CHAPTER 3 — THE WOMAN WHO STOLE A FAMILY
Henry canceled the engagement before midnight.
The ring remained on the table where everyone could see it.
Vivian exploded.
"You can't be serious!"
Henry ignored her.
Instead, he asked the house manager to bring him every employment record concerning Grace Ellis.
Within an hour, old files covered his father's library desk.
One document immediately caught his attention.
A resignation letter.
Signed by Grace.
But she stared at it in disbelief.
"I never wrote this."
The signature looked like hers.
The handwriting didn't.
Henry ordered a forensic review.
Two days later, the results confirmed what no one expected.
The resignation had been forged.
Grace had never wanted to leave.
Someone had removed her from Noah's life.
Security footage from months earlier revealed even more.
Vivian repeatedly instructed household staff to prevent Grace from entering the nursery.
She replaced Noah's drawings of Grace with family portraits featuring herself.
She even told guests that Grace was "just temporary help."
When confronted, Vivian finally confessed.
"I had to."
"He would never love me while she was here."
Henry stared at her.
"You were jealous..."
"Of the woman who comforted my grieving son?"
Vivian didn't answer.
She simply lowered her head.
That silence said everything.
The engagement ended immediately.
Vivian quietly left Whitmore House with her belongings before sunrise.
She never looked back.
For the first time in months...
Noah slept peacefully through the entire night.
May you like
Not because the mansion had become quieter.
Because Grace had read him his favorite bedtime story again.
