaned against Julian's shoulder, smiling so widely that her eyes crinkled. The caption read, "As of today, it isn't a coincidence. It's fate." I went back through years of messages. That was when I finally realized the truth. Julian had never once told anyone I was his girlfriend. Whenever strangers mistook Fiona for his girlfrien
Mehr anzeigenJulian spent several nights at the veterinary hospital.Under the harsh fluorescent lights, he sat hunched over on a bench with a can of Mochi's favorite food at his feet.Days without sleep had left dark circles under his eyes.He stood up the moment I entered the corridor.His voice was dry and hoarse. "The veterinarian says Mochi can go home today."I walked straight past him toward Mochi's room."I know."Julian followed me."I asked Fiona about it. She said she didn't know her green card had already been approved. I'll handle the divorce."Mochi lay listless in the cage. I looked down at him and barely reacted."Mm."Julian finally snapped and grabbed my arm.I looked down at his hand.His fingers immediately loosened, and he let go."Chloe, I filed for divorce yesterday."My voice was flat. "Congratulations."Julian's brows knitted together."That isn't what I want to hear."I looked up at his exhausted face."Then what do you want to hear?"He swallowed hard, looking helpless."
All the color drained from Julian's face."Chloe."I placed another document in front of him.It was my lease termination notice.Beside it was a receipt showing that I had withdrawn my share from the joint account."Julian, you were right. I never really belonged in those photographs."I picked up the remote and pressed delete.One by one, the photographs disappeared from the wall.At last, the screen went blank."So as of today, I'm taking myself out of the picture."Julian snatched up the document."You terminated the lease?"I did not answer.My phone rang.The landlord had sent me a photograph of the newly installed lock.A moment later, Julian's phone rang.The landlord's voice came clearly through the speaker. "Mr. Hayes, Ms. Bennett has terminated the lease. You and your wife must vacate by midnight.""What gave you the right to terminate it?"Julian rushed after me as I left Southbridge and stepped in front of me.I sent him the payment records."I paid the rent. I signed the
When I returned with Mochi, my code no longer worked.It took Julian a long time to answer his phone."Why did you change the code?"He sounded half-asleep. "The immigration lawyer came by this afternoon. He said if USCIS comes by for a home visit, they'll know something's wrong if they find someone else's belongings here."The wind made my voice tremble. "So you locked me out?"There was a pause, as if Julian had only just remembered I had nowhere else to go."Stay at a hotel for a couple of nights."He paused, then asked, "Did you find Mochi?"I looked at Mochi in my arms, the IV line still taped to his leg."I found him."He exhaled in relief."Good. Come to Southbridge tonight. Fiona needs more evidence for her green card application, and you need to sign an affidavit as a mutual friend."His voice softened. "Chloe, this is the last step. After you sign, I'll help her move out and change the code back."I closed my eyes and let the tears fall.It wasn't the wind making my voice sha
On Fiona's third day in the apartment, my cat, Mochi, scratched her.It was the first time Julian had ever gotten angry with me."You know she's afraid of cats. Why didn't you keep the door shut?"I picked Mochi up from under the table."This is his home."Fiona cradled her scratched hand, tears filling her eyes."Julian, don't blame Chloe. I wanted Mochi to like me, so I tried to pick him up."I frowned."He doesn't like strangers touching his tail."Fiona widened her eyes innocently."I didn't know."She looked at the cat in my arms and asked softly, "Didn't he let me hold him before?"Of course he had.Back then, she was only a guest.Now she wore my slippers, drank from my cup, slept in my bed, and called Julian her husband.Mochi had simply recognized the intruder before I did.Julian grabbed his car keys."Let's get you a tetanus shot."But Fiona did not move."Don't you think it's time to find Mochi a new home?"I held Mochi tighter and stared at her."On what grounds?"Fiona st


















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