Divorced in the Morning. Engaged by Noon. In Love by Surprise

Walking in on someone after they've been dumped is pretty awkward. Before I could figure out how to break the silence, Robert took the initiative: “Sorry about that, must have been quite a show for you... Can you believe this..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his phone rang again.

He fumbled to answer it, clearly distressed.

The call was loud enough that I could hear every word perfectly without the speaker on.

“Dad, did you and Aunt Sophia get the marriage certificate yet? Hurry up and get to Ulden Hotel, Grandma's already booked the venue. Everyone's waiting for you two. We even invited relatives. Hurry up!”

Robert seemed flustered, stammering several times before he could get the words out: “Son, well... Aunt Sophia and I... we broke up.”

“What? You broke up? Weren't you just about to get the marriage certificate? I don't care, you must bring a wife back today. It's not just me saying this, Grandma insists too. How are we supposed to face all the relatives?”

With that, the call abruptly ended.

Listening to all this, I was in a dilemma, unsure if I should stay or leave.

Robert, however, acted like nothing was wrong. He gave me an awkward smile, sighed, wiped his face, and sat down on the steps, looking utterly dejected.

I wanted to comfort him: “Brother, you're a good man. Good men always get their reward.”

His eyes lit up when he looked at me and asked: “You're divorced, right?”

I held up my divorce certificate with a bitter smile.

Robert continued, “Look, you're divorced. The person I was supposed to marry walked out. Why don't we just pair up?”

I was stunned.

But thinking about his earlier kindness, his familiar eyes, and that smile, I found myself nodding instinctively: “Alright.”

“Well, do you have your documents with you? Let's go inside. Here, take this card. There’s $100,000 on it, consider it as bride price. I'll add another $100,000 later.”

I was a bit taken aback. When I married Percival, his family only gave me $30,000 as bride price.

Robert thrust the card into my hand and led me back into the courthouse.

Halfway, he asked me: “If you have second thoughts, it's not too late to back out.”

His words unexpectedly gave me courage: “No regrets. Let’s get married.”

When we came out of the courthouse again, holding the freshly issued marriage certificate, I felt a bit lost.

Did I just... get married again?

Robert extended his hand to me: “My name is Robert Colton. I'm forty-eight, a programmer at a gaming company. I have a twenty-three-year-old son and an elderly mother. But don’t worry, you won't have to take care of them. We can live our own lives.”

I took his hand slowly: “Hazel Farrar. I'm forty-five. I used to be a stay-at-home mom and don’t have a job yet. I have no other relatives. But don’t worry, I'll find a job soon enough to support myself.”

We exchanged smiles, feeling a surprising sense of familiarity amidst the strangeness.