And the terrible thing was, I believed him. But love built on theft is still theft. Love that requires another person’s life to be erased is not love you can trust.
“You didn’t just lie. You erased someone. Then you asked me to stand in front of God and marry the lie.” I slipped off my ring and placed it in his palm. “I can’t do it. I won’t.”
Nobody moved.
“I never lied about loving you.”
I turned to Linda. Tears streamed down her face.
“You deserved the truth a long time ago,” I said.
She made a broken sound, half sob and half laugh, and nodded.
I walked out of that backyard alone.
* * *
The marriage was annulled.
There were police reports, lawyers, and ugly conversations about identity fraud.
Michael was arrested.
“You deserved the truth a long time ago.”
I still go to church. Some people look at me with pity, some with admiration, most with discomfort. A scandal like that never really goes away.
Linda and I have coffee every Thursday. Last week she said, “You know, you’re the only good thing that came out of this.”
I smiled at my cup. “That is a terrible compliment.”
“It’s the best I’ve got.”
I looked at her and felt something settle quietly into place. A steadiness. A return to myself.
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