I kept reading. My eyes blurred.
“What does it say?” she snapped again, reaching across the desk.
The lawyer gently stopped her.
“The letter is private. Your father was clear.”
“Then read the real will.”
He opened a sealed envelope. Marlene’s smile weakened.
The brothers leaned forward. He read in a steady voice, but I could barely focus. I kept staring at the photograph, at the woman who had no idea someone across the room was truly seeing her.
“Skip ahead,” Marlene snapped. “Who gets the house?”
The lawyer turned one page, then another. Her anger began shifting into fear.
“This cannot be right.”
He looked up.
“It is exactly right. Your father reviewed every line, completed a competency evaluation before signing, and expected objections.”
Marlene’s brother touched her arm. She jerked away.
The lawyer’s voice became firmer.
“He knew what each of you was capable of.”
