Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law

Chapter 32 - Shocked

"What marriage?" he thundered. "This certificate is not stamped! Which means—" he slammed a hand onto the table for emphasis, "—there is NO MARRIAGE!"

The room erupted into chaos. Sir Collins banged his cane against the ground, Madam Collins gasped as her face drained of color. The only people who were calm were Adam and Melanie. Spencer, momentarily stunned, snatched the certificate off the table, scanning it with frantic eyes.

His blood ran cold. The seal— The official stamp— everything was missing.

His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths as his eyes darted between the booklet in his trembling hands and the woman sitting calmly before him. Even though she seemed to be sitting there with a calm expression he could see the mocking in her eyes. His face twisted with rage, his pride wounded beyond measure. He threw aside the booklet and stood up, attacking her directly.

Before anyone could react or guess what he would do, he'd grabbed her by the throat, his grip tightening as his breath came in sharp, furious bursts.

"How did I not see it before?" he seethed, his fingers pressing into her skin. "You're just too cunning. I always thought that you were innocent and even felt bad that I had to foll you because of grandmother. But, I should have known that you could have fooled my grandmother! And now you've turned around and are biting the hand that fed you!"

Melanie, despite the pressure on her throat, didn't struggle. She didn't claw at his hands, didn't beg for air. She simply stared at him with those slightly swollen eyes.

That look—that damned look

Adam was the first to react and was already moving forward to stop Spencer and give his a taste of his own medicine when Robert Collins struck sharply.

His cane slammed against the back of Spencer's knees with a force that sent him staggering. The impact knocked the breath out of him, his legs buckling as he lost his grip on Melanie. She moved back hurriedly, rubbing her throat, as she put distance between them.

"Stop it right now, Spencer!" Sir Collins roared, his voice thunderous with fury. "Or I will call the police and have you arrested on the spot!"

The room fell into a stunned silence.

Spencer, panting, looked up in disbelief. His grandfather—his own grandfather—had just struck him. For her. Shame and fury burned through him, but more than that, confusion. He turned his wild eyes on the old man, his voice breaking as he pointed a shaking finger at Melanie.

"Can't you see what she's doing?!" he demanded, desperate for an ally. "She's manipulated everything you! She's set me up!"

But Sir Collins wasn't having any of it.

He took a step forward and banged his cane on the ground as he glared at his grandsone, "No, Spencer," he said coldly. "I and everyone else can see exactly what YOU are doing."

Spencer stilled as he realized what his grandfather was saying, reminding him of everyone's presence. He pushed a hand through his hair in frustration even as grandfather's gaze seemed to demand that he apologize.

But before he could say anything, Attorney Truman's cold voice sounded,"Miss Melanie, here have some water. And would you like to report this assault to the police?"

Spencer whipped around and glared at the old man. Madam Collins, who had also been struck dumb by the sudden announcement of No marriage was also shaken out of her stupor. She was about to protest but one look from Sir Collins had her take a step back.

Sir Robert Collins stepped forward and as Melanie drank some water, he caught Melanie's hand in his and spoke in a frail voice, as if he were not the one who had just whacked his grandson with his stick," Melanie, child. Grandfather apologizes to you on Spencer's behalf. For everything."

"I understand your anger for what he has done to you. I never would have thought that my grandson would turn out to be so despicable. I was so blind to everything. In order to claim his inheritance he would go to such lengths. Please forgive me, for not raising him well."

Melanie shook her head hurriedly," Grandfather..."

Before she could say anything to the older man, the attorney's voice cut through the tense silence, as he confirmed something over the phone.

"Are you absolutely certain? There is no registration under these names on this date?"

Every eye turned toward the attorney, watching as he listened intently to the response on the other end of the line. His brow furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin, grim line.

His gaze flickered toward Spencer Collins, as the other party continued to talk on the other side of the phone. To think he had to stand here and witness such disgraceful behavior—from Lady Collins' own grandson, no less. If the poor old woman were still alive, she would have been heartbroken. No—she would have never allowed it to reach this point. She would be rolling in her grave if she knew the depths to which her grandson had fallen.

The attorney exhaled deeply, and disconnected the phone.

"This marriage certificate is indeed a fake, Spencer Collins. But it has not been created by Mis Melanie." He let the words settle, allowing their weight to sink in before continuing. "However, the truth remains that your marriage is not legally registered."

Gasps rippled through the room. Madam Collins swayed slightly, catching herself against the arm of the chair. Spencer, whose face had been red with rage just moments ago, now stood frozen in place, his expression darkening with each passing second as he stared in confusion. How was that possible. They had gotten married!

The attorney adjusted his glasses before delivering the final blow. "According to the official records, there was an administrative mishap on the day of your supposed marriage. A clerical error resulted in a batch of certificates being deemed invalid. Every applicant affected was informed and instructed to return to the office to receive a corrected and properly registered certificate. Failure to do so would mean that the marriage would remain unrecognized by the law."

He paused, letting the gravity of his words take hold. Then, he looked Spencer dead in the eye.

"According to the system, you were sent a message as well. And you were the only couple that never returned."

A thick silence fell over the room, heavy with shock and disbelief. Spencer's face twisted in fury, his mind racing to process what had just been revealed. After the marriage, he had left the country in a hurry and then, later, he had discarded his number... He shook his head and was about to say something but the older man continued,"I am getting late for my next appointment so I will make short of the next words."

"From where I see it, you have a few options, Mr Collins. First, you and Miss Melanie can go to the civil affairs bureau, inform them of everything that happened and request that they stamp this certificate for you. And you can claim the inheritance."

Even as he said the words, Truman knew that this would be impossible. Why would Melanie go to the civil affairs bureau and help him claim his inheritance when the man had almost killed her.

"Your second option is to convince Miss Melanie to marry you and then wait another three years to claim the inheritance."

He paused, letting that sink in before continuing," Your third option comes into play if you fail to convince Miss Melanie to marry you. The limit of convincing her to marry, as per the terms of the will comes to an end in six days. Which means that if you are not married in the next six days, then the inheritance will be divided equally between you, Mr Adam and Miss Melanie. I will see you next week. In the mean time, you can inform me of any changes in your... relationship status."

Having dropped this piece of news, the attorney marched out of there in a huff.