Married To a Stranger

Chapter 24

While Isabel spent the night kneeling in the freezing courtyard, her knees pressed into unforgiving stone, Ruby slept lightly in Matilda's room.

The first pale rays of morning filtered through the curtains, just enough to wake her. Ruby found herself alone, tucked neatly into a bed.

A small grey blanket pulled up to her waist. It didn't match the room's décor and looked like it had come from somewhere else, perhaps another bedroom.

She barely gave it a second thought. After freshening up, she joined Owen and Matilda for breakfast. A plate of fried sugar cakes sat at the center of the table.

Matilda reached for one with obvious delight. Owen's expression tightened. His grandmother had no business eating sugar.

Yet she treated medical restrictions like polite suggestions. And of course, no one in the Knight Estate had the spine to stop her.

Least of all Owen. Usually, he let her take the first one and had the rest quietly removed. On worse days,

he simply ate the entire plate himself to prevent further temptation. But today, before he could put either plan into motion,

Ruby spoke calmly.

"Grandma, those aren't good for you."

Owen's eyes widened.

Those words were practically f*******n in this house. He opened his mouth to intervene, but it was already too late.

Matilda paused.

Then, incredibly, the stubborn old woman changed direction mid-reach and placed the sugar cake into Ruby's bowl instead.

She smiled sweetly.

"You misunderstood, darling. I was taking this for you."

Owen was speechless.

His grandmother's excuse was complete nonsense, and he knew it, but the fact that she listened.

Truly listened to someone else.

Left him stunned.

He glanced at Ruby, trying to understand how she'd done what the entire household had failed to do for years.

Ruby finished the sugar cake calmly and looked over at Owen, who was still processing what had just happened.

"Oh, right," she said casually. "I forgot to mention earlier, when we go to the city clerk's office later, please bring your ID and documents."

Matilda perked up.

"Why are you two going to the city clerk's office?" she asked.

"Our marriage certificate is missing, so we're getting a replacement," Ruby replied evenly.

And you need a marriage certificate in the first place to file for a divorce, she added silently.

Matilda shot up from her chair.

"What nonsense? It isn't lost."

Before Ruby could respond, the old woman hurried into her bedroom and returned moments later clutching two red marriage booklets.

"Here," she said, proudly handing one to Ruby and one to Owen. "Keep these safe."

Ruby froze.

The certificate felt unexpectedly heavy in her hand, and then something in her mind clicked.

She looked at Matilda, who was smiling back at her, serene and certain.

So the first time Matilda had called her granddaughter-in-law, Ruby hadn't imagined it.

She hadn't been confused.

Matilda had known exactly what she was doing.

She had known all along that Ruby was her rightful granddaughter-in-law.

Ruby drew a slow breath.

"Grandma, where did you get this?"

Matilda blinked, her gaze turning hazy.

"I don't quite remember."

"Okay. Do you remember how Owen and I got married?" Ruby pressed.

"I don't," Matilda whispered, shaking her head.

Ruby's anxiety spiked.

"Grandma, please try to—"

"That's enough."

Owen stepped between them, his tall frame cutting Ruby off from his grandmother.

His eyes were cold as ice when they met hers.

"Miss Anderson," he said evenly.

"Is this certificate even real?"

"Of course it's real."

"But so what?"

Owen cut in, his gaze darkening.

"Are you going to tell me we don't need to go to the city clerk's office after all?"

He thought he saw her game.

Now, the talk of the clerk's office had been bait, pressuring his grandmother just enough to produce a fake document and pass it off as real.

If he hadn't just watched how completely Matilda listened to her, he might have believed it.

Ruby caught the hostility in his tone, but had no idea where it was coming from.

"It's fine if we don't go today."

A divorce wasn't as simple as a single visit to the clerk's office anyway.

Two years of legal marriage meant shared assets, paperwork, and negotiations.

"No," Owen said flatly. "We're going today."

She shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

Was her acting truly that good, or was she playing a much longer game?

Or worse, could this certificate actually be real?

The doubt hit Owen hard.

Without another word, he turned toward the door.

"I'll be waiting in the garage."

Ruby offered Matilda a reassuring smile before following him out.

Owen walked so fast she had to nearly jog to keep up.

The moment they reached the garage, they ran straight into Sheila, half-supporting Isabel.

Isabel's face was drained of color.

She sneezed softly, her legs trembling beneath her.

One look at her made it obvious she'd been out in the cold all night.

Sheila's eyes lit up the instant she spotted Ruby.

"Ruby."

She hurried over, carefully skirting around Owen and planted herself directly in front of her.

"You have to help your sister."

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

Why were they even here this early?

Had they really stayed all night?

She said nothing.

Sheila took that silence as permission.

"Ruby, the Anderson family took you in. Even if you don't appreciate the favor, you should at least appreciate the gesture."

"You owe the Anderson family."