After Eleanor died, her children challenged our marriage, accused me of exploiting her, and reported me to the nursing board. Heartbroken, I officially gave up any inheritance to prove my intentions were genuine. But the accusations continued until Eleanor’s attorney contacted me with a letter, six beloved books, and a video she had recorded before our wedding. She had deliberately excluded me from her will to protect me from accusations of marrying for money. In the recording, she addressed her children directly: “He has never brought me anything except books,” she said kh. “He is the kindest person I have ever known.”
At the court hearing, Eleanor’s words silenced everyone. Her children withdrew their lawsuit and complaint, and her daughter eventually apologized, admitting that she had failed to give her mother the companionship a stranger had provided. Eleanor had also arranged for me to care for Dickens, her beloved tortoise.
