Before their fifth wedding anniversary, Ameera Meyer found out her marriage certificate with Marlow Brunsfield was forged.

Meanwhile, he was in Anderia, a country where you can only marry once and that was it. There, he was marrying a younger girl he had brought up.

His love for her was sincere. The tenderness he had for her was true.

However, his heart had the capacity for two women…

After five years of marriage, Ameera Meyer was finally pregnant.

The first thing she did was to get a birth record registered. She figured it was the perfect fifth anniversary present for her husband, Marlow Brunsfield.

The only hiccup was that when she tried to enter her marriage certificate information, the display indicated that the certificate was invalid.

"Ms. Meyer, are you sure your marriage certificate is legitimate?" The employee asked in a puzzled voice upon noting the repeated error message issued from the machine.

Ameera was slightly upset. "We've been married for five years. There's no way it's fake!"

The employee tried again, only to return the document to her eventually. "I recommend that you take this up to City Hall so they can take a look at it. Submitting an illegitimate certificate is wrong. Besides, you can apply for a birth record even if you were single."

Ameera understood what the employee was implying. Then, she went to City Hall.

When she emerged from the office, her face was drained of color. All of her previous joy had all but vanished.

What the employee at the counter said struck into the core of her heart, "It says here that you and Mr. Brunsfield are not married. The marriage certificate is a counterfeit."

Their five-year marriage... was fake this entire time!

She was Marlow's childhood sweetheart. Everyone knew he loved her deeply and would give her the world. Why would he forge their marriage certificate?

With that, she immediately bought a plane ticket headed to Anderia to look for Marlow, who was on a business trip. She was going to get to the bottom of this!

Soon, she arrived at the hotel where Marlow was staying. There happened to be a wedding ceremony taking place at the time.

Anderia was a special country with a unique law dictating that everyone could only get married once in their lifetime. Divorce was not permitted.

She was not interested in observing the ceremony, but as she squeezed through the crowd to get to the elevator, she caught something from the corner of her eye. Her recognition of the groom who was surrounded by a crowd sent bolts of electric shock through her!

The groom was dressed in a leather jacket paired with fitting pants and dark boots. He was dressed in local fashion, featuring a beret and a red belt strapped around his waist. The entire time, he was smiling from ear to ear.

There was no mistaking it. This was the man she had been married to for five years—Marlow himself! If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed it.

"Congratulations on getting married, Marlow!"

"Truly impressive. Both your wedding ceremonies back home and over here are so grand!"

"Marlow, I have to ask, are you serious about this Josette girl? She comes from a poor family, doesn't she?"

Another person asked curiously, "Isn't this bigamy? Haven't you already married Ameera back home?"

"Don't you know? Back then, Marlow wanted to wait for Josette Klemer to come of age, so he never actually married Ameera back home. Legally speaking, he has been single for the past five years!"

"Is that so? You sure are a player, Marlow."

Ameera stood frozen in the crowd. It felt as if her blood had stopped flowing.

At first, she believed it was just a misunderstanding. However, the continuation shattered her hopes.

Marlow answered contemplatively, "Of course, I'm serious about Josette. Back then, she risked a blood transfusion to save Ameera's life. She was willing to live under Ameera's shadow for the rest of her life, and all she asked for was a lifetime with me. I can give her that much at the very least."

So that was what happened!

Ameera felt herself tearing up without realizing it. The truth was out. Marlow had arranged the forgery of their marriage certificate.

Five years ago, she got into an accident. Josette, who was a freshman in high school at the time, was the one who rushed her to the hospital and donated blood to save her life.

Josette came from a poor family, and the only one she ever had was her mother, who was very sick. As a gesture of appreciation for saving Ameera's life, Ameera and Marlow decided to pay for her education and even arranged for her to study abroad.

Marlow stated that by saving Ameera, Josette had saved him as well. He was willing to give everything he could to express his gratitude.

Little did Ameera know, the extent of his gratitude included raising her until adulthood and marrying her.

What was even more ridiculous was that she didn't suspect anything in the last five years. She never knew they had gotten together.

Marlow's friend could not resist the urge to ask, "And what about Ameera? Aren't you worried about her finding out?"

The look in Marlow's eyes darkened. He tapped his fingers rapidly against his phone and declared with a hint of confidence in his voice, "I will continue to love her. She will never find out about this. And none of you will ever mention this to her."

Immediately after that, Ameera's phone vibrated.

When she noticed it was a text from Marlow, she felt a chill run through her body, which almost made her heart stop.

"Honey, I miss you. I hate having to go on business trips and being away from you. Every moment away from you is torture! I'll try my best to get home in time for our anniversary. Love, your dear hubby."

Ameera clutched her phone and glanced at Marlow's figure, which was walking away from her. Pain crept into the tunnels of her heart. Her vision gradually became misted with tears as she began to cry. This was not the Marlow she knew.

Marlow was her childhood sweetheart. He was the boy who broke his leg climbing through a window just to help her retrieve a fallen hairpin. He consoled her softly and told her not to cry after that.

When they were eighteen, he climbed to the top of a snowy mountain just to profess his love for her. He vowed to love her forever and never lie to her.

When they were twenty, he had written her ten thousand love letters and baked a hundred cakes for a wedding proposal.

When they were twenty-two, he planned the wedding of a lifetime for her and couldn’t bear to spend a single night apart after.

He was not the liar she was looking at now, the one who would marry another woman behind her back.

She felt an ache in her heart as she bit her lip hard.

Then, her phone vibrated again. It was Marlow calling. She hesitated for a second before picking up.

"Honey, where are you? Have you eaten? Why does it sound so noisy in the background?" Marlow's voice was as gentle as ever. Every word he spoke contained all the love he had for her.

"What are you up to?" Ameera instinctively tightened her grip on the phone as she spoke. She told herself that if Marlow owned up to what was happening, perhaps she would have a proper sit-down with him and give their relationship another chance.

Marlow answered without hesitation, "I'm in a meeting right now, but I missed you so much, so I stepped outside to call you. Are you shopping now? Buy whatever you want, honey."

Ameera felt her lips jerk involuntarily. The light in her eyes dissipated as she fell silent before murmuring, "Okay."

Marlow immediately noticed the change in her tone. He became slightly distressed, "Honey, is something wrong? You can talk to me."

"I need to go. I'm in the changing room."

After Ameera hung up, she spotted Josette, who was also dressed in the local fashion, throwing herself into Marlow's arms.

"Honey, how do I look?"

"You look wonderful. My girl, you would look good in anything." Marlow smiled gently as he lapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead.

The sight of it stung Ameera. This entire time, his adoration and tenderness were not only reserved for her. He could split them into halves for two women.

'Marlow, how could your heart contain two different women?'

With that, she ran out of the hotel in a fit of panic before retreating into a dark alley where she curled into a ball to bawl her eyes out.

It was only when she was close to passing out from crying that she suddenly got up with a determined look in her eyes.

She was done with this five-year-long marriage that was nothing but a lie!

She was done with Marlow Brunsfield as well!

Since he was legally wed to Josette, she was going to give them what they wanted.

Her parents' death anniversary was in two weeks. After that was over, she was going to remove herself from Marlow's life for good.

With that, she took a taxi to the airport and caught the earliest flight back home.

The first thing she did upon returning was to schedule an abortion at the hospital.

"Ms. Meyer, it's a miracle that you could get pregnant at all, especially after factoring in your abdominal injuries as a result of the car accident in the past. I'm afraid you might have trouble conceiving again if you were to terminate the pregnancy," the doctor informed Ameera in a conflicted tone. "You should reconsider and discuss this with your husband."

Ameera clenched her hands involuntarily and felt a throb in her heart. Marlow never told her about this.

Whenever their parents asked when they were having children, Marlow would always tell them they wanted to wait a little longer before starting a family.

She teared up at the thought of how Marlow had been looking out for her feelings this entire time. Still, regardless of how kind he had been, it did not change the fact that he had lied to her.

"Thank you, doctor. I'll think about it."

She walked out of the hospital in a daze, only to run into Marlow and Josette in the corridor. It looked like they had just returned home.

Marlow was carefully helping Josette out of the ultrasound room, and his brows were tense with what seemed like agitation. Still, he fixed a gentle look on Josette and did not avert his gaze the entire time.

"Don't worry. It's not like I'm sick. I'm pregnant!" Josette remarked with a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Marlow smiled and looked like he could no longer contain his joy. "Of course, I'd be nervous. This is our first child! We have to take good care of the baby."

Ameera clenched her fingers tightly around the appointment card. She felt as if the temperature of her body had plummeted, and she could vividly hear the sound of her heart shattering. Her eyes were red-hot, but the tears simply would not come out.

The pain was so acute, yet she could not cry.

She watched as Marlow helped Josette into the elevator. After that, she slowly unfolded the appointment card and returned to the counter to schedule a procedure for the day after tomorrow.

Neither did she want her child to be born into a web of lies nor did she want her child to be born without a father.

As if God was playing a joke on her, she just had to bump into Marlow and Josette again in the basement parking lot.

Without a second thought, she tailed their car.

Marlow took Josette to the Carousel Restaurant.

Ameera felt her heart drop. This was a restaurant Marlow had specifically designed and built for her as a birthday present last year.

She remembered him telling her she was the only person with the honor of dining there, and yet, here he was with another woman.

He had seated Josette in what was Ameera's favorite seat. There was already some dessert set on the table while Marlow wheeled in a cart of delicacies for her.

He suavely produced a flower from his jacket and handed it to Josette to reveal a diamond necklace dangling right below the flower. "Congratulations, my little princess. You’re officially a mom-to-be."

"Marlow, thank you. I'm thrilled!" Josette looked like she was about to cry. "You even cooked for me!"

"Why don't you go after I finish eating? I've been taking up enough of your time the last few days. You should head back to Ameera." She looked like she was fighting back tears as she said this.

Marlow was heartbroken at the sight of her tears and held her tightly. "Silly girl, I'm not going anywhere today. I'll stay right here with you."

"What about Ameera? Isn't it your anniversary tomorrow? She'll be sad if you don't go home."

"I've already made arrangements. There's nothing to worry about." Marlow gently patted her head before putting the necklace on for her. "You're my wife. From now on, I'll make time for you and our child."

Ameera retreated around the corner and pressed her back against the icy wall. She shivered from the cold.

That was right. Josette was Marlow's lawful wife.

Meanwhile, she was nothing but a fool with no title to speak of.

She still remembered the first time Marlow brought her to the restaurant. He had gifted her a diamond necklace and revealed that to cook for her, he had secretly trained with a Michelin chef for a whole month.

"Honey, try my cooking. From now on, I will make all of your meals for you. I will love you and only you wholeheartedly for the rest of my life." He pressed his lips into Josette's ears and vowed as he put on the necklace for her.

It seemed as if he had duplicated the love and affection he once had for Ameera.

Ameera felt a heavy weight pressing against her chest. She was in tears by the time she left the restaurant.

By the time she scrambled out of the restaurant, tears were already flowing down her face.

She went straight to the law firm and had her lawyer, Hubert Klein, liquidate all of her assets. She made sure everything belonging to Marlow was returned to him.

The inheritance her parents left behind for her was enough for several lifetimes. Money was no issue; all she wanted was to cut things off with Marlow for good.

It was dark by the time everything was taken care of, and she drove home.

The house was dark and empty, save for a lonesome light which the housemaids had turned on. She lay wearily on the couch and stared at the pictures of her and Marlow that decorated every part of the room. Her heart had never felt heavier, and she felt a throb of pain every time it beat.

After she rubbed her fingers over her brows, she got up and removed the frames one after another.

She looked at the first picture they had taken together as children. She was in a pink dress. He had called her a beautiful princess.

Then, the picture of their first dance. His hand was gently placed on his waist, and he had asked for her to be his only partner for the rest of their lives.

Then, the picture of their first date. He spun her around in circles and declared that he was the happiest man in the world.

…

She tore through the pictures one after another and shoved them into the shredder to decimate their memories for good.

She went at it all night, eradicating every last bit of the romance they once had.

By the next day, when her hands had gone numb, Marlow was still nowhere to be seen.

It was supposed to be their anniversary.

On the day of the anniversary, Marlow posted a long post on his social media the moment the clock struck twelve. It was a heartfelt post expressing his love and gratitude for Ameera.

Within a few hours, the post had received over ten million likes and shares. Every screen in the city featured the video he had filmed and edited himself, so everyone knew just how devoted he was to Ameera.

Then, a group of people arrived outside the house and laid out a path using thousands of bouquets of roses. At the end of the path, there was a large collection of clothes and bags from a variety of trending fashion brands, as well as a giant crystal ring. To top things off, a music box looped Marlow's beautiful voice on repeat.

"Happy anniversary, honey! As always, I love you."

Ameera observed the spectacle indifferently before shutting the door and burrowing under the blankets. She behaved as if this had nothing to do with her.

Shortly after that, Marlow called her. His voice was filled with guilt, "Honey, there was a hiccup with the project, and I'm afraid I can't make it back home for our anniversary today. I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back."

Ameera sniggered upon hearing his flimsy excuse. Her voice quivered when she spoke, "It's fine. Take your time sorting things out."

"Honey, I can tell you're upset." Marlow was very observant and pointed it out right away. "I have a lot more surprises in store for you. I hope you like them. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I'm not upset. I know you have work. I'm feeling a little sick, so I'm going to get some sleep," Ameera remarked dully before hanging up. Then, she curled up in a ball and tried to ignore the nagging pain within her.

Meanwhile, the commotion went on outside the house. Marlow had made arrangements for a drone show exhibiting all kinds of intricate formations professing his love for Ameera.

A crowd of reporters had made it to the scene, hoping to score an interview with Ameera to write about their romance.

Ameera ignored them. Meanwhile, her phone rang persistently.

When she saw Marlow's name on the display, her vision became clouded with tears again. A part of her wanted to pick up and ask him why he had gone back on his word and why he would fall for another woman.

In the end, all she did was turn her phone off and bury her head underneath the blankets.

She was not sure how long she remained underneath the blankets when it was suddenly ripped away. A sudden burst of light blinded her momentarily.

After adjusting to the brightness, she made out the silhouette of Marlow, who seemed disheveled. His hair was messy, and his face was pale. There was even a stark look of concern in his eyes.

When he realized Ameera was upset, he rushed back home immediately. His agitation mounted when she refused to pick up his calls on his way home.

The moment he saw Ameera, he embraced her tightly. His voice was choked up and on the verge of breaking. "I'm so glad you're home! Honey, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry!"

His eyes were frayed red, and he was trembling uncontrollably. "I'll never leave you home all by yourself again. I was worried sick when you wouldn't pick up. It felt like the world was ending. Nothing in this world is more important than you. I'm back. Let's celebrate our anniversary together."

When Ameera remained silent, Marlow assumed she was still upset with him. He proceeded to get on one knee and tried to sweet-talk her, "Honey, please promise me you won't ignore my calls anymore, alright? I can't handle the thought of you ignoring me."

His agitation and fear did not seem forced at all. He truly loved her. The only problem was that this was not the only devotion he had.

"It didn't take you long to come back," Ameera remarked with a jerk of her lips.

The color drained from Marlow's face, and for a moment, he seemed to be wracked with guilt.

"Honey, you haven't eaten all day, have you? Come, I'll take you to your favorite restaurant." He swiftly changed the subject and gently raked his fingers through her hair.

"No." Ameera shook her head.

Marlow grew frantic. "Alright, I'll let you get some rest while I make you something downstairs."

"Hm," Ameera grunted before turning her back to him.

Assuming she was still upset, Marlow took a deep breath before retreating from the room.

About fifteen minutes later, Ameera heard some noises downstairs.

She went downstairs to find the living room packed with Marlow's friends. They were helping him hang up a collection of newly printed pictures on the wall.

When they saw Ameera, they all started to vouch for Marlow.

"Ameera, you sure had Marlow frightened. I have never seen him so nervous!"

"If he does something to upset you again, tell us and we'll lecture him for you! Just don't throw out the pictures or ignore his calls. You had him worried sick."

"He was going to lose his mind if he couldn't find you."

"Yeah! He nearly passed out when he came home to see all the pictures removed. He went straight to the trash can to look for them."

......

"Silence, all of you." Marlow hadn't even had time to remove his apron when he emerged angrily from the kitchen. "This was on me. I shouldn't have upset my wife. I deserve to be punished."

"Marlow, you're so obsessed with your wife that you don't even care about your dignity when it comes to her," Josette popped out of nowhere and remarked with an envious gaze.

Marlow remained poised and stated with a gentle smile, "Of course. She's my wife. It's only right that I have a soft spot for her."

Ameera felt a chill run down her spine when she sensed how hypocritical he was being. Nevertheless, she did not want to expose him right then and there.

She stated calmly, "Forget about the pictures. I was thinking I'd like to repaint the walls."

Marlow went up to her and put his arm around her waist. "Alright, guys, take them down. Whatever she wants."

"You're such a sucker for your wife!" one of his friends jested, but Marlow did not take it to heart.

Then, Marlow helped Ameera to the couch before returning to the kitchen to cook. He made every dish she liked, but they all tasted bland to her.

While he served up spoonfuls of food to her plate with one hand, he was interlocking his fingers with Josette's with the other hand under the table.

Ameera felt swept over with a wave of nihilism. She wanted nothing more than to get out of here and away from Marlow.

However, Marlow did not give her any room to leave after dinner. He bent low to put on her shoes for her before carrying her out the door with his friends gawking behind him.

Josette was making light-hearted jokes about his behavior, but it was not hard for Ameera to sense the jealousy and hostility veiled underneath.

Marlow specially made arrangements for a fireworks show for Ameera. He even invited her favorite band to perform for her.

Midway through the show, he excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Ameera discreetly trailed behind him.