Chapter 1While I Was Away, My Wife Got Married

Two months on a business trip, and my wife got married.

I stared at my phone screen, my fingers trembling slightly.

"Welcome everyone to our wedding!"

Sarah's Facebook post included a wedding photo. In it, she wore a stunning gown, her arm linked with a man's elbow, and her other hand held the hand of a kid who looked about five or six.

But the guy standing next to her wasn't me – it was her ex, Jake Harding.

Two months ago, the company shipped me out of state for work. I never imagined that in just a few short weeks, my wife would be married.

* * *

With shaking fingers, I zoomed in on the picture. Her stomach was perfectly flat, not showing any hint of being four months pregnant.

But my wife had just had her four-month check-up!

A ridiculous feeling washed over me from my toes to the top of my head.

Had my whole life been turned upside down in just two months?

Several friends commented, "Sarah, what's going on? Aren't you already married?"

Sarah's reply was blunt: "Mark cheated on me. We're divorced!"

What? My vision blurred, and I almost dropped the phone.

How could I have cheated?

For the last two months, all I'd done was work and call her every day to check on her and the baby. Now she was announcing on Facebook that I'd cheated?

I don't know why, but I opened our chat window and sent her a message: "Sarah, is what you said on Facebook true? We're still married."

I waited a full ten minutes before my phone finally buzzed.

"It's just a sham marriage, what's the big deal?"

Staring at those words on the screen, it felt like I'd been punched in the chest.

A sham marriage?

We'd had a marriage license for two years and been married for one. Now she was telling me it was all fake?

I tried calling her, but no one answered.

I called again, and still just got the cold, automated message.

Sitting in my hotel room, looking out at the still-bustling Chicago skyline, I felt like my world had just collapsed.