The Replacement Wife Chapter 1

"I want a divorce! My husband doesn't love me anymore!"

The moment I stepped into City Hall, clutching my water-damaged marriage certificate, I heard a young woman's cry from the next counter over.

She was a mess, tears carving streaks through her makeup as she wailed about her broken marriage.

The crazy thing was, her husband had the same name as mine: Damian Holt.

Except her Damian Holt was the richest man in Northwood City. Mine was just an ordinary guy.

I smiled at the strange coincidence and handed my certificate to the clerk. "I need a replacement, please."

But a second later, the clerk gave me a confused look.

"Ma'am, our records show your status as 'unmarried.' And this gentleman... he's already married." She tapped her screen, then pointed at my document. "This certificate is a fake."

I froze, a glacial chill creeping over me, stealing the air from my lungs.

My head turned on its own, my eyes drawn to the woman at the next counter. Her phone screen lit up, the wallpaper a wedding photo.

The man in the tuxedo was the same man I’d been married to for three years.

* * *

As I stood there, stunned into silence, the woman made a call.

"Damian Holt, I want a divorce. Get down here and sign the papers now!"

She had it on speaker. I heard a familiar voice on the other end, laced with a weary sort of affection.

"What's this about a divorce again? Honey, I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm sorry, okay?"

The woman wiped at her tears. "Don't call me that. I won't be your 'honey' for much longer. This isn't a discussion; it's a notification. Get down here and sign."

"If you don't," she threatened, "I'll fly abroad where you'll never find me. Two years of separation is an automatic divorce anyway."

A new edge of panic entered the man's voice. I even heard the clatter of a chair being knocked over.

"Don't go anywhere! I'm on my way!"

The call ended. The woman sniffled, turning back to the clerk. "My husband's coming. Once we file, it's a 30-day waiting period before it's final, right?"

"That's correct. You can pick up the final decree in thirty days."

She nodded and moved to a nearby waiting chair, her eyes red and puffy, the picture of heartbroken vulnerability.

I wanted to run, but it felt like every ounce of strength had been siphoned out of me, leaving me rooted to the spot. My mind was a blizzard of white noise. This had to be a dream. It was the only explanation. How could the marriage certificate we got two years ago be a fake?

Snapping back to reality, I pleaded with the clerk, "Could you please check again? We got married right here, two years ago. How can it be fake?"

The clerk held up the soggy, ruined document and pointed to the seal. "Ma'am, look here. The official seal is crooked. It's definitely a forgery." Her voice softened. "As for why... you'll probably have to find that out for yourself."

Her eyes were full of pity, a look I couldn't bear. I forced myself to stand and shuffled away.

That's when the young woman looked up and saw me. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Hey, we look kind of alike, don't we?"

My heart skipped a beat. Looking at her, at the familiar shape of her eyes and curve of her brows, my face hardened into a mask.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the main door swung open. A man burst in, looking like he'd rushed all the way here.

"Honey!"

At the sound of his voice, both of us turned. And I saw his face. A face I knew intimately.

Just last night, he had held me, whispering promises against my skin.

But now, his eyes saw only one woman, and it wasn't me.