ManyWriters

When I received the evidence from my client, I almost choked.
He said, his voice seething with anger, "This is the man my wife is sleeping with. She lied to me, tricked me into marrying her! None of it was real!"
My eyes were glued to the name—Alexander Mitchell.
"You know him?"
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
"He's my husband of seven years."
Days later, I was kidnapped and thrown into an abandoned courthouse. The acrid stench of gasoline stung my nostrils, and then, a spark from a lighter sent flames roaring to life.
I screamed with every fiber of my being, a raw, desperate cry torn from my soul, "Alexander..."
I heard footsteps outside the door and a desperate hope flared within me—he had heard me.
But he just walked away, holding the woman in his arms, without so much as a backward glance.
I thought I was going to die in that inferno, but fate gave me a chance to fight back.
This time, it's their turn to pay the price.

Guilty as Charged

She was standing right behind Alexander, as if they had planned to arrive together, yet they acted like complete strangers.


My eyes instinctively shot to Alexander.


A flash of shock and barely concealed fury crossed his eyes.


It seemed he hadn't expected Isabella to be at the party either.


As if to cover his guilt, he gripped my hand tightly.


He kept asking if I wanted champagne, then fetching me appetizers, but I could feel his body tensing up the moment he realized Isabella was right there.


The party started soon, but I tuned it all out, closing my eyes and leaning back in my seat, feigning a light doze.


A sharp pain lanced through my chest, coming in waves.


My mind suddenly flashed back to the night before, when I had found several unsent email drafts in Alexander's laptop.


One of them was dated March 2020—the year I went to study abroad.


In it, he wrote that he had hired an assistant while I was away.


"Isabella was an intern at the courthouse. Whenever I went to meetings, I would see her and be reminded of you."


"She was so pure and innocent, so gentle and thoughtful, that before I knew it, I was completely drawn to her."


"At first, I arranged for her to have a position as my research assistant, helping me organize case files and do some legal research."


"She got drunk, and as she leaned into my arms with a dazed look in her eyes, I couldn't resist."


"I never expected things to spiral out of control. Isabella was so much like you, even purer and more captivating. I treated her as a stand-in, becoming lost in her again and again. But when I heard you were coming back, my first reaction wasn't joy, but panic."


"I was terrified you would come back and find out about Isabella. I agonized all night before having her transferred. But after some time, I found myself missing her like crazy... and that's when I knew I had well and truly fallen for her."


Through that email, I could almost hear Alexander's inner monologue.


He had thought about sending Isabella, his stand-in, away.


But then he discovered he couldn't be without her.


Even when he registered our marriage, he deliberately had it flawed, all to deceive me.


The real marriage certificate was the one he got with Isabella in Bermuda.The end of that email read:


"Sophia, I'm sorry. I have to admit, my heart is torn. I love you, and I love her."


"But I am destined to be your husband in this life, so all I can give her is a title as compensation..."


My head throbbed violently. I didn't want to recall any more of it.


Alexander, noticing I hadn't moved for a long time, thought I had fallen asleep. He took off his jacket and draped it over me, worried I might get cold.


But soon after, I heard him question Isabella in a hushed, demanding tone.


"Who told you to come here? How dare you show your face in front of Sophia?"


Isabella replied, a hint of grievance in her voice, "I just missed you so much. Besides, my disguise was perfect. Your wife didn't recognize me at all."


The lights in the ballroom were dim, occasionally flashing in time with the music, illuminating Alexander and Isabella's bodies pressed close together.


Alexander glanced back at me guiltily. Seeing I hadn't moved, he lowered his head and kissed Isabella forcefully.


"If there's a next time, if you ever dare to show yourself in front of Sophia again, believe me, I'll make sure you never set foot in a courthouse for the rest of your life."


Isabella giggled coyly, "Oh my, I'm so scared."


Chapter 4