The Husband With many Identities

Ch 17 - Something Is Wrong

The Court was already busy when Akeel and Danaya arrived.

People filled the main hall. Some waited to register marriages. Others stood before the dissolution counters with documents in hand. Energy-powered screens displayed court schedules above the long registration desks.

Akeel barely noticed any of it.

He only wanted this finished.

He and Danaya approached the registration desk and submitted their marriage record. The clerk entered their information into the court's central system.

A moment later, their marriage appeared on the screen.

The clerk looked at the record, then at them.

"You were married yesterday?"

"Yes," Danaya replied.

"And you're filing for dissolution today?"

"Yes," Akeel said.

The clerk stared at them for a few seconds before sighing.

"Young people move quickly."

Akeel ignored the comment.

"Can you process it?"

The clerk shook her head.

"Not today."

Akeel's expression hardened.

"Why?"

She turned the registry screen toward them.

"Every newly registered marriage has a thirty-day cooling-off period. The marriage must remain active for thirty days before the final dissolution can be registered."

Akeel stared at the screen.

Their marriage was not simply recorded on paper. The Energy Court had linked the legal contract to their identities and energy signatures.

It could not simply be erased.

The law required time.

"I was told the documents could be processed today," Akeel said.

"The documents can be filed today," the clerk explained. "The final dissolution cannot."

Danaya's expression tightened.

Akeel said nothing.

Thirty days.

He had expected to leave today, return to Havenrock, and put this entire disaster behind him.

Instead, the marriage would remain legally active for another month.

The clerk pushed the documents toward them.

"Sign here. Both of you."

Akeel signed first.

Danaya signed beside him.

The clerk accepted the documents and entered the filing into the system.

"Return after thirty days for the final confirmation."

Akeel stood and took the copy of the filing.

He had no choice.

For now, the marriage remained.

He turned toward the exit.

Danaya followed.

Neither spoke until they reached the street outside the court.

Akeel stopped.

"We need a way to contact each other."

Danaya looked at him.

"We never exchanged numbers."

"That was before," Akeel replied.

He took out his phone.

"Give me yours."

Danaya hesitated, then gave him her number.

Akeel entered it and saved the contact.

He glanced at her.

"You don't need mine."

Danaya raised an eyebrow.

"If the court changes the hearing date, I may need to contact you."

"Then contact me through the court."

"And if something happens before then?" Danaya asked.

Akeel stared at her.

Danaya folded her arms.

"You're the one who said this marriage remains legally active for another month."

Akeel had no answer.

After a moment, he gave her his number.

"Only for matters concerning the dissolution," he said.

Danaya saved it.

"Understood."

She turned and walked away.

Akeel watched her for a moment before turning in the opposite direction.

Thirty days.

He could endure thirty days.

After that, the marriage would finally end.

Then he could return to Havenrock.

He could return to his old life.

Most importantly, he could return to Lyra.

A few steps away, Rowan hurried toward Danaya.

"Miss Danaya."

She stopped and turned.

Rowan lowered his voice.

"We received an important report from the old estate."

Danaya looked at him.

"What happened?"

"We found the missing Valcrest heir."

Her brows drew together.

"The child who disappeared twenty years ago?"

Rowan nodded.

"He was sold to a family in Havenrock."

Danaya's expression changed.

"What is her name?"

Rowan hesitated.

"Lyra Dain."

Danaya went completely still.

She knew that name.

Akeel had spoken it only hours earlier.

His fiancé.

The woman waiting for him in Havenrock.

Rowan continued quietly.

"Her bloodline ability matches the Valcrest family record. That's why the family has been searching for her for years."

Danaya looked toward Akeel.

He was already walking away.

He had not heard them.

He still believed Lyra was simply the woman waiting for him in Havenrock.

Danaya's thoughts raced.

If Lyra was truly the missing Valcrest heir, then Akeel's relationship with her was connected to a secret far larger than either of them knew.

She considered calling him back.

But Akeel was already leaving.

He turned toward the exit and walked away without looking back.

Danaya and Rowan exchanged a glance before quickly following him. They reached the doors only moments later.

But when they stepped outside, there was no sign of him.

Danaya looked down the street.

Nothing.

She turned toward Rowan.

"Where did he go?"

Rowan looked equally confused.

"He was right in front of us."

They searched the entrance and the surrounding street, but Akeel was nowhere to be seen.

Had he somehow vanished?

Neither of them knew that Akeel had already left the area.

The train station was still several minutes away by carriage, but Akeel had no intention of wasting time.

He had copied an ability from another person long ago.

Short-distance teleportation.

It allowed him to instantly move across a limited distance. He could not cross an entire city with it, but he could teleport from one street to another, or from one building to the next, as long as the distance remained within the ability's range.

Akeel used it several times in quick succession.

Each jump carried him closer to the train station.

To anyone watching, it would have looked as though he had simply disappeared.

Before noon, Akeel reached the station.

The platform was crowded. Travelers moved between trains with bags, travel cases, and Energy Vials secured in their luggage.

Akeel barely noticed them.

His mind remained fixed on Havenrock.

The divorce could wait.

The court had forced him to remain married for another thirty days, but that did not mean he had to abandon his plans.

He would return to Havenrock.

He would explain everything to Lyra.

Then he would decide how to deal with the unwanted marriage.

For now, he only wanted to see her.

Akeel stepped onto the platform.

Then he stopped.

Someone stood near the arriving train.

A woman.

Tall.

Familiar.

Akeel's breath caught.

"Lyra..."

He had sensed her energy before he even saw her face.

His expression changed.

He knew Lyra's energy.

He had known it for years.

But the energy he sensed now was different.

Stronger.

Deeper.

There was another presence within it.

An energy signature he had never felt from Lyra before.

Akeel stared across the platform.

The woman slowly turned.

Their eyes met.

Akeel did not move.

For the first time since the forced marriage began, Danaya disappeared completely from his thoughts.

So did the Council's Court.

So did the thirty-day waiting period.

He could think of only one thing.

Something was very wrong with Lyra.