Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 365

First thing the next morning, Jade dragged herself out of bed.

She had cried so hard the night before that her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

She iced them for ages and layered on foundation in front of the mirror before she finally looked presentable enough to go out.

The maids had already cleaned the living room.

The entire house was dead silent.

Marcus and Penelope hadn't come home all night.

He had called Jade late the previous evening, telling her that Penelope had been diagnosed with a mild concussion and needed to stay in the hospital for a few days.

Every word he spoke had blamed her.

Even thinking about it now made Jade grit her teeth in fury.

It was true what they said—when a stepmother entered the picture, a biological father became a stepfather.

Her dad's bias was the size of the Pacific Ocean; he took the side of that homewrecker and her daughter every single time!

Taking a deep breath, Jade suppressed her surging rage and walked out the door.

Soon, her car pulled up in front of the Bureau of Records. She marched into the lobby and grabbed a number, knowing the routine by heart.

It didn't take long for her turn to come up.

"Hello, I need a copy of my marriage certificate." Jade impatiently slid her ID across the counter.

The clerk took it and swiped it through the machine. After staring at the screen for a few seconds, she frowned slightly. "Ma'am, you are currently single. There is no marriage record on file."

"Impossible, I'm married. My husband's name is Hudson Lancaster. Check again!"

The clerk swiped the ID once more, but the same words appeared on the screen.

"Ma'am, there is definitely no marriage record in the system. Are you sure you have the right place?"

"I'm not mistaken!" Jade slammed her hand on the counter. "I just processed the paperwork here last month. How can there be no record? Did you lose my information?"

Startled by the outburst, the clerk leaned back slightly but maintained her professional tone. "Ma'am, marriage records are networked across all of San Francisco. It's impossible to lose them. Are you sure you came here to register a marriage and not for another service?"

Stubbornly, she went to every single marriage registration counter in the building, only to receive the exact same answer.

Jade was completely bewildered.

She had looked it up before—how could she suddenly be single?

No!

These people had to be conspiring to trick her!

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. Furious, she pulled out her phone and dialed emergency services.

"Hello, I want to report a crime! The staff at the Bureau of Records are conspiring to deceive me. They illegally altered my marriage records..."

Ten minutes later, a police car pulled up in front of the building.

Two officers walked in, took her statement, and then requested her file from the system.

"Ma'am, your marital status is indeed single. There has never been a marriage record for you in the system."