Five Years Too Late

I leave everything behind and move halfway across the world to Alverra for Richard Leigh. Five years later, I still don't have permanent residency. Every application I submit gets rejected. Meanwhile, Mia Ferguson, the fake heiress living with us, gets approved in just three months. Richard even hires an immigration lawyer to fast-track her case. Eventually, I can't take the disappointment anymore, and I tell him I want to go home. Richard panics. He pulls me into his arms, crying as he begs me to stay. "Janet, you're my wife. You'll get permanent residency sooner or later. But Mia's different. She has no one. If she doesn't get permanent residency, she could be deported at any time. Please, stay. Do it for me." And once again, his tears convince me to stay. Then today, I go to the immigration office to double-check my information. The officer flips through my paperwork, then gives me a puzzled look. "Ma'am, our records show that Richard Leigh's legal spouse is... Mia Ferguson. Are you sure you filled this out correctly?" My blood runs cold. For five years, I've waited for permanent residency. Turns out, I was never even legally Richard's wife. I don't go back to the house. I head straight to the airport and catch a flight home. Just before I board, one last message from Richard comes through. "Stop being ridiculous and come home." But we haven't had a home in a long time. Chapter 1 When I didn't respond, the officer must have thought I hadn't heard her. "Ma'am, you might want to check this again." That finally snapped me back to reality. I took the form from her and forced a small smile. "No, that's okay. Thank you." I froze for a couple of seconds, then reached for my phone without thinking and called Richard Leigh. I needed to know what was going on. The phone rang and rang. But when someone finally answered, it was Mia Ferguson. "Janet, Richard's in a meeting. Is there something you need? You can tell me, and I'll pass it along. Though unless it's about groceries or something around the house, I doubt it's anything important. "We're discussing an acquisition right now, so as a housewife, you should probably stay out of it." Her voice was sweet, but every word had a sting. I couldn't say a thing. Then I heard Richard's voice faintly in the background. "What is it?" Mia laughed softly. "Nothing. Just a pointless call. Focus on the contract." The call ended. I watched my phone screen go dark as tears rolled down my face. By the time I finally stopped crying, all I could do was laugh bitterly. Looking back, I really shouldn't have been surprised. Richard and Mia had grown up together and had been each other's first loves. I'd known that before Richard and I ever got together. But back then, Richard had taken my hand and looked me straight in the eye. "That's all in the past, Janet. You're the one I love now." And like a fool, I'd believed him. Not long after I moved to Alverra with Richard, Mia came too, saying she'd relocated for work. Richard was worried about her living alone and talked me into letting her stay with us. "She's all alone here and doesn't know anyone. I don't feel comfortable with her living by herself." So just like that, Mia moved in with us. Later, she changed jobs and became Richard's assistant. Anyone could see there was something off between them. But all Richard had to say was, "She's like a sister to me. Don't overthink it." And I believed him. I ignored what was right in front of me and shut out everything I didn't want to hear because, as far as I knew, I was Mrs. Leigh. Before I left the country to marry Richard, Mom knew I had my heart set on going. She didn't try to stop me. She just gave me a tired, helpless smile. "You're young. I won't stop you, and I couldn't even if I tried. Someday you'll understand. When you depend on someone else for everything, the moment they stop giving, you're left with nothing. Being a housewife never ends well." Back then, I was too young to believe her. I thought love mattered more than life itself. I didn't take a cent from my family. I followed Richard to Alverra, full of hope and ready to build a life in a country where I didn't speak the language and didn't know anyone. It took me five hard years to finally find my footing. By then, Richard had already stopped loving me. Only now did I finally understand what Mom had meant. Without hesitating, I pulled out my phone and booked the next flight home. The next flight out was that night. I'd already given Richard five years of my life, and I didn't have another five to let him waste. The booking confirmation had barely appeared on my screen when Richard's name flashed across the top. He was calling me back. Chapter 2 "Janet, I was in a meeting. What's going on?" Richard asked. "Are you at the office? I need to talk to you. I need to come over now." He hesitated. "Now? That's not really a good time. I have a business dinner tonight. If it isn't urgent, we can talk when I get home—" "It can't wait." I cut him off so sharply that even he seemed surprised. I was usually the one who tried to be understanding, and I rarely spoke to him like that. Richard frowned. "Are you still upset about the permanent residency thing? I've told you, you're my legal spouse. Under Alverran law, it's only a matter of time before you get permanent residency. "Besides, you don't even have to work. What do you need it for? Janet, I'll take care of you." He'd said those words more times than I could count. Now, they just sounded bitterly ironic. He kept promising to take care of me, but I wasn't even his legal wife. Whatever he considered me, on paper I was no different from the other woman, someone who had to stay hidden. I didn't bring any of that up over the phone. "I'll be there in 30 minutes," I said, then hung up. There were still some things I wanted to hear Richard say to my face. I didn't know much about finance, so I almost never went to Richard's company. He was always busy, and since I couldn't help with his work anyway, I figured showing up unannounced would only get in his way. I went there so rarely that the receptionist had to take some time confirming who I was before finally showing me to Richard's office. When I got there, everyone inside was still chatting. From their accents, I could tell we shared the same cultural background. They started teasing Richard with slick, smarmy jokes. "Mr. Leigh, when are you and Mia finally going to have the wedding? I've had your wedding gift ready for ages." "Seriously, you two have been married for five years. You'd think you'd have a baby by now. Why are you still keeping the whole thing under wraps?" Mia protested halfheartedly. "Oh, stop. Richard only married me on paper to help me get permanent residency. If Janet heard you talking like that, she'd get the wrong idea." The others clearly weren't ready to let it go. They took Mia's words as an excuse to start tearing into me. "So what if Janet gets the wrong idea? Without Richard paying her way, she could be deported tomorrow. It's not like she can actually help him with his career the way you can. All she does is cook and clean. She's basically a maid." One of them chuckled and kept going. "Richard, if you ask me, why not just make the fake marriage real and be with Mia? As for the maid you've got at home, give her some money and send her back home." I stopped just as I was about to push the door open. Everyone inside fell quiet, waiting to hear what Richard would say. He stayed quiet for a moment, as if he were actually considering it. Then he let out a dismissive laugh. "Alright, that's enough. Mia gets embarrassed easily. As for the one at home, she's been making a fuss lately. I'll try to smooth things over with her. If that doesn't work, we'll see." I knew exactly what he meant by "we'll see." A few people inside chuckled knowingly. I wasn't going to stand there like a fool any longer. While they were still laughing, I pushed open the office door. Chapter 3 Everyone in the office turned toward the door at once. The moment they saw me, they froze. Richard looked over too, and the smile disappeared from his face. "Janet? How did you..." He recovered quickly and hurried over, his voice flustered. "How did you get here so fast? I told you to call when you arrived so I could come down and get you." I didn't answer. I just looked at him calmly until he started to look uneasy. After a moment, he tried to explain, "You heard that, didn't you? We were just joking around. Don't worry. I promise I'll get your permanent residency approved next month." I stayed quiet and looked past Richard, slowly taking in everyone else in the office. After a long moment, I said calmly, "Never mind. Looks like I came at a bad time. You're all busy, so I'll leave you to it." I'd heard enough from Richard. There was no point confronting him about the marriage in front of everyone. I'd only make myself look like some pathetic, bitter wife demanding answers, and it wouldn't change anything. I wasn't going to humiliate myself like that. My flight was that night. All I wanted now was to go home, pack my things, and leave Richard for good. But just as I turned to leave, Mia grabbed my sleeve and stopped me. Her expression crumpled as if she were about to cry. "Janet, don't go! It's not what you think. Richard and I only got married so I could get permanent residency. Please, don't be mad at him, okay?" I frowned. I was the one who'd been wronged, yet Mia was crying like she was the victim. "If you're really worried about making me mad, then let go." Instead, she tightened her grip on my sleeve. "No! I'm not letting go until you forgive Richard and me!" She even bent her knees like she was about to kneel in front of me. "Janet, please forgive Richard. Forgive us, okay? I swear, as soon as my residency is secure, I'll divorce him. I promise!" Her pitiful act won over the others in the room, and they looked at me with even more disgust. I was usually patient, but even I had my limits. Mia's shameless victim act finally made me snap. "Who do you think you're fooling? Your mother was just as shameless. She hid behind her friendship with my mom while she slept with my dad, and you're no different. "You hid behind being my sister while you slept with Richard, and now you expect me to forgive you? What is it with you and your mother? You both sleep with other women's men, then turn around and act like you're somehow decent." My words only made Mia cry harder. Richard couldn't stand seeing her upset. He immediately turned on me and snapped, "That's enough, Janet! Watch how you talk to her! Whatever problems we have, we'll deal with them at home, behind closed doors. "Stop making a scene in front of everyone and embarrassing yourself." Seeing him defend her so openly killed whatever hope I had left. I had no intention of getting into an ugly fight with him in front of everyone. I just tried to pull my sleeve free from Mia's grip. I barely tugged at it before Mia suddenly screamed and stumbled toward the couch, slamming her stomach into the sharp corner. Her face went pale. She clutched her stomach and cried weakly, "It hurts. It hurts so much. Richard, our baby..." Mia was pregnant? Before I could even process that, Richard shoved me hard out of the way and tore into me. "Janet, you're fucking insane! Mia was only trying to help patch things up between us, and you hurt her on purpose?" I stared at him in disbelief. "You were right there. You saw me barely pull away. You got her pregnant, and you still have the nerve to stand there and act like I'm the one at fault?" Richard was angry too. Every word out of his mouth was more hurtful than the last. "So what? Don't forget, Janet, I've been paying your way all these years! From now on, I'm cutting off your credit card and locking you out of the house. Without my money, you wouldn't last a day here on your own!" Chapter 4 Richard didn't spare me another glance. He scooped Mia into his arms as she groaned in pain. Then he barked at the others, who were still standing there in shock. "What are you waiting for? Call an ambulance! No, take my car and get her to the hospital. Now!" They all rushed out. I was left alone, rubbing my bruised shoulder where Richard had shoved me. I gave a bitter laugh and shook my head. I'd given Richard five years of my life and followed him across the world without hesitation. This was all I had to show for it. Maybe it was better this way. At least now, I had no reason to look back. Richard always did what he said he would, so I didn't bother going back to pack my things. If he was so sure he'd been the one supporting me, he could keep everything his money had paid for. The thought of taking any of it with me made me sick. Luckily, I'd brought all my personal documents with me for the immigration review. That was all I needed. I hailed a cab and headed straight for the airport. Richard probably knew Mia was putting on an act, but he still couldn't resist seeing how far he could push me. Just like those lousy friends of his had said, he'd supported me for five years and given me a life of luxury. Somewhere along the way, he'd started to believe that meant I should do whatever he wanted. Apparently, even his cheating was something I was supposed to overlook as long as he said a few sweet words afterward. After all, he was the one paying for everything. Richard pressed his lips together, then cut off the credit card he'd given me and revoked my access to the house. Later, he sent me an angry message. "Do you understand what you did wrong now? Come to the hospital and apologize to Mia! If you do, I might let this go." But Richard had forgotten that I had a family, a job, and friends back home. I'd never asked him to support me. I'd given all of that up because I loved him enough to cross an ocean and marry him. When I saw his message, I almost laughed. I didn't bother replying. I barely glanced at it before swiping it away. Three hours passed. By then, it was already dark, and I still hadn't replied. Richard started to think something was wrong. Without permanent residency, I didn't have a bank account or any savings of my own. Alverra wasn't particularly safe, either. Robberies were common, so I rarely carried more than 100 dollars in cash. That wasn't even enough for a decent hotel. No matter how angry I was with him, Richard didn't think I'd put myself in danger over an argument. He wrestled with it for a while. Five hours after his first message, he finally texted me again. "I turned your card back on and restored your access to the house. Go home. Don't stay out by yourself. It's not safe. We'll talk when I get back." I still didn't reply. Another hour passed, and Richard started getting restless. He checked the card activity, but there hadn't been a single charge. Then he pulled up the security footage from outside the house. I hadn't been back since that afternoon. It was late, and I was a woman from Lydora with no car and nowhere to stay, out on my own. In Alverra, that could be dangerous. Richard's brow twitched as panic set in. He couldn't sit still. He paced back and forth, staring at his phone as he typed and deleted the same message again and again. Finally, he sent one last text. "Stop being ridiculous and come home." I still didn't reply. By then, I was at the gate having my boarding pass scanned. I read his message calmly, then blocked his number and deleted the conversation without hesitation. I turned off my phone and boarded the plane without looking back. The plane sped down the runway and lifted into the air. I watched Alverra, the country where I'd spent the last five years, grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared from sight. I didn't cry. I wasn't sad to leave. All I felt was relief. From then on, there was no reason for Richard and me to ever see each other again. … At the hospital, Richard grew more anxious when I still didn't reply. He was finally about to swallow his pride and call me when his phone rang. It was Archie Goodwin, one of his close friends from back home. "Richard, I just landed. I wanted to surprise you, so I didn't ask you to pick me up. Didn't you say you and Janet would show me around once I got here? I think I just saw her at the airport, though. "She was boarding a nonstop flight back to Lydora. Is she heading home?"