A Fake Marriage, A Real Match

To increase the birth rate, the country mandated that anyone unmarried past thirty must accept a system-enforced match.

Dylan and I had been married for almost a year, so when I received the call from City Hall, my first instinct was to question it.

"Are you sure you have the right person?"

The staff member's tone was firm.

"The system shows you're still unmarried."

"This concerns a major life decision. We verify personal information multiple times. There's no mistake."

I hung up, grabbed the marriage certificate from my drawer, and rushed to City Hall.