Chapter 2

The county courthouse felt cold, impersonal.

Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floors.

Alex sat across a cheap wooden table from me, Jessica glued to his side, her hand resting proprietarily on his shoulder.

His lawyer, a slick man in an expensive suit, droned on about "irreconcilable differences" and the "unfortunate circumstances" of Alex' s condition.

"Mr. Harrison has no recollection of Ms. Carter or their recent, brief marriage," the lawyer stated, his voice devoid of emotion. "Therefore, an annulment is the most sensible course of action."

Alex stared straight ahead, a carefully constructed mask of confusion on his face.

He didn' t look at me once.

Jessica, however, kept glancing my way, her eyes glittering with smug satisfaction.

She leaned in and whispered something in Alex' s ear, loud enough for me to catch.

"It' s for the best, darling. A clean break."

My lawyer, a kind, older woman named Sarah, squeezed my arm under the table.

"Emily, are you sure about this? We can fight it. His amnesia is... convenient."

I met Sarah' s gaze, a small, tight smile on my lips.

"No, Sarah. Let' s get it over with."

I wouldn' t give him the satisfaction of a fight, of seeing me break down.

Not here. Not in front of her.

"Ms. Carter agrees to the annulment," Sarah announced, her voice firm.

The clerk, a bored-looking woman with tired eyes, pushed a stack of papers towards us.

"Sign here, and here."

Alex picked up the pen, his hand steady. He signed his name with a flourish.

Jessica beamed.

My turn.

My hand trembled slightly as I took the pen.

The ink flowed onto the paper, severing the legal tie that had bound us for a few whirlwind days.

It was done.

As we stood up to leave, Jessica deliberately brushed past me, her shoulder knocking mine.

"So sorry," she said, her voice syrupy sweet, her eyes anything but. "Hope you find someone you can actually hold onto."

I kept my face impassive, my gaze fixed on a point beyond her.

Alex watched, his expression unreadable, still playing the part of the bewildered amnesiac.

But for a fleeting second, as Jessica turned away, I saw a flicker in his eyes – a hint of something cold, calculating.

It confirmed everything.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

And he was enjoying it.

The coldness in my stomach solidified into a core of ice.

This wasn't just a betrayal.

This was a declaration of war.