Chapter 4: The Woman in the Court Records
“Victoria.””
Marcus said the name like it was something dangerous.
Not a person.
Not a memory.
A threat.
I stared at him from across the living room, waiting for an explanation.
For once, I didn’t want a perfect speech.
I didn’t want his carefully chosen words.
I wanted the truth.
“Who is Victoria?””
Marcus looked away.
That was the first answer.
The second was the silence.
“Marcus.””
He rubbed his hands over his face.
“Nia, this is not what you think.””
I almost smiled.
Because that sentence was becoming the soundtrack of my ruined marriage.
Not what I think.
Not what it looks like.
Not that simple.
Every lie had the same opening.
Every betrayal came wrapped in the same excuse.
“Then tell me what it is,” I said.
He didn’t.
The man who could talk his way out of anything suddenly had nothing to say.
I picked up my phone again and looked at the photo.
Marcus standing outside a courthouse.
Holding hands with another woman.
The date stamp showed it was taken only three months ago.
Three months.
While he was sleeping beside me.
While he was telling me he loved me.
While he was promising me we were okay.
“Were you married to her?””
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“No.””
“Were you dating her?””
“No.””
“Then why were you at a courthouse with her?””
His eyes moved toward the window.
And that tiny movement told me he was searching for a version of the truth he could survive.
I stepped closer.
“Answer me.””
Finally, he whispered:
“She was someone I knew.””
I stared at him.
“That’s all?””
“Yes.””
I laughed.
A cold, empty laugh.
“You’re still lying.””
His face changed.
“What?””
“You’re still doing it.””
“Nia—”
“No.””
My voice rose.
“You don’t even realize you’re doing it.””
I pointed toward him.
“You don’t tell the truth. You release pieces of it. Small pieces. Just enough to make yourself look less guilty.””
Marcus looked hurt.
But I didn’t care.
Not anymore.
“Who is Victoria?””
He stayed quiet.
So I picked up my purse.
“I’m leaving.””
His head snapped up.
“What?””
“I said I’m leaving.””
“Where are you going?””
I looked at him.
And for the first time in seven years, I didn’t feel responsible for his feelings.
“I don’t know.””
The honesty surprised me.
Because I really didn’t know.
I didn’t know where I would sleep.
I didn’t know what I would do tomorrow.
I didn’t know how to rebuild a life that was based on a lie.
But I knew one thing.
I couldn’t stay there.
Not that night.
Not beside him.
Not pretending.
“Nia, please don’t walk out.””
I stopped at the door.
The old version of me would have turned around.
She would have listened.
She would have asked questions.
She would have tried to understand.
But that woman disappeared in a grocery store aisle.
“I spent seven years staying,” I said quietly.
Marcus froze.
“Tonight, I’m choosing myself.””
Then I walked out.
I stayed at a hotel across town.
A place with white walls, a tiny bed, and no memories.
It was strange how comforting that felt.
No wedding photos.
No coffee mug Marcus bought me.
No blanket we picked together.
No reminders.
Just silence.
I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at my hands.
The same hands that wore a wedding ring that morning.
I had taken it off before leaving.
I didn’t throw it away.
I wasn’t ready for that.
But I couldn’t wear it either.
Around midnight, my phone rang.
Claire.
I almost didn’t answer.
But I did.
“Hello?””
“Nia?””
Her voice sounded different.
Less guarded.
Like she was no longer speaking to a stranger.
“Are you okay?””
I almost laughed.
The woman whose husband had betrayed me was asking if I was okay.
“I don’t know.””
A pause.
“Me neither.””
That answer hurt because it was honest.
For the first time all day, someone wasn’t pretending.
“Claire,” I said, “what do you know about Victoria?””
Silence.
Then:
“You found out about her.””
“So you know.””
“Yes.””
My stomach tightened.
“How?””
“She contacted me.””
“Why?””
Claire hesitated.
“She wanted me to know Marcus had been lying.””
I sat up.
“What?””
“She said Marcus was dangerous.””
I frowned.
“Dangerous?””
“I don’t mean physically.””
Her voice softened.
“I mean he destroys people’s lives and convinces them they’re the problem.””
I looked down.
Because that was exactly what he had done.
Not with anger.
Not with cruelty.
With charm.
With apologies.
With promises.
“Did you meet her?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“A few weeks ago.””
I felt a wave of frustration.
“So everyone knew except me?””
Claire went quiet.
Then she said:
“No.””
That surprised me.
“What?””
“She didn’t know about you either.””
I froze.
“What do you mean?””
“I mean Victoria thought she was the only one.””
The room suddenly felt colder.
The next morning, Elena arrived at the hotel with coffee and a folder.
I opened the door and immediately knew something was wrong.
She wasn’t just worried.
She looked afraid.
“What happened?””
She handed me the folder.
“Open it.””
Inside were printed documents.
Court records.
Marriage records.
Divorce filings.
I looked at the first page.
Then the second.
Then the third.
My hands started shaking.
“What is this?””
Elena sat down.
“Everything Marcus tried to erase.””
I looked through the papers.
The first document showed Marcus’s name.
A marriage certificate.
His name beside another woman.
The date was eight years before our wedding.
I looked at Elena.
“That’s the woman from the photo.””
She nodded.
“Victoria.””
I swallowed.
“But you said she didn’t know about me.””
“She didn’t.””
“Then why did she marry him?””
Elena’s expression hardened.
“Because she thought she knew him.””
I looked back at the papers.
The marriage had ended quickly.
Only fourteen months.
The reason listed was vague.
Irreconcilable differences.
A phrase that suddenly felt like a joke.
People didn’t divorce because of differences.
They divorced because something broke.
“What happened?””
Elena looked down.
“Victoria found out Marcus was seeing someone else.””
“Who?””
She looked at me.
“Me.””
I froze.
“What?””
“She contacted me after she found messages.””
My mouth opened slightly.
“But you were with him too?””
Elena nodded.
“I didn’t know about her.””
A sick feeling moved through me.
A pattern.
A cycle.
Every woman believed she was the only one.
Every woman thought she knew him.
Every woman was wrong.
“What did Victoria do?””
Elena was quiet.
“She left.””
“Only that?””
“No.””
The hesitation returned.
I hated that hesitation.
“What?””
“She fought him.””
“Legally?””
“Yes.””
“For what?””
Elena looked at the papers.
“For money.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“Money?””
“Marcus had convinced her to invest in a business with him.””
My stomach tightened.
“Was it fake?””
“No.””
“Then what?””
Elena looked at me.
“He used her name.””
I didn’t understand.
“He took loans under her name. Opened accounts. Made promises.””
My chest tightened.
“Did she know?””
“Not until the debt collectors came.””
The room went silent.
Because suddenly this wasn’t just about cheating.
It was about something much bigger.
Marcus hadn’t only stolen trust.
He had been stealing pieces of people’s lives.
That afternoon, I met Victoria.
She chose a small restaurant away from the city.
A place where nobody would recognize us.
When she walked in, I immediately understood something.
She wasn’t angry.
She wasn’t dramatic.
She looked tired.
The kind of tired that comes from fighting the same battle for years.
She sat across from me.
“Nia.””
I nodded.
“Victoria.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she said:
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at her.
“For what?””
“For not finding you sooner.””
That answer caught me off guard.
“You didn’t owe me anything.””
She looked down.
“Yes, I did.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“Yes.””
She opened her bag and placed a document on the table.
“I think you need to see this.””
I looked at it.
A bank statement.
A signature.
Marcus’s name.
And then I saw the date.
My blood ran cold.
Because the transaction happened seven years ago.
Three days after Marcus and I got married.
I looked up.
“What is this?””
Victoria’s eyes filled with sadness.
“The reason Marcus chose you.””
My heart stopped.
“Chose me?””
She nodded.
“He didn’t marry you because he finally changed.””
A chill moved through me.
“Then why?””
Victoria leaned closer.
“Because Marcus needed something from you.””
I stared at the document.
At his signature.
At the date.
At the proof that my marriage had been planned for reasons I couldn’t imagine.
Then Victoria whispered:
“Nia, your husband didn’t just hide another woman.””
She looked directly into my eyes.
“He built his entire life around a lie.””
And before I could ask what she meant, my phone buzzed.
A message from Marcus.
One sentence.
May you like
One sentence that made my hands go numb.
*“Nia, you need to come home. I found out who has been trying to destroy us.””*
