Chapter 2

At 6:30 PM, Ryan came back with Jessica. I was in the living room taking our wedding photos off the wall. The photos were taken just last month. The beach, the white veil, Ryan hugging me from behind. The photographer had yelled out several times: "Groom, smile a little more." Now, just as I pulled the frame off the hook, he pushed the door open. "What are you doing?" Ryan didn't even take his shoes off, striding over to press his hand against the photo frame. "Nora, didn't I say I'd come back tonight and explain?" Jessica stood in the entryway. She was still holding the cake she had just bought. "Nora..." Her eyes were red. "Don't blame Ryan, I was the one who begged him." "For the past two months, Leo has been asking me every single day why the other kids get to go to Lincoln Elementary and he can't." "I really had no other choice." I let go of the photo frame. "So you married my fiancé." Her face went pale. "I didn't marry him. It's just a formality." "Where's the certificate?" Jessica didn't move. Ryan frowned. "Why do you insist on looking at that?" "I want to see the formality." "Nora." "Not going to show me?" Jessica hurriedly opened her bag. "Here, I'll show you." She pulled out the marriage certificate—a county-issued marriage certificate with a raised seal embossed in one corner. Jessica's smile was a little stiff. Ryan was smiling too. I glanced at it. Registration Date: August 17. Today. "That was fast." I handed the certificate back to her. Jessica's tears started falling. "Nora, if you want to yell at someone, yell at me." "I really just didn't have any other option." "Leo's dad doesn't care about him, my mom is in poor health, and I've been relying entirely on myself all these years. You know how hard it is to get into Lincoln Elementary..." "I know." She froze. "You know?" "Last year when you hired a consultant for $15,000 and it didn't work out, I went with you to get the refund." "The year before last, when you wanted to buy that old, rundown little apartment and didn't have enough for the down payment, I was the one who talked you out of taking on such high interest rates." "I know about most of your business." Jessica's lips parted slightly. I pulled the second hook off the wall. "So you also know that I was supposed to get my marriage license tomorrow." The living room fell completely silent. Ryan took a step forward. "That's enough." "She already told you she begged me for a favor. Why are you taking your anger out on her?" "Should I take it out on you, then?" "I've already explained it to you." "And once you explain, I'm just supposed to say okay?" "Then what do you want?" Ryan tossed his keys onto the shoe cabinet. "The license is already signed, the school paperwork is being submitted the day after tomorrow, and we can't back out now." "A year from now we'll get divorced, and then you and I will get our license." "The wedding is happening as planned, you'll wear the ring as planned. Aside from the paperwork being delayed a year, what else has changed?" I looked at him. "Whose husband are you right now?" He choked on his words. "It's just a legal relationship." "Answer me." "Jessica's." "Then who am I?" He pressed his lips together. "My fiancée." "The fiancée of a married man?" "Nora!" Jessica rushed forward and grabbed my arm. "Don't say things like that, it sounds awful." I stepped sideways, pulling away. "If it sounds awful, why didn't you feel that way when you were signing the papers?" Her hand hung in the air. Ryan pulled her behind him. "Why are you being so hostile today?" "Jessica is your best friend." "Yes." I gave a small nod. "So she's getting married, and I won't get in her way." "I canceled the wedding." Ryan froze. "What?" "The hotel, the wedding planner, the photographer, the officiant—I canceled all of it." His face instantly darkened. "Who told you to cancel it?" "I'm the one who paid for it." "It's still our wedding!" "The groom is already married. What kind of wedding are we having?" He stared at me for two seconds, then suddenly reached for his phone. "Stop acting out of spite. I'm calling the hotel right now." I placed a refund receipt on the table. "The hotel ballroom has already been booked for someone else next month." "They kept a $1,200 deposit and refunded the remaining $8,800 to my original card." "The wedding planner kept $500." "The photographer gave me a full refund." "As for the bridal shop, my dress is being resold." Ryan picked up the receipt and read over it. "Are you serious about this?" "Yeah." Jessica sniffled. "Nora, aren't you just making things look even worse by doing this?" "Ryan's mom has already notified all the relatives." "If the banquet is canceled, how are they supposed to explain that?" I took the last photo off the wall. "Just tell the truth." "The groom already got married on August 17." She instantly stopped talking. Ryan slammed the refund receipt onto the coffee table. "Fine, stay mad." "We'll talk about the wedding tomorrow." After he said that, he bent down to support the picture frame. I pressed my hand on the other side. "There's one more thing." "What now?" "I'm not living in this condo anymore." Ryan frowned. "What kind of tantrum are you throwing now?" But Jessica lowered her head first. I saw it. "What is it?" She didn't speak. Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. "The school might do an actual residency check in early September." "And?" "And so, for the time being, you need to go stay at your brother's place." I laughed out loud. "Say that again." "The district enrollment office needs to verify actual residency." "Jessica and Leo have to move in here." "It's just for show, a month at the absolute most." "You should pack up your things in the closet for now, and the master bedroom too..." He stopped there. I looked down at the floor near my feet. The four-piece bedding set I had just bought last week was still stacked in the corner. I picked out the dining table. I paid for the curtains. When the dishwasher in the kitchen broke down twice, I was the one who dealt with customer service. Ryan bought this condo before we got engaged. When the keys were handed over three years ago, it was nothing but a bare concrete shell. I paid $41,800 for the renovations. At the time, Ryan's mom couldn't stop grinning: "We're going to be one family anyway, what does it matter whose name is on the deed?" Now, this home had to be lent out to another wife first. "Fine." I said. Ryan visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew you'd understand." "Pay me back for the renovations." His expression froze again. "What renovation money?" "$41,800." I opened the spreadsheet on my phone and showed it to him. "Materials, appliances, labor, I have transfer records for all of it." "I'll have my lawyer send you the itemized list tomorrow." "Pay me back within seven days." "Nora, you're really keeping score with me over this?" "Didn't you tell me to move out?" "That's temporary!" "This isn't temporary for me." I squatted down and put the screwdriver back into the toolbox. "I'm moving out." ***