Six Years of Secret Marriage, I Left My Cheating Husband

My marriage certificate was chewed up by a dog, so I went to the civil affairs office to get a replacement. But the clerk gave me a complicated look.

"I'm sorry, but there's no record of a 'Maxine Patterson' in our system. And this certificate is fake."

My mind went blank in disbelief. "But my husband, Dawson Patterson, and I registered our marriage six years ago. Please, can you double-check—"

I was still pleading when I saw Dawson walk in from a distance, his arm wrapped around his childhood sweetheart, Elise.