Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption by Lilyheart

Chapter 352: Did you believe it?

While Jessica stared at her, waiting for explanations, Grandma Nelly slowly reached for her walking stick and stood up with effort.

With cautious steps, she made her way to the wardrobe, opened it, and bent over her stick as she reached into the farthest corner. From that hidden space, she pulled out an old steel safe, the surface scratched and dulled by time.

She fumbled through a bunch of jingling keys in her hand until she found a small golden one. Sliding it into the keyhole, she turned it with a faint click, the safe opened.

Nelly inhaled deeply, her breath shaky as she sifted through stacks of neatly arranged but yellowing documents inside the safe.

Finally, she retrieved a sealed yellow envelope, the weight of its significance almost visible in her trembling fingers.

"Yes... here it is," she murmured, the words heavy with both relief and dread.

Turning around, she walked slowly back toward Jessica, who was sitting upright now, her eyes trained on the envelope, her body tense with anticipation.

Nelly kept her right hand firmly on her walking stick while extending her left arm toward Jessica as she handed out the envelope.

The envelope appeared heavy both in mass and meaning as it passed into her granddaughter’s hands.

"You take a look at this," she said softly.

Jessica stood slowly, stretching her hands forward to receive the envelope. Her fingers trembled as they made contact. She stared at the large, bold letters ’CONFIDENTIAL’ stamped across it:

She turned the envelope around several times in her hands, her heart thudded with a mix of fear, curiosity, and uncertainty. She glanced at Grandma Nelly, silently asking whether to open it now or wait.

Nelly only shrugged, offering no guidance. "The choice is yours," the gesture seemed to say, though it weighed like a mountain.

"Grandma..." Jessica started, but Nelly gently lifted a hand to stop her mid-sentence.

"You don’t have to force yourself. Just as your mother instructed at the time of its delivery. This envelope was to be given to you once you were married, and especially now that you’re about to become a mother."

She paused with a sigh. "I’ve fulfilled my duty to protect it until you are ready. But I can’t tell you when to open it. That right belongs to you alone."

"Did she

but low. "I am quite sure it had all references and citations

key to a vault of ghosts while contemplating on the decision to make as she turned it around in

would tear it open at

placed it carefully beside her and patted it

then," she said, a faint but resolute smile playing on her

approval. "No worries. It’s yours to handle, in your own time at your own discretion." she said with a faint smile dancing on

settle back into her chair, when she thought Jessica wouldn’t

brother?" Her stern gaze trained on the old lady, her voice

gaze dropped. Her eyes grew misty,

yes," she admitted, voice cracking under the weight of the

headache. All the other information and even the secrets that

voice

it could see the light of the day,"

unfortunately," Nelly continued, her voice heavy with sorrow and regret "he was lost... even before he could see the

having a twin was shocking, yet it

Her

"Who was the twin?

"Why was it lost?"

"How was it lost?"

"Who was Julian?"

the

never

this a game of the Andersons or

was the major

they stand

mother really known of the

expression, Grandma

okay?" Her tone was anxious as she noted

mother aware... of the

twins when she went for an ultrasound scan, and in several of