Chapter 7 - The Marriage Erased From Her Memory
Grace learned that twenty years earlier she had worked as Catherine’s private companion while Richard was recovering from an accident.
During that period, Richard and Grace had secretly married in a small courthouse ceremony after the Bellamys threatened to fire her entire family if their relationship became public.
Margaret discovered the marriage and arranged an annulment using forged documents.
Grace was drugged during what she believed was treatment for exhaustion.
Her memory of the ceremony disappeared beneath months of medication and intimidation.
Catherine later married Richard publicly.
She had never known Grace was his legal wife.
Richard struggled to understand.
“I loved you?”
Grace looked at him with pain.
“You may have. But love means little when wealth allowed your family to erase me and you accepted the version of history that kept you comfortable.”
Margaret defended the decision.
“A Bellamy heir could not marry a housemaid’s daughter. We protected him from destroying his future.”
Grace’s voice shook the foyer.
“You stole my marriage, my memory and twenty years of my life because you believed a servant’s daughter was unworthy of being chosen.”
The original certificate had never been annulled properly.
That meant Catherine’s marriage was legally invalid and the twins’ inheritance could be challenged.
Victoria’s attorney immediately argued that Grace, not Catherine, was the lawful wife and should control the estate.
Grace refused.
“I will not let your family use another stolen identity to divide women who survived the same cruelty.”
Catherine embraced her.
Together they demanded the employee trust take priority over all family claims.
Then DNA records arrived.
Owen and Liam were not Richard’s biological sons.
Their listed father was Charles Bellamy.
Richard looked at his father in horror.
May you like
Charles smiled.
“At last, the family line is protected.”
