Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption by Lilyheart

Chapter 279: Welcome home, granddaughter.

The sound of the latch clicking echoed louder in Jessica’s ears than it should have. Her fingers hesitated over the smooth wood before she finally opened the box.

A rich fragrance of aged cedar and preserved paper escaped from within.

At the sound of the box opening, their breath hitched.

While Jessica dreaded the contents of the box, Lady Matilda dreaded the result those contents might bring.

Jessica took a deep breath as she calmly glanced into the box. Inside, nestled in deep velvet lining, lay a locket, its surface engraved with delicate lilies—just like the garden outside.

But what caught Jessica’s attention wasn’t the locket itself, but the photograph beneath it. Her breath hitched.

She reached in, fingers trembling slightly, and lifted the photo. It was aged but well-preserved—a photo of her mother when she was much younger.

She stared at the photo, noting the unmistakable features of the woman who gave her life—her warm smile, eyes and lips, her hair that cascaded down like silk.

Standing beside her was a younger version of Lady Matilda, holding her close with maternal pride.

Her brain spun rapidly as it tried to piece together the meaning. Jessica blinked rapidly as realization struck her like lightning. Her mother. And her... grandmother.

She glanced at Lady Matilda, who had stood up and held out a brown envelope toward her.

Jessica’s heart thudded loudly in her chest, her hand trembling, her breath coming in gasps. She wished Davis was here. She needed a hand to hold, a shoulder to lean on at this moment.

She didn’t want to believe the whispers in her mind. Staring at the file for a while and the old lady standing tall and waiting with her hand stretched out, she was at a loss for what to do.

Her mother had never taught her to neglect the elderly. She couldn’t believe that at the end of the day, she might be gaining a new grandmother.

Then who was the woman in the countryside? How did her mother never mention this family to her?

Quietly, she stretched out her hands and accepted the envelope, noting the familiar seal.

Her chest nearly gave way beneath the weight of her pounding heart. The rush of memories she never knew she had threatened to drown her as her heart pounded hard against her ribs.

her life here because

her eyes for a few seconds, taking deep breaths until her emotions settled. She opened her eyes and calmly pulled out

husband had made, and the

it back into the envelope and placed it beside her. Lady Matilda Santiago sighed

has the requirements. Others might have screamed or shouted, yet

returned to the box, deciding to unveil every document inside. To her surprise, it wasn’t just

noticed an envelope marked "Confidential" in heavy embossed ink. The

whose eyes held a storm of emotions—hope,

"You deserve

family lineage certificate with her name handwritten at

above, listed under maternal bloodline: Matilda Santiago

the father written "Unknown," Jessica cast an

head. "We investigated and carried out a paternity test, but the result came out wrong.

dwell on the response or the reason but casually flipped to the next sheet—then the next. Each

deed to an estate in the capital, fully transferred

the largest

described as her mother’s sanctuary before she left everything

four countries, with Noveira

tightened around the papers. She blinked

attached to

dividend figures from various shares that had been transferred to her name were

inherit the hospital under the

couldn’t help but wonder, "Was this evening dinner planned to make

Matilda broke the silence, her voice calm but

kept these. Just in case. In case she returned. But then she never did, and despite how much I searched for her, it always ended with broken clues. Thinking back now, I guess it was her

been knocked out of her. Everything in her life had been carefully measured, controlled—especially what little

vision blurred. Her throat tightened

looked up sharply, her voice barely

her voice shaking. "You are the granddaughter of the Santiagos family, and right now, I and your uncle hope

asked, her mind whirling with questions. "Does that mean I’m also inheriting human

quickly explained "You have