Vanessa was at the front, draped in an elegant black coat, a wide-brimmed hat shielding her face. Lucas and Sophie stood beside her, both dressed sharply, their expressions carefully composed for the crowd. Not once did she look in my direction.
When the pastor finished speaking and the casket was lowered, the guests drifted toward their cars. I stayed put, waiting until most had gone. I wanted a moment alone with my father, without the cold wall of Vanessa’s presence between us.
But she found me first. I heard her heels crunch on the gravel before I saw her. She stopped a few feet away, her lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile.
You can save yourself the trouble of hoping, she said softly, as if delivering a kindness. You won’t be getting anything from your father’s will. I stared at her, stunned by the bluntness.
She took a step closer, lowering her voice until it was just for me. My stepmother told me I would not get anything from my dad’s 154 million will. She sat there all happy during the reading of the will.
But then the lawyer read one sentence and he smiled. Except the reading hadn’t happened yet, this was her prelude, her power move. Lucas and Sophie are his real family now, she added, her eyes glittering.
You… you were just a reminder of a past he wanted to forget. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. That’s not true, I said quietly.
Believe what you want, she said, turning away. The lawyer’s office is Monday at ten. Wear something appropriate.
She walked off, her children trailing behind her like shadows. When they were gone, I approached the fresh grave. The stone was simple, engraved with his name, birth, and death dates.
My hand trembled as I brushed away a stray cedar needle from its surface. I don’t care about the money, I whispered. I just… wish we’d had more time.
The wind carried the scent of damp earth and pine. I stayed until the cemetery was empty, my coat pulled tight around me, before finally walking back to my car. That night I barely slept.
I kept replaying his words in the hospital, I’ve made arrangements. You’ll understand when the time comes. Vanessa thought she had already won.
Maybe she was right. Maybe Monday would strip away whatever hope I had left. But something in me, something stubborn and unyielding, refused to believe my father would leave me with nothing.
I didn’t know what was coming, only that I had to be there to hear it for myself. The lawyer’s office was in an old brick building downtown, the kind with frosted glass doors and the faint smell of paper and polished wood. I arrived ten minutes early, dressed in my best black dress and the only pair of heels I owned.
My palms were damp, and I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. The receptionist gave me a polite nod before pointing to a conference room down the hall. When I stepped inside, all conversation stopped.
Vanessa sat at the head of the long mahogany table, perfectly poised in a tailored black suit. Her lips curved into a smug smile the moment our eyes met. On either side of her were Lucas and Sophie, Lucas lounging in his chair like he owned the place, Sophie scrolling through her phone without looking up…
