My Husband Tricked Me into a Sham Marriage, But I Ended Up Getting Truly Married to Someone Else

My husband had a low sperm count, and after 33 grueling rounds of IVF, I finally managed to conceive.

On the day of delivery, I was hemorrhaging badly and needed an emergency C-section. My husband had barely signed the consent form when he rushed off to his childhood friend’s birthday party.

But the surgeon just stood there.

“Lily, the online system shows you’re single. This consent form isn’t valid…”

I froze. It hit me then: my supposedly perfect marriage had been a lie all along.

Later, my parents rushed to the hospital to sign for me. But the baby didn’t make it, too long without oxygen.

After the surgery, my hand trembled as I signed the cremation consent form for my child. Then, without a second thought, I dialed a number.

“Owen, are you free now? Meet me at the courthouse.”

Owen still looked a little dazed after we’d gotten our marriage certificate.

“Lily… did you really marry me?”

Seeing his goofy expression, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. But it pulled at my incision, and I winced, my brows furrowing in pain.

Owen frantically rushed me back to the hospital, pressing a careful kiss to my forehead.

“I have to go out of town for some business. You focus on recovering. I’ll be back to pick you up.”

Dragging my weak post-op body to marry Owen had exhausted me, and I drifted off to sleep. But in my hazy state, I overheard Caleb and his friend talking.

“Your wife almost died! Why aren’t you changing the marriage info back in the system?”

“Just wait. Seraphina is seriously ill, and her only wish is to marry me.”

“But if your wife finds out, she could leave you anytime!”

“No way? She’s suffered so much for me. How could she possibly leave?”

When I opened my eyes again, Caleb’s face was filled with worry.

“Lily, you’re finally awake! My mom made some chicken soup, drink it while it’s hot.”

His cautious demeanor made me wonder if the earlier conversation had been a hallucination. I cut straight to the chase.

“Caleb, why does the system say I’m single?”

Caleb’s movements stiffened. “Maybe the hospital’s online system hasn’t updated the info yet. Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle it.” He added, “I’m so sorry, I should have been there with you…”

Catching the fleeting flicker of panic in his eyes, my heart plummeted. But I pretended it was nothing.

“Yeah, their system definitely needs an update.”

Caleb visibly relaxed and patiently ladled out chicken soup for me. “Don’t overthink things. Oh, by the way, where’s the baby?”

The baby?

I froze. Had no one told Caleb the baby was gone? Of course not. Caleb wasn’t my legal spouse, so no one would inform him. My chest tightened, and my voice wavered slightly.

“The baby was too weak. Still in the incubator.”

Caleb didn’t suspect a thing. He was about to say something when he suddenly shot to his feet.

“Seraphina! What are you doing here?!”

He was so agitated that the scalding chicken soup spilled all over my hand, instantly turning it red. But Caleb didn’t even notice, his eyes fixed on the small, delicate figure. He clenched his fists, his voice trembling with anxiety.

“What happened? Are you feeling sick again? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Seraphina’s small face was pale. “It’s nothing major, just my period seems delayed, and you had something more important…” She glanced meaningfully at me.

Caleb lightly tapped her head. “Nothing is more important than you!”

I couldn’t help but speak up. “Caleb…”

Only then did he pull his attention away, looking at my hand. Before I could even speak, he frowned, tugged off my jacket without hesitation, and possessively wrapped it around Seraphina’s waist.

“Exposing your legs in this cold weather? How old are you! Come on, I’ll take you to see a doctor!”

From start to finish, he didn’t spare me another glance.

In that moment, I realized just how foolish I’d been.