Husband In The Shadows - Chapter 1: Chapter 1

"Are you sure you want to file for divorce?" the clerk asked.
I nodded. After four years of marriage, I'd finally made up my mind to end it. Without telling my wife.
The clerk kept a straight face. "You don't have enough proof. We'll need witnesses and more evidence."
I hesitated. "If I get what you need, how long will it take?"
She glanced up. "About a month."
I nodded and walked out, thinking about everything that had happened.
Getting proof on Nydia wouldn't be hard—she never bothered to hide anything from me.
Just as I stepped into the courthouse lobby, a voice I knew all too well called out to me.
"Emerson? What are you doing here?" Nydia exclaimed in surprise.
I looked up and met Nydia's eyes—beautiful but sharp, and my heart skipped.
Did she already know I was here to end the marriage?
Was she going to stop me?
I stared at her and stayed calm. "Just here for work. What about you?"
She was still in her doctor's coat. Before she could answer, Jefferson walked in from the parking lot.
"Nydia, who's this? Your friend?" he asked with a friendly smile, his tall frame leaning slightly toward her.
Nydia's expression shifted. She pressed her lips together and said, "Just an old classmate. We ran into each other."
Classmate? We were married. But Nydia had always kept that quiet.
I clenched the papers in my hand, but before I could say a word, Nydia added, "I'm helping a friend with a case. You go ahead."
She didn't even glance back as she left with Jefferson.
I watched them walk away, laughing bitterly.
She still thought I didn't know Jefferson was the one she really wanted, her first love.
She never truly cared about me.
If she had, she would've noticed I came from the civil court, not here on some work errand.
But all her focus was on Jefferson.
With Jefferson around, I might as well not exist.
My fingers tightened around the divorce papers as I turned and walked out of the courthouse. Just right, I overheard two courthouse workers talking.
"Lots of divorce cases lately," one said.
"Yeah, did you see that female doctor? She's here every day with that guy going through a divorce. They've gotta be together," the other said.
"Didn't he just file? She sure didn't waste any time."
I gave a sad smile.
So that was what Nydia had been up to—helping Jefferson with his divorce.
She just couldn't wait to be with him.
Fine. Once I finished the paperwork, I would get out of their way.
Our marriage had always been a secret. No wedding, no party.
Not even her crush knew we were together.
We first met because of a car accident. I had just graduated and was on my very first business trip. That was when I ran into Nydia in this unfamiliar city.
The moment I saw her rush in to help at the scene, I was drawn to her. I fell for her hard, hard enough to switch jobs just to stay close.
She was always busy, always turning me down with one excuse after another. But I didn't give up.
After all, she turned down every guy and never got close to anyone else.
Later, I found out why—she had a longtime crush.
She'd been waiting on him, blind to everyone else.
I tried to move on, but I couldn't stop thinking about her.
Then, a year later, we ran into each other at a blind date.