The sound of a horn interrupted her train of thoughts. She just cannot believe what happened back there in the office. She just wanted to change her card since its edges are already chipping and the letters are fading - but lo and behold - she got another thing coming. She glanced at the passenger seat of her car, eyeing the blasted document. A document indicating that she's a married woman - married for 5years already to a man she doesn't know or heard before. But how can she be married if she haven't had a boyfriend nor dated at the least; a result of having four brothers older than you that are all overprotective.

"Hah!! I bet they will all have a seizure if they found out about this." She muttered to herself while remembering what happened an hour ago..

"So, you only want to change your card?" The lady behind the desk asked her. "Yes." She promptly answered.

"You will not change any data or your status?" The lady continuously asked while eyeing her at the rim of her glasses.

The questioning baffled her as if she is making a mistake or that she must do something that she ought to do. It is supposed to be easy isn't it? Everybody says so but she is experiencing the complete opposite.

"Yes, I only want a new card, I do not intend to change any of the data especially my status." She answered confidently.

"Hmmm..then why marry, if you will just let your status be single?" The lady in front of her muttered.

"I'm sorry?" She asked her. But the lady continued on talking while eyeing her up and down without letting her know if she heard her or not.

"I know that you were fairly young back then, when you got married based on the data here, but dear child, your husband will not be happy if he will come to know that you are not carrying his name, what's with men being possessive of everything that they know belongs to them. My Charles is one of those men, been married for 25years and all that." She chuckled after the long speech.

She felt her jaw dropped several inches and her brain became muddled. It took her several seconds to snap out of the trance-like feeling that she was in after what the woman said.

"I beg your pardon? It seems there was a mistake, I am not married yet, I am single." She emphasized.

The woman was taken aback of what she said. "But dear, it is said here that you are married for the last five years. It's not a mistake, for the system is directly connected to the statistics office. It clearly shows here that you are a married woman and it has been filed at the registry."

"What?!" She was near shouting and almost jump over the table just to see the monitor.

"No, this can't be true." She said mostly to herself. Her eyes wide and mouth agape, the woman must have sensed something was wrong, ushered her out of the chair and into a pantry and offered her a glass of water.

"Here, drink this dear. It will help to calm you." The kind woman directed the glass into her lips. She only come to know that her throat were dry and lips parched after she finished the whole glass in one go.

"Feeling better?" The woman asked her calmly.

"Yes, thank you very much Ma'am."

"Call me Jessica, dear. You are about to faint there at my desk. What happened?" She pried slowly.

She almost blurted out again that it is impossible for her to be married when she shut her mouth completely, the cautious side in her won. The lady may be kind and all but she doesn't want a stranger to know about this situation.

"Nothing, it's just that me and my husband are estranged. That's all." She lied smoothly.

"Oh, okay. But are you okay now?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern." She smiled at the lady. She stood up and was about to leave when she remembered something.

"Can I have a copy of the document that you showed me?" She asked cautiously.

"Well, of course dear, you can. That is your personal data in there isn't it?" She just nodded her response.

When the lady handed her the printed copy, she just walked out of the office and sat on one of the benches outside the building. She looked at the paper and what she had read shocked her. All the information pertaining to her are all correct, even the birthday and the town where she grew up. Goosebumps erupted on her arms and body, maybe even her hair are standing up.

'This is insane', whoever made this may have known her. 'It maybe a prank of sort.' She thought to herself.

She looked at the data of her supposed husband. 'Lucas Gregory Harrison V..? I don't know this man nor I know someone with this name. Who might this be?' She kept on thinking, searching the deep recesses of her mind, looking for any clues for her to be able to put a face to the name, but she came out blank.

It took her half an hour pondering about the name, she only noticed the time when her celphone beeped indicating an alarm she set that she forgot to turn off.

Knowing that she will not be able to conjure anything at this time, she stood up and went to her car, driving back to the town the she lived her whole life..

Present Time

The wrinkling of her brows is the only evidence that she's in deep thoughts, although her face shows a calm demeanor, her brain is in riot. She still cannot fully comprehend the fact that she is married even with a piece of paper as a proof. She sighed deeply, put her running thoughts at the back of her mind and turned her concentration on the road. She will go to her bestfriend to ask for her help in getting her out of this situation.

She parked her car at the designated space for customers in front of the hardware store. Yup, you heard it right, her bestfriend is working in a hardware store owned by her family. After taking her bag and the blasted paper, she made her way inside the shop.

A loud squeal reverberated the whole shop when she pushed open the door and she almost toppled over when her bestfriend jumped on her, hugging her and squeezing all the air out of her lungs.

"Claire, baby! How are you?! I have missed you!" Penny asked while dragging her inside and promptly shouted to her father that they will be at the office.

She also quipped a brief hello to everyone inside the shop; with Penny dragging her all the way without stopping, that is all that she can manage.

Meet my one and only bestfriend, Penelope Jade or Penny, we've been friends since i can remember, with the small town where we live, where everybody knows everyone. With her family owning a hardware store and my family is on construction business, it will not be impossible for us not to be friends - bestfriends for that matter.

"We just saw each other a while ago Penny." She said while rolling her eyes and taking a seat on one of the armchairs. It may look to be a sarcastic remark but the tender smile on her angelic face told otherwise.

"Oh I know and you know me as well." Penny said while quirking her left brow and walking backwards towards the coffee machine.

"So, what brought you here?" Penny asked after putting both their coffees at the table between them.

She sipped her coffee first, she needed the caffeine in her system for she knows that they are gonna be talking for a while. Pulling a deep sigh, she continued on sipping the hot drink, when she glanced over the rim of the cup, she saw that Penny has her quizical face directed on her.

"What's with the deep sigh Claire? It's like you have a big problem. Is it the bookshop? Were you robbed? Anyone in the family who is sick or got into an accident?" She asked nonstop. She was about to answer her when the next question made her sputter her coffee.

"Are you pregnant?!" Penny asked calmly a complete opposite from her shocked face. "No, of course not!" She answered while putting her cup back on the table and wiping the coffee that dripped on her jaw and in front of her blouse. Good thing she wore a dark shade of shirt, otherwise, the coffee stain will be difficult to remove.

"How can I be pregnant when I'm still a virgin." She whispered yelled to her. "And you know it!".

"Then what's with the face? As if you're carrying a big problem. If you need some money to finance the expansion of your store you can always ask one of your brothers to lend you some." Penny said a matter of factly.

It is true, if her problem is only about money, she knows that she can approach any of her brothers to lend her some.

"Yes, you're correct Penny, but this problem that I am facing is something that if any or all of my brothers know, they will run amok." She said while taking another deep breath and rubbing her eyes.

"Then tell me what it is, so that we can do something to solve it." Penny interjected.

"It's not that simple Penny. I don't even know how I got into this situation, nor do I know how to get out of it." She said helplessly while resting her back on the chair.

"You know I will help you with anything and I mean anything at all. You can always count on me, you know?" Penny said sincerely.

"I know Penny, that is why I am here. I went here immediately upon knowing it, because I know that you will help me, no matter what and I thank you for that, always." She uttered wholeheartedly while reaching and grabbing Penny's hand.

"So, tell me. I will be all eyes and ears including all my other senses." Her bestfriend said while grabbing her own cup and sipping it without even blowing the steam. Penny prefers a steaming coffee.

Eyeing her friend, she laid back again on the chair and without further ado, she blurted "I am already married for the last five years." Now it's her bestfriends turn to sputter her scalding coffee.

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Second chapter is finished. Hope you like it as well.

-blue