The immigration officer smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. 'So, how did you two fall in love?'\n\nMy hand trembled against Alex’s as we sat across from her, our wedding rings still feeling foreign. He squeezed back, a silent plea: Don’t mess this up.\n\nI forced a laugh. 'It was the mango cake,' I said, heart pounding. 'He brought me mango cake after I got dumped. Six layers of sweet, sticky forgiveness.'\n\nAlex blinked, surprised—I’d never told that story before. But it was true. And somehow, that made the lie worse.\n\nThe officer scribbled something down. 'And when did you know he was the one?'\n\nI looked at him—really looked. The way his brow furrowed when he lied, the freckle by his ear I’d once counted during a boring lecture. We weren’t lovers. We were best friends. Who shared a bed to pass a government check.\n\nBut maybe… not anymore.\n\nThe silence stretched. One wrong word could deport him. One honest word could ruin everything else.