19 Chapter 19 – The Unverified Vow
I stared down at the marriage certificate in my hands, unable to process what I was seeing. There was my signature, clear as day, on a document I had no memory of signing.
“This has to be fake,” I muttered, examining every inch of the red paper. The official seals looked authentic. The signatures were perfect. But how? When?
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened as he studied his own copy. “Grandmother, I need to know how you got these. Now.”
Mrs. Margaret’s smile faltered slightly. “You both signed them. Don’t you remember?” Her brow furrowed with genuine confusion. “It was a beautiful day. The cherry blossoms were blooming.”
Cherry blossoms? I’d never been to the Ricardo estate during spring. None of this made sense.
“I’ve never been here when the cherry trees were in bloom,” I said gently, not wanting to upset the elderly woman.
Her confident expression wavered. “You… you were wearing a blue dress. With little white
flowers.”
I exchanged a glance with Nathaniel, who looked as bewildered as I felt.
“Grandmother,” he said, his voice softening, “when exactly did this happen?”
Mrs. Margaret opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again. Her eyes clouded over. “I… I can’t quite recall the date.”
The nurse behind her stepped forward. “Mrs. Ricardo, perhaps you should rest now.”
“No!” The old woman’s hand shot out, clutching mine. “Don’t let them take these away again. They’re proof. They’ll try to separate you two.”
“No one’s taking anything, Grandmother,” Nathaniel assured her, though his jaw was clenched tight. “We just need to verify these.”
She nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer, and allowed her nurse to lead her back to her
room.
Once she was gone, Nathaniel turned to me, anger flashing in his eyes. “Whatever game you’re playing, stop it now.”
“Me?” I shot back. “You think I forged marriage certificates and somehow planted them with your grandmother years ago, all as part of some elaborate scheme?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s manipulated her condition to get close to me or my
assets.”
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I laughed bitterly. “Right. Because I’ve been dying to marry into a family that treats me like dirt.”
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this.” Nathaniel folded the certificate carefully and slipped it into his suit jacket. “Now.”
The ride to the Civil Affairs Bureau was tense. Neither of us spoke as the sleek black car navigated the morning traffic. I stared out the window, mind racing. Where had these certificates come from? How could they exist when I had no memory of a marriage?
As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted a familiar silver car. My stomach dropped.
“Great,” I muttered as Imogen emerged from the vehicle, followed by my mother. Both looked like they’d been crying–though I knew better than to believe their tears.
“We need to wait until they leave,” I said quickly. “I’m not in the mood for a scene.”
But it was too late. Mom had spotted us and was making a beeline for our car, with Imogen trailing behind her.
Nathaniel’s driver opened our door, and I had no choice but to step out and face them.
“Julie!” Mom’s voice was sickly sweet, laced with that familiar manipulative tone I’d grown to
hate. “What a coincidence.”
“Not really,” I replied flatly. “What do you want, Mom?”
Nathaniel stood silently beside me, his presence intimidating even in stillness.
Mom’s eyes darted nervously to him before focusing back on me. “We need to talk, sweetheart. About what happened yesterday.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Please,” Imogen stepped forward, her face pale and drawn. She actually looked ill. “What Mrs. Ricardo did wasn’t fair. Those company shares were promised to me.”
Nathaniel’s voice cut through the conversation like a blade. “My grandmother’s decisions regarding her assets are not up for debate.”
“Mr. Ricardo,” Mom’s tone changed to pleading, “you don’t understand. Imogen has been like a granddaughter to your grandmother for years. She deserves-”
“She deserves nothing,” he interrupted coldly. “And from what I witnessed yesterday, she has no concept of respect.”
Mom’s façade cracked. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to me. “This is your doing, isn’t it? After everything we’ve done for you.”
I couldn’t help it–I laughed out loud. “Everything you’ve done for me? You mean like locking me in the basement for three days when I was twelve because I got better grades than Imogen?”
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Mom blanched. “That’s not-”
“Or how about when you ‘accidentally‘ spilled boiling water on my hands the night before my piano recital? The one where the scout from Juilliard was attending?”
Nathaniel’s head turned sharply toward me, but I was beyond caring what he thought.
“You ungrateful little-” Mom hissed, stepping closer. “I raised you. I fed you. I clothed you when no one else wanted you!”
“You abused me,” I corrected, standing my ground. “And now you’re angry because I’m no longer your punching bag.”
Imogen stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. “Jules, please. I’m sick. The doctor says my heart condition is getting worse. I need those shares to pay for treatment.”
almost felt a twinge of sympathy–until I remembered all the times she’d faked illness to get
her way.
“Try another line, Imogen. That one’s getting old.”
“It’s true!” Mom insisted. “She collapsed after kneeling all night! Her heart can’t take that kind of
stress.”
I turned to Nathaniel. “We’re wasting time here.”
He nodded, his expression unreadable. As we turned to walk away, Mom grabbed my arm.
“After everything, this is how you repay us? By stealing what rightfully belongs to your sister?” Her fingers dug into my skin. “You’ll regret this, Julie. I promise you will.”
I yanked my arm free. “Touch me again, and I’ll have you arrested for assault.”
Her face contorted with rage. “You’re just like your father–ungrateful, selfish!”
“At least I’m not a monster who abuses children,” I shot back.
Nathaniel stepped between us. “Enough. Mrs. Ollie, I suggest you take your daughter and leave before I call security.”
Mom’s eyes narrowed, but she knew when to back down. Pulling Imogen along, she retreated to their car, throwing one last venomous glance over her shoulder.
When they were gone, Nathaniel turned to me. “You never mentioned abuse.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable with his scrutiny. “It wasn’t relevant.”
“It is now.” His voice was neutral, but something in his eyes had changed. “Let’s go.”
Inside the Civil Affairs Bureau, we were met by a sharply dressed man who introduced himself as Raymond Philips, Nathaniel’s assistant.
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19 Chapter 19 – The Unverified Vow
“Mr. Ricardo, I came as soon as I received your message.” His eyes flicked dismissively over me before returning to Nathaniel. “Is this the… woman in question?”
The way he said “woman” made it sound like “cockroach.”
“This is Juliana Johnson,” Nathaniel replied curtly.
Raymond’s smile was all teeth and no warmth. “So you’re the one claiming to be Mrs. Ricardo. Very creative.”
“I’m not claiming anything,” I retorted. “I’m trying to figure out why there’s a marriage certificate with my name on it.”
“A forged one, no doubt,” Raymond said, not bothering to hide his disdain. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s tried to trap Mr. Ricardo with fake documents.”
I bit my tongue, refusing to engage with this pompous ass.
Nathaniel pulled out the certificate and handed it to Raymond. “Check the authenticity of this.”
Raymond examined it, his smug expression faltering slightly. “This… looks very convincing.”
“That’s because it’s real,” I said, though I had no idea if it was. “Your boss’s grandmother had them all along”
Raymond’s eyes widened in mock concern. “Mr. Ricardo, if the old woman was involved, this is even more troubling. We all know her condition makes her… susceptible.”
The implication that I’d somehow manipulated an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s made my
blood boil.
“That’s enough, Raymond,” Nathaniel cut in. “Let’s get this verified and be done with it.”
We approached the counter, where a tired–looking clerk greeted us.
“How can I help you today?” she asked.
Raymond pushed forward. “We need to verify the authenticity of this supposed marriage certificate. This woman is claiming-”
“I can speak for myself,” Nathaniel interrupted smoothly. He placed the certificate on the counter. “Excuse me, could you please check if this marriage certificate is genuine.”
The clerk took the document, her eyebrows raising slightly as she read the names. She glanced up at Nathaniel, clearly recognizing him, then back down at the paper.
“This will take a few minutes. I’ll need to check our records.”
As she walked away with the certificate, Raymond leaned closer to Nathaniel. “Sir, regardless of what the records show, we can have this marriage annulled immediately. I’ve already contacted our legal team.”
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19 Chapter 19- The Unverified Vow
“I didn’t authorize that,” Nathaniel said sharply.
Raymond looked taken aback. “But sir, surely you don’t believe-”
“I believe in facts,” Nathaniel cut him off. “And right now, we don’t have all of them.”
My heart pounded as we waited. If the certificate was fake, I’d be exposed as a liar in front of Nathaniel, even though I’d done nothing wrong. If it was real… well, that opened up a whole new set of questions I wasn’t prepared to answer.
The clerk returned, her expression professionally neutral as she handed the certificate back to
Nathaniel.
“Well?” he demanded.
She cleared her throat. “According to our records, the certificate is completely genuine.”
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