Fifteen Years of Lies My Partner's Secret Marriage

When I found out Luna Joyce was keeping a man on the side, I was calmer than I expected.

I tracked down the man's address and headed straight for his place, ready to have it out with him.

But when I actually stood in his living room, I froze.

"This apartment cost one-point-six million. Luna paid in full, cash. Title's in my name." The man's expression was perfectly composed, as if he'd been expecting this. He disappeared into the bedroom and came back with a marriage certificate, setting it down in front of me. "Last month, Luna and I got legally married."

"So." He looked at me, his eyes dripping with contempt. "Legally speaking, you're the dirty little secret."

The marriage certificate burned my eyes.

Fifteen years. I'd been with Luna for fifteen years.

Fifteen years, and I never got a marriage certificate. What I got instead was the word homewrecker.

……

"Sebastian Harding." The man pressed one pale, slender finger against Luna's name on the certificate, his tone dripping with disdain. "You have no right to be here. And you sure as hell don't have the standing to posture in front of me. Are we clear?"

He held the marriage certificate like a trophy, standing there looking every inch the pampered rich boy.

I recognized the watch on his wrist. Last month, Luna and I had gone to an auction together. She'd bid on it and won, told me it was my gift for our fifteenth anniversary.

Then, the day before the anniversary, Luna came to me in a panic, told me the watch had gone missing.

Her eyes were brimming with guilt, so much guilt they turned red, and she said, "Baby, I'll get you something even better. I promise."

She ran her thumb across the calluses on my hands, and the tears spilled over, full of heartache.

"You've had it so rough all these years, sticking with me through everything. Once the company's IPO goes through, let's get married, okay?"

"Baby." Luna wrapped her arms around me. "I want to marry you. I want us to have a real home."

And I believed her.

I thought we were finally going to take that step.

I told myself that all those years following Luna, building something from nothing, it had been worth it. That I could hand in a life I was satisfied with and just coast from there.

Now.

I stared at the tiny diamonds on the watch face, glittering, each one a needle finding its way into my heart. The pain nearly buckled my knees, but I kept my composure.

"So what?"

I plucked the marriage certificate from his hand. The groom's name read: Jayden James. I looked up at the man's flawless face, caught the flash of shock in his expression, and smiled.

"Are you trying to tell me that after fifteen years with Luna, it's my turn to step aside so you can live the good life?"

"Jayden." I ran my thumb across his photo on the certificate and smiled. "What makes you think I'd hand over everything I've poured my blood and sweat into?"

I watched the panic hit him. Jayden lunged for the certificate, but I sidestepped. His momentum carried him into the cabinet, and he let out a yelp.

"Sebastian Harding!"

"Are you insane?!"

The mask was off. Jayden screamed at me, face twisted.

"What, you're going to wreck what Luna and I have? You want to be the shameless other man? Is that it?!"

"Have you no shame?!"

Before Jayden could charge at me again, I'd already pulled out my phone, calmly snapped a photo of the marriage certificate, and sent it to Luna with a message.

"Luna."

"Heard you got married."

"How come I wasn't invited to the wedding toast?"

"Baby!"

The call had already connected.

Luna's voice echoed through the living room.

"I can explain!"

"This is all a misunderstanding!"

"Baby!"