Page 78 of Always Been You
A strange, cold sensation unfurls in my chest.
“Oh?” I echo.
She glances at me, then back at the monitor. “Miss Dua… you are married. But not to Derrick Maddox.”
The words don’t register at first. I let out a short laugh. “Excuse me?”
She spins the screen toward me, and my gaze locks onto the text in front of me. My breath catches somewhere in my throat.
MARRIAGE RECORD
Name: Lawliss Dua
Spouse: Edmund Ansah-Montgomery
Date: April 20, 2024
The room tilts.
What the actual fuck?
I take a step back, then forward again, my pulse hammering. My grip tightens around my purse strap.
“That’s a mistake,” I say firmly, though my own voice sounds foreign to me. “That can’t be right.”
The woman shrugs, completely unfazed. “No mistake. It looks like a courthouse wedding. All signed and sealed.”
A courthouse wedding? No. No. I would remember getting married. Wouldn’t I?
A flicker of memory stirs—something about a night in Florida. Eddie grinning, handing me a document. Laughter spilling between us. Me signing an unknown document he gave to me, barely reading it, thinking it was just some joke or—
My stomach drops.
Oh. Oh.
I press my fingers to my temples. “Can you print that for me?”
She nods, still side-eyeing me like she’s waiting for me to either laugh or faint. The printer hums, and seconds later, she slides the paper across the counter.
I pick it up with trembling fingers and the bold, black ink stares back at me, undeniable.
I am married. To Edmund Montgomery.
I close my eyes, willing myself to be steady.
Well. That’s one way to find out.
I grab my phone and text Eddie.
Lawliss: Where are you?
Eddie: Miss me already, Empress?
Lawliss: WHERE. ARE. YOU?
Eddie: Okay… I’m at headquarters. Tenth floor.
I lower my phone, my heart hammering against my ribs. I am not in a state to drive.
