didn’t just come to one’s office. But I could pass it off to my superiors as research for one of my cases if anyone got wind of it.
Assistants usually didn’t discuss our business.
My legs were shaking a little when I rose from the ball. I immediately rolled it away, drawing my chair closer. I also put on my shoes as I watched the door open.
A woman in her midforties strode in. Her white-blond hair was styled in a strict bun. She wore a suit that made her fit right in here with the rest of us.
“Hello. I’m Josie Gallagher. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I stepped from behind my desk, extending my hand. She shook it briefly.
“I’m the immigration worker in charge of your husband’s file.”
Nodding, I pointed her to the chair in front of my desk.
“Please, sit down. Do you want anything to drink? Water, coffee, tea?”
There. I sounded calm, as if her visit didn’t stress me out. I didn’t know if I looked calm, though. I felt as if I was in front of a judge, about to be sentenced. My entire face felt hot. My mind was racing a mile an hour. I wished I had gone to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face.
The more I tried to calm myself down, the more I panicked. What if I said the wrong thing? What if the agent could read between the lines?
“You know why I’m here?” she asked.
“You said you’re working on my husband’s case, so I’m assuming it’s about that. How can I help?”
I set my elbows on the table, clasping my hands, hoping I was projecting a calm image.
“I won’t beat around the bush. You’re under the suspicion of having committed marriage fraud.”
My stomach bottomed out, but I held my chin high, didn’t allow any emotions to show.
“What do you have to say to that?” the officer pushed.
“I’m a lawyer. I work by the credo, innocent until proven guilty. Of course, it’s not true.”
“The timeline of your marriage is very suspicious.”
“And why is that?”
“You went from engaged to married in three weeks.”
“My parents met at a wedding, and they were married within the month.” It wasn’t even a lie.
“Ms. Gallagher, you are aware of the penalties for a sham marriage, right?”
“As I said, I’m a lawyer. You can rest assured I wouldn’t do anything against the law.”
“I see. And yet your marriage has raised several red flags. Why did you keep your name?”
“You consider that a red flag? I’m a lawyer, I have a reputation. People know my name. I didn’t want to lose that brand awareness.”
“Or you didn’t want to have to go through the process of changing it back after Mr. Caldwell received his green card.”
“Look, you can twist this however you want. I can just tell you the facts.”
“If you were to confess to the sham, I am sure I can work out a lower penalty for you.”
I narrowed my eyes. She thought she could turn me against Hunter? This woman didn’t know who she was dealing with.
“I know you’re just trying to do your job, but there’s a difference between questioning and intimidation. You cannot intimidate me. Frankly, your insinuations are offensive. So unless you have any more questions about facts, we can wrap this up.”
She scoffed, taking out a small notebook from her bag.
“When did you two meet?”
“In high school.”
“And you were friends for fifteen years?”
“Yes.”
“When did that friendship turn into a romantic entanglement?”
When he kissed me for the first time.
I couldn’t say that, of course. Instead, I pasted what I hoped passed as a dreamy expression on my face and repeated the story Hunter and I had concocted. One night about a year ago, after he drove me home from an event we’d both attended, I invited him upstairs and we ended up in bed. After that, we were friends with benefits for some months.
“But both you and Mr. Caldwell were seeing other people at that time.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. Who had they been talking to?
“We were not exclusive.”
“When did things change?”
“When I told him that I could no longer do this casually. That I wanted more... some sort of commitment. I honestly thought he’d end things. You know men can be fickle when it comes to commitment.”
I got no sympathy smile from her.
“Anyway, he surprised me. Said his feelings for me had deepened too.”
“Did he propose then?”
“Yes. It was... as I said, completely unexpected. He didn’t even have a ring.” In a