Married at First Sight

Chapter 14 - Peasant girl Nancy

In a warmly lit study, Mr Reeve with pride and determination, handed over a set of documents to Summer. She was decent, calm headed and even married to a Norton. It was the right decision.
"I prepared all of this for Nancy. It's all the 18 companies, the gold, the trust funds, the savings... All of this is now yours"
"Grandpa I can't accept this.." she hesitated, gently refusing, feeling the weight of the responsibility.
"Of course you can it's legally yours." he insisted, his voice firm but kind. "As for Nancy, I'll give her some money and ask her to leave the country... she's always been a disappointment." He had tried his best to help her but she remained adamant. Before she could respond, her phone rang. It was Ben.
"Summer, Grandma's awake but she's not doing well, for real this time."
"Hold on I'm coming." Her grandmother's condition had worsened. With a shared glance of concern, she got up. "I have to go, but I'll be right back." She left the room in a rush.

Chris and Summer arrived at the ward, hand in hand, standing beside the grandmothers bed was Ben and Sheila. What was she doing here? Summer has no time to talk about that. She held her grandma's hand.
"Grandma! Grandma, I'm here." She fought the urge to cry.
"My dear... sweet Summer. You came. I thought... I'd never see you... again." her grandmother's frail voice broke the silence.
"Don't say that." Summer whispered.
"You must be Summer's husband." She said to Chris and he nodded with a smile. "Such a handsome young fellow. Please... promise me you'll... you'll give her a....a good life. Please...take care of her" she said, then wheezed.
"You have my word ma'am" he said firmly.
"Summer I do have a last wish."
"What is it, Grandma? anything." She cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Please, forgive your father...I know what he did. But he is my son. Please, I'm..." she struggled to breathe. "... I'm begging you..." she managed to say, her hand trembling as it reaches out to Summer's face. As if sensing her hesitation, her grandmother's grip tightened for a fleeting moment, urging her to fulfill the promise. Suddenly, the heart monitor's steady beeping became a relentless, flat tone. The room fell into an eerie silence as the reality of her grandmother's passing sunk in.
"No, no, no, grandma, no." She cried. "Don't leave me, no" With a heart heavy with sorrow, she hugged her grandma's body, crying uncontrollably. Chris held her up into his comforting embrace.
"It's okay, it's okay." He hugged her tight, cooing her.

Summer stepped outside the somber hospital ward, her eyes heavy with emotion. Grandma was gone. She never thought this day would come. She found Sheila sitting alone on one of the chairs. Without hesitation, she joined her.
"Mom," Summer began, her voice trembling. She couldn't stop calling her mom, she grew up with her "I've found my real family."
Her mother's facade wavered for a moment, but she quickly composed herself, feigning ignorance.
"What?"
Summer, however, refused to be deceived any longer.
"Cut the crap, Mom, I know what you and dad did." she said firmly, her gaze unwavering. "I know the truth now. I'm going to invite your real daughter to the funeral, and you'll decide if you want to meet her or not."
With those words hanging heavy in the air, Summer rose to her feet and walked away. Her mother opened her mouth to protest, but the weight of her past mistakes bore down on her, rendering her speechless. She broke down in tears.

As they sat in the car outside Chris's family home, Summer could feel the weight of the upcoming family dinner pressing down on her. Chris glanced over at her, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you sure about inviting Nancy to the funeral?" he asked, his voice gentle. Summer nodded.
"After dinner, we'll go to her place. I'm giving her one last chance to show she has compassion in her."
"And if she doesn't agree?" Chris asked.
"Then I'll make sure she gets everything she deserves."
Chris offered her a supportive smile, then held her hands.
"Are you sure you want to go in? It's okay not to you know." He knew she dreaded his mother and if she didn't want to come for the family dinner then it was totally fine. He understood. Her heart warmed at his thoughtfulness but she had to do this.
"Thank you, Christian. Having you by my side means everything to me." She kissed him. As they got out the car, they held hands, Summer took a deep breath, preparing herself for the inevitable tension that awaited them inside. Chris squeezed her hand reassuringly before they made their way to the front door. Inside, Chris's grandmother greeted them with open arms and led them to the dining, her eyes shining with genuine affection.
"Summer, dear, it's so good to see you, sit, sit." she exclaimed, making Summer sit beside her. Grandma Norton reminded her of her own grandmother. Summer tried to smile but her grandmother's death weighed on her.
"What's with the long face? Are you too good to eat with us?" The atmosphere shifted dramatically as Chris's mother entered the dining room, followed by her husband. Her demeanor was icy, and her gaze bore into Summer with utter disdain.
"Hey, her grandmother just died." Chris defended her not this again. Why wouldn't she just stop?
"Then you should be at home taking care of your parents, what kind of a daughter are you?" She laughed mockingly.
"My parents died in a car crash long ago."
"Liar! I did my research...your parents caused a scene at your workplace recently."
"Mom she's not lying she's the daughter of Paul and Yvonne Reeve."
"The Reeve family? That can't be!" Grandma Norton exclaimed.
"I was swapped at the hospital when I was born. I just found out about it myself." trying to diffuse the tension, Summer tried to explain. Chris's mother scoffed dismissively. "Reeve or Cale. I don't care. You're not good enough for my son and you never will be." she muttered before storming out of the room. Grandma Norton and Mr Norton sighed.
"Damn it Christian, do you have to ruin every meal?" Mr Norton said angrily.
"Go with her, That's all you care about." Chris snapped at his father. He couldn't even at least say a hello to Summer. Just following his wife around like a fly to a corpse. Mr Norton left the room as well.
"Don't mind her Summer. Grandma is here for you." Grandma Norton began, touching her shoulder. "I don't care what your last name is, I can see that you make Christian happy and he makes you happy too. That's all that matters." She said tenderly. Grandma's tenderness melted their hearts.
"I love you grandma." Christian smiled warmly.
"I love you too sweetie pie." She replied, urging them to eat up.

Summer arrived at Nancy's house and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the confrontation ahead. When Nancy opened the door, her face twisted with anger and resentment.
"What do you want? Grandpa's not here." Nancy spat.
"I came here to talk to you."
"You've got some nerve. You're trying to replace me and now you wanna talk?" her voice dripped with venom. Summer met Nancy's accusations with a steady gaze,
"You're not even a bit sorry for everything you did?" After all the evil she conducted, the least she could say was sorry. Nancy smacked her lips.
"Mm, I didn't do anything wrong...you are literally trying to steal my life away from me. You thief!" Nancy screamed.
"I'm actually here doing you a favor your real grandmother just passed and her funeral is in three days. I thought you might want to be there."
Nancy scoffed dismissively. "I'm Nancy Reeve. I want to have anything to do with some old hag that kicked the bucket of some disgusting farm."
Summer's disappointment was palpable as she shook her head. "You're truly heartless, Nancy," she said quietly, her voice heavy with sorrow. "You can come out now."
Summer called out for Chris and Mr Reeve, who had been hiding behind one of the large trees close to the house. Their expressions mirrored Summer's disbelief as they stared at Nancy in utter shock. She was beyond salvation.
"I thought I taught you better. You're a disgrace." Mr Reeve said sternly, his voice tinged with sadness. Nancy, unfazed by her grandfather's words, simply stared back at him with a cold expression. But before she could utter a response, the grandfather signaled to his guards.
"Get her things moved," he commanded, his tone final. Nancy opened her mouth in disbelief.
"Bitch, you set me up!" She yelled at Summer. With a sigh, Mr Reeve retrieved a cheque from his pocket and handed it to Nancy. "This is 2 million dollars. It should last you for a while if you're careful." Nancy's eyes widened in disbelief. Two million dollars only? What was she supposed to do with that?
"From now on, you're no granddaughter of mine." Mr Reeve walked past her into the house followed by Chris. Summer shook her head.
"I gave you one last chance to show that you had any humanity left in you, and you failed" Summer took the cheque from her and threw it to the ground. "Now pick it up like the good little peasant girl you are." With those biting words, Summer walked into the house, leaving Nancy seething with anger.