Married to the Same Man

But I had something to confirm. I held on to the last bit of reason, went to the restroom, and called Rupert. His phone kept going to the voicemail.

I knew he was still on a video call, but I couldn't stop myself from trying again and again. Half an hour passed, and he still didn't answer.

The only text I got from him was on WhatsApp, saying he was busy. I could feel my heart breaking as I read those words.

I forced myself to lift my phone, snap a picture of the woman sitting outside the doctor's office, and send it to Rupert.

Less than five minutes later, he called me back.

"Honey, let me explain this." He sounded panicked, as if afraid I'd get mad. The way he wanted to explain himself sounded more like he was owning up to his fault than anything else.

"So, she's actually your wife, then?" My voice cracked, and I could barely get the words out.

"No, she's not… Mavis Sanger is just a friend. She messes around a lot, so don't take her seriously," Rupert explained, clearly on edge.

His words cut right through me. I'd never doubted him after all the years we'd been together, even with him being gone for work all the time and hardly ever around.

And now, he was giving me such a lame excuse. It was just ridiculous.

"She showed me your anniversary photos and those of you two together. She said she's married to you for six years, Rupert!" I felt worse with every word, and my voice was shaking.

"I…" Rupert wanted to explain, but I hung up on him without a second thought.

Suddenly, a sharp ache twisted through my belly as if trying to remind me of something. Tears began to slip down my cheeks uncontrollably. I gently ran my hand over my belly.

After a long while, I walked past the ultrasound room and headed the other way.

The nurse told me that getting an abortion needed a family member's signature and recommended I talk it over with my family before making a decision.

I rested my hand on my belly and said firmly, "That's not necessary. I've already made up my mind."

I could hear Mavis' voice from outside the door as she spoke to the doctor. "Not at all! I haven't had any morning sickness since I got pregnant. Maybe the baby feels bad for me and doesn't want me to feel miserable."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I remembered the day I found out I was pregnant. Rupert's eyes were red from tears of joy, and he was so excited that he could barely speak.

That moment was still so clear in my mind. But now, everything had fallen apart so quickly because of him.

The doctor frowned as he looked at my test results. "Getting pregnant is tough enough considering your condition. Going through with the abortion could make it even harder for you to conceive later on. You should really think this through."

"Go ahead. I've already made up my mind," I said.

My heart had sunk so deep that I couldn't even bring myself to think about what might happen in the future. I couldn't give this child the family it deserved, so I had to end this before things got any worse.

The anesthesia kicked in fast, and my vision went fuzzy. Before I knew it, the surgery was done. I clutched my belly and stumbled out of the operating room, disoriented and empty, like I wasn't even really there.

The discomfort in my body was overwhelming. As soon as I got home, I collapsed on the bed and drifted off.

I was jolted awake by a noise in the middle of the night. I turned toward it and saw Rupert, who was supposed to be away on a business trip. He was sitting quietly by the bed, staring at me.

When he saw I was awake, he moved closer and tried to pull me into his arms. I pushed him away.

"Let's get a divorce, Rupert!" My voice trembling with the weight of each word.

He went still, his hands frozen in the air.

I watched his face go from confused to shocked and finally to a cold, serious look. "Do you even hear yourself?"

The look on his face hit me like a ton of bricks—we'd never actually registered our marriage.

Back then, he always said he was too busy, and eventually, it became one of those things we never got to. We had a small wedding, and over time, I convinced myself the paperwork didn't really matter.

But now it finally clicked. Rupert never wanted to register our marriage because he was already married to Mavis! If he filed for another marriage, it'd be bigamy.

So, I'd been the other woman the whole time. And now, I didn't even have the right to ask for a divorce.