Is he serious? Have I heard wrong? Am I losing my mind? What is happening here?

"What are he doing?", I ask Ragnor. He puts his hand reassuringly on my arm and shakes his head slightly.

"What is the meaning of this?," I ask, upset.

"Calm down Magnus. It only means that you will stay married for a year. Nothing more. After that year, the divorce will be official and you can go your separate ways", I hear him say and nod my head imperceptibly.

"Okay. Then I'll see Alec back here in a year." I breathe a sigh of relief, but the judge isn't done yet. His clearing of the throat resounds loudly through the room.

"You two..." He points his finger first at Alec, then at me. His dark tired eyes bore into mine. I swallow hard, something telling me this isn't the end of it.

"You two will live together this year. Just like spouses do." It's a joke. It has to be a joke. Is he serious? Outraged and open-mouthed, I stare at him. He is serious. Fuck.

"I'll see you in a year gentlemen. This hearing is closed." The banging of the judge's gavel on the small round wooden disc seals his words. The verdict is in. We are still married. A whole year. We are to live together. Live? What does the judge mean by that? What does he mean? Alec is a stranger. You want me to live with a stranger? I can't. I wasn't even ready to let Julian into my life that far. And I'd known him for six years, after all.

"Magnus?" Ragnor's voice and a touch on my arm brings me out of my thoughts. Confused, I look at the older man. He smiles slightly, but the expression in his eyes tells me he is concerned.

"The hearing is over. We must leave the hall." Mechanically, I nod and stand up. My legs carry me outside, down the long corridors, down the steps and outside the courthouse. Warm air hits me, the annoying sound of horns from impatient taxi drivers, passers-by talking wildly, the noise of a too big hectic city. And me in the middle of it all.

"You're all pale. Are you not well?" I hear the deep voice of Alec. The thoughts in my head are racing.

"No. I'm a little queasy," I say quietly. It's not a lie, my stomach tightens painfully. The thought of living with a strange man for the next year squeezes the air out of me. But again, it's a matter of keeping my composure. What good does it do me to lose my mind now? Nothing at all. I am still married, after all.

"What do we do now?", I say, suddenly registering that we are not alone. Alec is standing in front of me and next to him is Jace, his brother. Behind Jace I see Simon, smiling kindly at me and holding the dark-haired beauty I saw on Alec's display. Simon's fiancée? Alec's sister, the resemblance is astonishing. They are all here to support Alec. I am alone. My support is Ragnor. Alec's lawyer looks at me suspiciously. I've already forgotten her name again.

The way she looks at Alec, keeps touching him casually on the arm or shoulder tells me they must know each other well. Disgusted, I screw up my face when I see the smile on her too-red lips and the glint in her way-too-heavy made-up eyes. She wets her lips and pushes a strand of her clearly blonde hair behind her ears. My heart skips a few beats as a thought forms in my head. Is she flirting with my husband? What do I care? Alec can flirt with whoever he wants. And yet I can't deny that the thought of Alec with this woman makes me very uncomfortable.

His family is united behind him and I feel very lonely right now. Raphael and Andrew are both out of town. They regretted not being able to be there for me. I still shrugged it off by saying, „It's a matter of five minutes. Don't worry about it." Who could have known it would end like this? That I am still married and have a new flatmate as of today.

"There's no way I'm moving out", I say with conviction.

"You couldn't have moved in with us either. We share a small flat", replies Jace, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest.

"Besides, it's an opportunity to ask my girlfriend to move in with me."

"Do you even want that Magnus?", asks Alec anxiously.

"No. Of course not." Alec's expression looks even sadder than it did two seconds ago. My flippant reply seems to have hit him.

"But since we have no other solution..." Theatrically, I spread my arms. "... I guess you're my new roommate. At least for the time being."

"You shouldn't be discussing this here in the street", Ragnor murmurs in my ear. He's right, this is the wrong place for such a conversation. And we should talk about some things.

"Let's go to my place. If you have time", I say, turning to Alec.

"Sure. I'm off today", he replies. We say goodbye to the others, I promise Ragnor to get back to him and order a taxi for Alec and me. The journey goes on in silence and with every metre closer to home I become more restless.

Because halfway there I realise I don't know if Julian has collected his things. Has he returned to his flat or has he started a siege of my house? I spent the last few days on the couch with Raphael and Andrew. Not exactly comfortable, but doable.

"Nice neighbourhood. Quiet", says Alec.

"Hmmm. Very nice", I reply, lost in thought, only realising we've reached our destination when the door on my side opens. Slightly irritated, I look up and straight into Alec's face.

A slight smile plays around his mouth. I am about to pay the driver when he points at Alec.

"I took the liberty. You picked up the hotel bill", he says and thankfully I get out of the car.

With shaky fingers I put the key in the lock and take a deep breath. Somehow it's all like a bad film. I quickly turn the key and realise that the door was locked. So Julian is not sitting waiting on my sofa. Relieved, I enter the house. I throw the keys into the bowl on the sideboard and get rid of my jacket and shoes. They land loudly in the next corner and the jacket lands on the armchair.

My way leads me straight to the kitchen, I fetch two glasses and a bottle of water. Back at Alec's, I stop and watch his reaction to my set-up. He stands in the living area and looks around with interest. He holds my jacket in his hands and stares spellbound at the wall next to the patio door.

"Wow. That's a lot of books", he says quietly.

"And I've read every one of them", I say aloud and Alec does a little jump in shock.

"That jumpy?" I raise an eyebrow mockingly.

"Actually, no. But you sneak up on me like a cat."

"Get used to it. You live here now", I reply sarcastically.