Chapter 2She Saved a Stray Dog With the Antivenom

Stella blocked me on every single platform. But someone had to handle Martha's funeral arrangements.

I had no choice but to go to the city clerk's office to get the necessary next-of-kin paperwork. The clerk behind the glass looked at my ID, frowned, and pushed the documents back to me.

"Sir, our system shows that your marital status is single." "You must have a power of attorney signed by the deceased's immediate legal family member before we can process anything for you."

I froze.

Three years ago, Stella and I went to City Hall together. I literally watched the clerk stamp the official seal onto our marriage certificate. How on earth could I be single?

"There must be a glitch in the system. Here is our marriage certificate. Could you please run the names again?"

The clerk typed a few things into her keyboard and turned the monitor toward me. "Stella's legal husband is named Felix." "The state database doesn't make mistakes like this. As for how this happened, I really couldn't tell you."

I stared blankly at the timeline on the screen. The date of their marriage registration was last October.

A memory suddenly clicked into place. Around that time, Stella told me her institute had taken on a highly classified government project. As her spouse, she claimed I needed to sign a strict non-disclosure agreement. She had rushed me so aggressively that I signed the paperwork without reading the fine print.

Looking back now, the problem was definitely hidden inside that stack of papers. What an incredible bait-and-switch. No wonder she didn't look panicked at all when I demanded a divorce at the family dinner last month.

Stepping out of City Hall, I received a call from the hospital morgue. They were asking when Martha's body would be transferred for cremation.

Martha's dying pleas echoed in my ears. She had begged me to believe that Stella was just being manipulated, that she had simply taken a wrong turn in life, and begged me not to blame her. But legally, I was a complete stranger. I had absolutely no right to offer forgiveness, let alone plan a funeral.

"I am sorry," I said calmly into the phone. "I am not Martha's legal family. I don't have the authority to make those decisions." "Furthermore, her daughter hasn't even seen her one last time. Please transport the body directly to the university campus to find her daughter."

I hung up and took a cab back to my house. But the moment I unlocked the front door, I saw Felix pinning a half-undressed Stella against my living room sofa.

Hearing the door click, they scrambled to sit up in a panic.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" Stella frowned at me in deep annoyance. The fresh red hickeys on her neck were blindingly obvious.

I sneered, stepping inside and deliberately stepping right on Felix's expensive jacket that had been tossed onto the floor. "Do I need to report to you when I return to my own house?" "I am giving you five minutes. If you aren't out of my sight by then, I'm calling the cops and reporting a home invasion."

Hearing this, Felix put on a sickeningly pathetic face and bowed to me apologetically. "I am so sorry, Arthur. I was just worried about the Professor walking home alone, so I escorted her. Please don't misunderstand."

Escorting her home. Did that require lying half-naked on the sofa?

I didn't have the energy to argue. I turned and walked straight into the master bedroom. Staring at the massive wedding photo hanging on the wall, I felt nothing but pure irony.

Stella was living in the house I paid for in cash, yet she had tricked me into signing a divorce agreement. And now, she was brazenly bringing Felix into my living room.

I walked over, ripped the wedding photo off the wall, and threw all of our matching couple's items directly into the trash.

Just as I finished, I heard the front door slam shut. I intended to walk out and finally lay everything on the table with her.

But the moment I stepped into the hallway, I found two police officers standing in my entryway.

Stella pointed a manicured finger right at my chest. "Officers, I want to report this man for attempting to steal classified national research formulas for illegal profit!"