20 Chapter 20 – A Marriage Certificate and Two Divorce Lawyers
I stared at the clerk, her words echoing in my head. The certificate was genuine? That was impossible.
“There must be some mistake,” I said, my voice sharper than intended. “I’ve never signed any marriage certificate with him.”
The clerk adjusted her glasses and gave me a look that screamed “not my problem.”
“According to our system, you did. Three years ago, to be exact.”
Nathaniel stepped forward, his towering presence making the clerk straighten up.
“I want to see the registration guarantee. Now.”
The clerk nodded quickly and disappeared into the back office. Raymond shot me a venomous glare.
“You’ve gone to extraordinary lengths, Miss Johnson. I must admire your determination, if not your morals.”
“Oh, shut up,” I snapped. “If I were planning to trap him in marriage, don’t you think I’d have done it publicly? With witnesses? Not with some mystery document that even I didn’t know
existed?”
Raymond opened his mouth to retort, but Nathaniel silenced him with a raised hand.
The clerk returned with a folder and spread its contents on the counter. There, in black and white, was the registration guarantee with our signatures. I leaned closer, my heart racing. That was definitely my signature–the one I used for legal documents, not the simplified version I used day–to–day.
“This is…” I trailed off, touching the paper gently. “This is my actual signature.”
Nathaniel examined his own. His jaw tightened.
“Mine as well.”
The clerk looked between us, clearly confused. “You both signed this in person. There’s even a note here that says you declined the standard ceremony and photos.”
“We need to see the security footage from that day, Nathaniel demanded.
The clerk shook her head. “We only keep footage for two years. This was registered three years ago.”
Nathaniel’s fist clenched at his side. “Who was the officiating clerk?”
She checked the document again. “Timothy Wong, but he transferred to
another district last
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20 Chapter 20 – A Marriage Certificate and Two Divorce Lawyers
We had hit a dead end. I looked up at Nathaniel, finding his dark eyes already fixed on me. There
was no accusation there now, just bewilderment that matched my own.
“Is there anything else you need?” the clerk asked, clearly eager to be done with us.
“Make copies of everything,” Nathaniel instructed Raymond, who complied with obvious reluctance.
Ten minutes later, we stepped out of the Civil Affairs Bureau into the bright morning sunlight. Raymond excused himself to take a call, leaving Nathaniel and me standing awkwardly by his car.
“I want a divorce,” we both blurted out simultaneously.
I blinked in surprise, then let out a nervous laugh. “Well, at least we agree on something.”
Nathaniel’s stern expression didn’t change. “I’ll have my lawyer draw up the papers.”
“I’ll contact mine too.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I assume we both want a clean break? No assets exchanged?”
“Precisely.” His tone was clipped. “I have no intention of sharing the Ricardo fortune with someone I barely know.”
“And I have no interest in taking anything that isn’t mine,” I replied, trying to keep my voice level. “Contrary to what your assistant believes, I’m not after your money.”
Nathaniel studied me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine. I held his gaze, refusing to be
intimidated.
“You saved my number under ‘Grandson,” he said suddenly.
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “It was a joke. From our chat days.”
“I know what it was.” A ghost of a smile touched his lips before vanishing. “I saved yours as ‘Need
Iron Girl.“”
The reminder of our online friendship made me uncomfortable. How had we gone from friendly chats about books and business to this bizarre situation?
“I should go,” I said, stepping
back. “My lawyer will be in touch.”
Nathaniel nodded curtly. “As will mine.”
I turned and walked away, feeling his eyes on my back. Only when I reached the taxi stand did I
pull out my phone and call Griffin.
“Hey, Jules. How did it go at the bureau?” Griffin’s cheerful voice was a balm to my frazzled
nerves.
“The marriage certificate is real
Griff. With my actual signature on it.”
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20 Chapter 20 – A Marriage Certificate and Two Divorce Lawyers
“What? How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, but I need a divorce lawyer. The best one you can find.” I climbed into a taxi, giving the driver my address. “Someone who can make this go away quickly and quietly.”
“On it. What about Old Mrs. Ricardo? She’s the only one who seems to know what happened.”
I sighed, rubbing my temple. “Her memory is deteriorating by the day. Whatever she knows, we need to get it from her soon.”
“I’ll find you a shark of a divorce attorney by this afternoon. In the meantime, try not to sign any more mysterious marriage certificates, okay?”
I rolled my eyes. “Very funny.”
After hanging up, I checked my messages. There was one from an unknown number:
“This is Nathaniel Ricardo. I’m changing my number. Delete the old one.”
I saved it under “Husband” with a grimacing emoji, then typed back:
“This is Juliana. Noted.”
His reply came immediately: “Your contact name is still inappropriate.”
I almost smiled. “Changed it to ‘Husband‘ with a grimacing face. Better?”
There was a long pause before his response: “Much.”
The exchange was oddly domestic for two people who’d just demanded divorce from each other.
When I reached my apartment, I was shocked to find the door unlocked. I pushed it open cautiously, ready to call the police if needed.
“Julie, dear! There you are!”
Mrs. Margaret Ricardo sat in my living room, surrounded by luggage and her nurse.
“Mrs. Ricardo?” I stared in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
She smiled brightly. “I’ve moved in, of course! A wife should be with her husband’s family when he’s away.”
The nurse gave me an apologetic look. “She insisted. We couldn’t talk her out of it.”
I felt a headache building. “Mrs. Ricardo, I—”
“Call me Grandmother, dear.” She patted the seat beside her. “Come sit with me. Tell me about your morning with Nathaniel.”
This was a complication I hadn’t anticipated. I sat down slowly, wondering how I was going to
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20 Chapter 20–A Marriage Certificate and Two Divorce Lawyers
explain to Nathaniel that his grandmother had essentially moved into my apartment.
Nathaniel’s POV
The moment I returned to my office, I summoned Liam Ricardo, my cousin and head of security.
“I need you to investigate this marriage certificate,” I said, sliding the copy across my desk. “Find out how it was filed, who was involved, everything.”
Liam picked it up, whistling low. “You and Juliana Johnson? Wasn’t she the girl-”
“Yes,” I cut him off. “The one your brother pursued in college.”
Liam examined the document. “This looks legitimate.”
“It is. The Civil Affairs Bureau confirmed it.” I leaned back in my chair, frustrated. “But neither of us remembers signing it.”
“Strange.” Liam tucked the paper into his jacket. “I’ll get on this right away.”
After he left, I pulled out my phone and called my attorney.
“James, I need the best divorce lawyer in the country. Someone discreet and ruthless.”
James coughed. “Divorce? I wasn’t aware you were married, Mr. Ricardo.”
“Neither was I, until this morning.” I explained the situation briefly.
“I see.” His tone was professional, betraying no surprise. “I’ll arrange a meeting with Thomas Wells. He’s handled several high–profile divorces with absolute discretion.”
“Good. One condition–she gets nothing. Not a single penny of Ricardo money.”
“Understood, sir.”
I hung up and stared out at the city skyline. How had I ended up legally bound to a woman I barely knew? And why couldn’t I remember any of it?
My phone pinged with an email notification. It was from Juliana’s lawyer, with a divorce agreement already attached. I opened it, scanning the terms quickly. My eyebrows rose in surprise.
She wasn’t asking for anything. No alimony, no property division, nothing. Just a clean break and a confidentiality clause.
As I was reading, my office door burst open. Liam rushed in, breathless.
“Boss, I have some results on the investigation into your marriage!”
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