My Best Friend Wants to Borrow My Husband for Marriage

My best friend got pregnant before marriage and her boyfriend took off. So, she asked me if she could "borrow" my husband to marry her.

She promised that all she needed was a marriage certificate to get her child registered. The moment that was done, she said, she’d return my husband to me.

When I turned her down, she was furious.

"What's the big deal? It’s just borrowing your husband!" she snapped.

The next day, I found a marriage certificate in my husband’s briefcase.

The names on it were my husband’s and my best friend’s.

***

"Cass, can’t you lend me your husband so I can marry him for a bit?”

Starla White, my best friend, said this so casually, I nearly spat out my coffee.

“What did you just say?”

I stared at her, utterly shocked, my gaze drifting to her eight-months-pregnant belly.

Starla rubbed her stomach, throwing me a quick, dismissive look.

“Oh, relax. I only need your husband for a marriage certificate, so I can register my baby. As soon as that’s done, I’ll give him right back to you.”

The sheer confidence in her tone made my eye twitch.

“That’s not happening. Plenty of women are single mothers now. Since you chose to keep the baby, you should’ve prepared for the consequences, don’t you think?”

I replied coolly.

At this, Starla’s face darkened with visible irritation.

“You know how hard it is for single moms to make it in society. And anyway, it’s not like you and your husband even have a marriage certificate yet! What’s the harm in letting me borrow him for a bit?”

I almost laughed out of sheer disbelief at Starla’s reasoning.

Eight months ago, she’d disappeared for a while and then suddenly showed up to tell me she was pregnant—and that her boyfriend had run off.

I had tried to caution her, saying, “Being pregnant and unmarried is already tough and it’ll be even harder to raise a child alone with the father gone.”

But she’d looked me straight in the eye, resolute. “I’m not afraid. Since I’ve decided to have this baby, I’m prepared to deal with whatever judgment comes my way.”

And now, here she was, asking to “borrow” my husband. How could she say something so outrageous with a straight face?

My husband, Samuel Pearce and I got married a year ago. We only had a wedding ceremony, though and since I had to leave on a business trip, I missed our anniversary. So Samuel suggested that we delay our official registration until this year’s anniversary—which is next month.

Starla was the only person I’d told about this. I never imagined it would spark such an idea in her.

“No way. Even if I agreed, Samuel never would. If he registered a marriage with you and then divorced, he’d be considered a divorcé,” I replied firmly, shutting her down.

Starla’s face immediately darkened and she yanked her hand from my arm.

“Cassey Martinez! I thought you were my best friend, but I guess I was wrong. Besides, you haven’t even asked Sammy—how do you know he wouldn’t agree? Admit it, you just want me to suffer as a single mom and watch my son face shame his whole life.”

She glared at me, her expression filled with venom.

I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but when Starla mentioned Samuel, I caught a fleeting, almost imperceptible look of satisfaction in her eyes.

When I got home that evening, Samuel had just finished making dinner and as soon as he saw me, his face lit up with a warm smile.

“Cass, come eat.”

Looking at the steaming dishes on the table, I felt a rush of happiness fill me.

As we ate, I mentioned to Samuel the conversation I had with Starla earlier that day.

Clink!

The sound of Samuel’s spoon dropping onto the table echoed in the quiet room, his face suddenly filled with visible panic.