“We didn’t want you hearing it from someone else,” he said.
“At my mother-in-law’s will reading?” I let out a short, bitter laugh. “How considerate.”
Attorney James Harlan entered then, folder in hand. He paused when he noticed the infant but quickly composed himself.
“Mrs. Caldwell requested everyone be present,” he said carefully. “Ms. Whitaker is… included.”
Included. The word stung. Margaret had known.
I sat down slowly, my legs unsteady. Ethan’s wedding ring gleamed under the fluorescent lights. He’d kept it on.
Harlan opened the folder. “Margaret Caldwell finalized her will on March 3rd. She also left a personal letter to be read aloud.”
Ethan leaned back, already looking confident. Lauren adjusted the baby, her expression hovering between sympathy and triumph.
Harlan unfolded a single page.
“To my daughter-in-law, Claire,” he began, “if you are hearing this, then Ethan has finally revealed his true nature.”
Ethan stiffened.
“And that means it’s time you understand what I’ve done—so you stop believing you’re powerless.”