Chapter 1 Five years into her marriage, Raelynn Hatton was finally pregnant. She decided to surprise her husband, Maverick Joyner, with the news on their fifth anniversary. Overjoyed, she immediately went to get insurance for the baby. However, when the clerk input the information on Raelynn's marriage certificate, an alert kept popping up, saying the certificate was invalid. "Ms. Hatton, are you sure your marriage certificate is authentic?" The alert had popped up over ten times. The clerk was frustrated and had to ask. Raelynn felt offended. "My husband and I have been married for five years. How can my marriage certificate possi- bly be fake?" The clerk tried again and returned the certificate to her. "Maybe you should have it checked at City Hall. Using a fake certificate is against the law. Besides, a marriage certificate isn't essential for such a procedure." Raelynn got the clerk's point. She went to City Hall without delay. When she came out, her face was deathly pale with no sign of joy. The words of the clerk at City Hall weighed heavily on her heart. "You and Mr. Joyner are both single. Your marriage certificate is fake." Their five-year marriage turned out to be...a sham! Raelynn and Maverick were childhood sweethearts. Everyone knew how much he loved her. If he could, he'd present all the nice things in the world to her. Then, how come her marriage certificate was fake? Raelynn immediately bought a plane ticket for the Philippines to find Maverick, who was on a business trip. She must know the truth! When she reached the hotel where he stayed, a wedding was happening. The Philippines is one of the world's few countries where marriage is an indissoluble, lifelong contract and divorce is not legally sanctioned. So, to demonstrate their commitment, some chose to get married here. Raelynn wasn't in the mood to watch the ceremony. She pressed through the crowd and got to the elevator. Just then, she accidentally glimpsed the groom, who was surrounded by a group of people. She was stunned, as if struck by a thunderbolt. The man was all smiles, wearing an embroidered Barong Tagalog-a traditional local outfit-paired with black trousers and leather shoes. 0.0 % 10:33 Chapter 1 400 Youchers It was none other than Maverick, the man Raelynn had been married to for five years. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed he would dress like that. "Congratulations, Maverick!" "I must say I'm impressed, Maverick. This wedding and the one back home are both amazing!" "Say, Maverick. Are you serious about the poor girl, Ophelia Neve?" Someone else asked out of curiosity, "Is this bigamy? After all, Maverick married Raclynn at home years ago. It's the least I can do," he said slowly, each word carefully weighed. So that was the truth-the fake marriage certificate had been Maverick's idea! Tears welled uncontrollably in Raelynn's eyes. Five years ago, Raelynn had a car accident. Ophelia, then a high school freshman, took her to the hospital and donat- ed her own blood, saving Raelynn's life. Ophelia grew up in poverty, and her severely ill mother was her only family. Out of gratitude, Raelynn and Maverick offered to pay for her schooling. They even arranged for her to study and travel abroad. Maverick had said that Ophelia had saved his life as well, because Raelynn's life meant everything to him. And he was willing to repay her with everything he owned. Who would have guessed that it also included marrying her once she grew older? 54.3% 10:33