<h4>Chapter 351: Grandma, it can’t be true...</h4>


    Matilda did not have much of an expectation for anyone other than taking care of her daughter and treating her well.


    And just a few days after his visit, a delegate was sent to the Santiagos’ family to sound a warning.


    The message had been clear, direct and unyielding, it was neither veiled nor diplomatic. "Your daughter must stay away from our son, or be ready to dance to the tune of our music."


    Though the Santiagos were baffled by the hostility, it didn’t take long before the Anderson family began to exert pressure.


    A quiet suppression followed in their economic, political, and social rtionships. The Santiagos fought back with resilience, but it quickly escted into a lopsided battle for survival.


    To reduce the damage and preserve what little dignity the family had left, Matilda responded with a decisive message: her daughter had no rtionship with the Anderson heir, and in fact, a marriage had already been arranged for her.


    It was a painful decision, but Matilda made it out of love and a desperate hope that her daughter could find shelter in a family that would embrace her, if not for who she was, then for what she could be.


    Jessica’s gaze never left Grandma Nelly’s face as she narrated her mother’s journey, yet a question tugged at her heartstrings she couldn’t ask.


    "Why would her mother be found unworthy by the Anderson family when the Anderson son found her worthy?"


    Grandma took a deep breath. After one year, your mother left school and matters concerning the Anderson family were also trashed.


    On one fateful day when the Santiagos’ residencey in silence and her parents all left the house, Nora packed her suitcase to leave.


    Nelly tried as much to stop her, but then she insisted. In her words, "I don’t want to drag down the Santiagos’ family."


    At the time, Nora made a decision, she would leave the Santiagos’ family, she would better herself, and she would elevate her family to be worthy of the Anderson family.


    When Nelly noted her insistence, stubbornness, and the decision she made, she became afraid she would go alone and suffer without anyone.


    During the time she nursed and cared for Nora as a child, she came to love and treat her like hers, and for Nora, she was close to Nelly, treating her just like a daughter.


    Sitting beside her, she watched her pack while pleading with her to change her mind, but then Nora stubbornly refused and she never yielded.


    Nelly made a decision, the simplest decision she could afford at that moment and that was to go with her.


    Recalling the scene when she told her the decision to go with her, Nora had refused she didn’t want to drag anyone into her trouble.


    But no matter how she tried to convince Nelly, she maintained her decision of going with her.


    With their luggages packed, together, they left the Santiagos’ estate. Nora took with her the only exclusive item that proves her identity as a Santiagos’, a proof she hasn’t abandoned her roots. Whatever happened, she remains a Santiagos’.


    They built a new life from scratch. Nora juggled multiple jobs, while Nelly took on the role of her mother in full, cleaning houses, sewing, doing anything to support them both. Together they rode the waves of challenges before them.


    Jessica’s voice broke the silence. "But if Lady Matilda had already handled the Andersons, why did she still leave?"


    Nelly’s brows furrowed. Her next words came like a hammer to Jessica’s chest.


    "That... was the crux of it," she said, meeting her gaze. "Your mother was pregnant, Jessica. And nobody knew."


    "What?" Jessica gasped, her breathing in shorts, sweat forming on her brow.


    This wasn’t the response she had anticipated. She hadn’t expected this.


    Of all the things she imagined, this truth was not among them.


    Her mind spun around every one of the details Nelly had tried to exin.


    She dreaded the direction this conversation was going.


    She was afraid of this result ying out before her. She didn’t want to imagine the scenario.


    Grandma Nelly had expected a more severe reaction, so seeing Jessica instinctively shrink, she wasn’t surprised.


    "Grandma," Jessica whispered, her voice trembling, her heart thumping, "Does that mean... I’m an Anderson?"


    Jessica stared at her, several emotions flickering in her eyes. She only hoped Grandma Nelly would give her a "no" as an answer.


    Maybe she would be relieved.


    Maybe she wouldn’t bother about Julian’s im.


    But taking note of Grandma’s unwavering gaze, she felt her hands and feet go cold even as her heart thumped wildly. Yet, she still held on to hope and belief.


    "Jessica, you are an Anderson," Nelly said, her words not minced.


    Jessica’s heart skipped a beat. The sentence echoed multiple times in her ears.


    At that instant, her dream popped like a bubble, her hope was dashed, her fantasy shattered. She felt her world unravel.


    "Grandma, it can’t be true," her voice whispered.


    Grandma Nelly lifted her hand and patted her back gently. "My dear, you just have to ept the fact and don’t me your mother for keeping this from you."


    "She should have told me."


    "She did it to protect you, my dear," Nelly sighed.


    Jessica took a few moments topose herself. She couldn’t let this emotional shock deter her or the purpose of hering.


    She took a deep breath and schooled herself to be calm. Picking up the tissue handed out to her, she dabbed her eyes and forehead.


    She readjusted her posture and steadied herself. Lifting her gaze to her grandmother, "Grandma, how did she end up married to George Brown?"


    "Her reason for marrying George was very simple. She needed to give you a name, even if it’s temporary."


    "She could’ve given me the Santiagos’ name," Jessica murmured.


    "She could have," Nelly nodded, "but she feared the bacsh. You might’ve suffered for the choices she made. You might have been tagged multiple names by the society"


    Jessica nodded. Now she understood why her mother had neverined about George’s attitude.


    She had never seen her share the same room with her father... no, with George.


    Even when she was in the hospital, she had never asked about George or why he hadn’t visited.


    At that moment, another question popped into Jessica’s mind. And she didn’t hesitate to ask, "Grandma, did she have any agreement with George?"


    Nelly pressed her fingers against her temples, frowning in thought. "Yes... but I’m not fully sure of the details."


    She paused, sifting through her memory.


    "Wait... yes, she gave me something," she said slowly. "A sealed envelope. She told me to give it to you when you get married."


    Jessica’s eyes widened. "Envelope?"