Chapter 1
“Ms. Xander, the marriage certificate you submitted is forged. You’re not your husband’s legal wife.”
The words hit Norah Xander like a bolt of lightning. She had come to reissue the document, never expecting this.
“That can’t be true. Damien and I registered our marriage five years ago…”
“The database confirms that Mr. Damien Harvick is married, but you are
not.”
Her voice shaking, Norah asked, “Then who is Damien’s legal wife?”
“Dakota Wallace.”
Gripping the back of the chair for support, Norah struggled to stay upright.
A certificate was placed before her, the words “Marriage Certificate” printed on it stung her eyes.
At first, she thought there must be a system error. But hearing the name “Dakota” changed everything.
All her illusions shattered instantly.
The grand wedding from five years ago, the seemingly perfect marriage everyone admired, and her pride in being his wife, meant nothing now. They were all fake.
Norah walked home slowly, carrying a document that had no legal effect.
Chapter 1
As she reached the front door, she heard voices from inside.
It was the family’s lawyer. “Mr. Harvick, it’s been five years. Have you considered giving Mrs. Harvick a legally recognized status?”
Norah froze, barely breathing.
Then Damien’s low voice came through.
“Not yet. Dakota is still abroad, building her career. Being called Mrs. Harvick helps her make connections in that cutthroat gathering.”
The family’s lawyer reminded him, “You and Mrs. Harvick never got an official marriage certificate. If she ever harbors doubts, she can leave at any time.”
Damien looked down, paused in thought, and then replied, “Still, Dakota gave birth to a daughter for me. I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe.
“As for Norah, she’s so devoted to me that she wouldn’t leave.
“Plus, she cut ties with her own family just to marry me. She has no other path now.”
Even though it was the middle of August and the sun blazed overhead, Norah felt like she’d been dropped into freezing water.
She realized that giving up her family for him wasn’t just her decision, it had been carefully planned by Damien all along.
All the strange things she noticed in the past suddenly made sense.
The Harvick Group, which had never shown any interest in charity before, had recently launched a charity.
Damien, who used to get annoyed by loud kids, now acted extra kind toward Tessa, a girl from the Child Welfare Center.
C7 28
Chapter 1
Now it made sense why he had suddenly said he wanted to adopt her. Tessa was actually his and Dakota’s child.
Norah stared up at the blazing sky, feeling lightheaded.
Her legs gave out beneath her, and her knees crashed hard into the stone. step in front of her.
The moment he heard the commotion, Damien bolted outside, swept her into his arms, and rushed her back inside.
He placed Norah carefully onto the sofa, treating her like something delicate that might break.
“Norah, are you feeling sick?” he asked gently.
Norah turned her head, looking into his eyes as if hoping to figure out whether his concern was real or just an act.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t tell the difference.
When she didn’t reply right away, Damien grew nervous.
“Norah, did you overhear something just now…?”
She gave a slight shake of her head. “I might have a heat stroke. I feel. dizzy and nauseous.”
Damien let out a quiet breath of relief, then stood and turned to the driver who had brought her.
“How could you let this happen? Go collect your last paycheck from accounting. You’re fired.”
Norah raised her hand to stop him. “The sun was shining so nicely, so I chose to walk home. It’s not his fault.”
Damien squatted down and gently blew on her scraped knees, where blood was starting to show.
“Norah, you’re just too gentle and kind.”
For five years straight, she had no idea she was living in a false world built by Damien’s lies.
All of a sudden, Norah grabbed his hand. She still couldn’t accept that the man who once loved her deeply had been hiding things from her.
Maybe there was a mix–up at the City Hall. Or maybe Damien didn’t even know what had happened.
Clinging to her final bit of hope, she said, “Damien, the marriage certificate got ruined. Should we go get it reissued?”
Damien’s eyes briefly showed fear, but he quickly covered it up.
He looked away, avoiding her gaze. “Let the lawyer deal with things like this. You should focus on resting and getting better.”
Norah slowly closed her eyes, feeling completely hopeless.
That night, she was haunted by nightmares.
She kept hearing her parents scolding her and Damien whispering sweet things, all mixing together in her head.
“If you go ahead and marry Damien, don’t ever expect to come back to this house!”
“Norah, I’ll always stand by you. From now on, I’ll be the only family to you in this world.”
***
Chapter 1
Five years ago, even though Norah’s parents strongly disagreed, she firmly broke off her arranged marriage from childhood and chose to be with. Damien.
Her decision made her father so upset that he suffered a heart attack, and her mother lashed out with harsh words, “One day, you’ll regret this.”
But Norah trusted her feelings. She packed her things, left her home in Chicago, and moved to New York all by herself.
During those years, Damien’s affection didn’t fade. In fact, it grew stronger every day.
One of his close friends once joked, “Even if Norah said she liked the stars in the sky, Mr. Harvick would find a way to grab one for her.”
When she heard that, Norah couldn’t help but laugh.
Because Damien really had brought her a “star“.
One time, she saw a picture of a blue star in an astronomy magazine and casually mentioned how unique it looked.
That same year, on their anniversary, she received a certificate from the UK Star Name Registry, a star–naming organization.
Now, that glowing blue star in space carries her name alone.
