Chapter 1 The Marriage Certificate Was Fake

I only realized how terribly crafted Lydia's lies were after I held the real marriage certificate in my hands.

The fake one she had given me did not even have an official seal.

"Move out of that godawful house as soon as you can. I have something to deal with, so give me a few days before you actually leave."

My best friend tucked the certificate into her coat and added flatly, "It's about to rain. I arranged a car for you."

Then, she turned and got into the car without a backward glance.

I pinched the marriage certificate in my hand again before sitting down in the back seat.

It started raining cats and dogs the second I got in.

Right then, Lydia called me. "Where are you? Why aren't you home yet?"

If I hadn't found out about her lies, I would have softened my voice and tried to coax her. I would have told her to wait for me.

However, I now knew that the love she had shown me was false and that our marriage was nothing but a sham. After all those big reveals, I felt as if something inside me had withered away.

When I took too long to answer, her tone grew irritated. "I don't care where you are. Hurry up and come back. We haven't eaten yet."

She hung up before I could say anything.

I sneered, put my phone away, and returned to the place I had lived in for five years.

Sure enough, my guess was right.

I knew Trevor was there the minute Lydia mentioned the word "we" on the phone.

He was sitting on the sofa like he owned the place, tossing a fruit into his mouth like a king.

There was a large blue suitcase next to the sofa.

When Lydia saw that I had come back late, she urged me impatiently, "Get cooking. Trevor and I already bought groceries on the way back, so that saves you some trouble."

She added, "Also, Trevor's lease is up, so he'll be living here from now on. After you're done cooking, clean out the guest room for him."

Lydia's domineering behavior was even worse when she was in front of Trevor and her posse.

She loved making a show of how short my leash was.

In the beginning, she would still soften her voice and explain that she only acted that way because she cared too much about appearances.

Now, she treated my effort and patience as something she was entitled to.

My lips curled into a cold smirk, and I was about to get my shots in when Trevor interjected. It seemed that he was of the opinion that I had already given in to Lydia's whims.

He pulled an A4 sheet from his bag and handed it to me, grinning provocatively. "Owen, we'll be living together from now on. I hope we can get along peacefully. If there's no problem with this contract, sign your name. You don't want to make things hard for Lydia later, do you?"

My eyes dropped to the contract, and I scanned it briefly.

The very first clause was enough to render me speechless.

'This is Lydia's home. You have no right to stop her from sleeping with whoever she wants at night.'

Lydia's home?

That was when it hit me.

Lydia's apartment was too far from her office, and she moved in with me since I had bought a new place near her office.

She kept promising that we would move into her bigger house after we got married.

She also said we would bring my parents over to live in my place, and the two of us would take care of them together.

Her words had sounded beautiful.

Yet, not one thing she promised me had ever come true.

When Lydia saw that I still had not taken the contract, she started urging me impatiently.