My mother’s words felt like a lifeline reaching out from the darkness to pull me back to safety. “She knew he was going to do this,” I whispered while tears blurred my vision once again.
I contacted Joanna Kempton that afternoon, and she answered the phone on the second ring as if she had been waiting for my call. “Audrey, are you currently in a safe location?” she asked with a voice that was both sharp and professional.
“I am with Skylar, but my father has locked me out of the house,” I explained while trying to keep my breathing under control. “Tell me exactly what Richard said to you during the eviction,” Joanna commanded while I heard the sound of her typing in the background.
I repeated his cruel words, including his suggestion that I find somewhere else to die. “I see,” Joanna replied with a tone that suggested she was already moving pieces on a chessboard I couldn’t see.
“The formal reading of the will is scheduled for Monday at ten o’clock, and I will be there to represent your interests,” she told me. “In the meantime, do not engage with him at all and save every message he sends you.”
The next forty-eight hours were a blur of anxiety and preparation as Skylar and I reviewed the documents on the drive. “There is a video file here too,” Skylar said on Sunday evening as we sat on her sagging couch.
I hesitated before clicking play because hearing her voice again felt like it might break the fragile composure I was maintaining. Victoria appeared on the screen, looking tired but determined as she sat in her library at the house.
“Hello, my darling girl,” she began, and I immediately felt the tears returning to my eyes. “I am sorry that I had to leave you with this burden, but I had to ensure that what we built stayed in your hands.”
“Your father has always mistaken my silence for weakness, but I have documented every transaction he made behind my back,” she explained. “He has been moving funds into accounts for a woman named Giselle Fontaine, and he believes I was unaware of his betrayal.”
My heart stopped at the mention of another woman and the realization that my father had been cheating on my dying mother. “Joanna has the evidence of the secret loans he took from my trust to fund his mistress’s business,” Victoria continued.
“When you go to that meeting, watch his face when the truth is revealed, because he believes he has already won,” she said with a small, sad smile. “I love you more than life itself, Audrey, and I have made sure that you are protected.”
The video ended, and the room was silent except for the sound of the rain hitting the window. “Your mother was a total legend,” Skylar said while wiping her own eyes and handing me a tissue.
On Monday morning, I dressed in a black suit and wore the pearl earrings my mother had given me for my college graduation. Skylar drove me to the law firm of Kempton and Finch, which was located in a grand brick building downtown.
My father was already in the reception area, looking confident and impatient as he checked his gold watch. “I expected you to be late given your current living situation,” he said with a smirk that made me want to scream.
“I am exactly where I need to be, Richard,” I replied while walking past him into the conference room. Joanna Kempton was seated at the head of a long table, and beside her was an older gentleman named Lawrence Finch.
“Please take a seat,” Joanna said while opening a thick leather folder that contained the legal documents. My father sat down and opened his own portfolio, looking ready to claim his victory and leave.
“We are here to review the final legacy of Victoria Vance, which was updated and finalized three months ago,” Joanna began. “I understand that Richard has already taken possession of the King Street property and has removed Audrey from the premises.”
“It is my legal right as the surviving spouse,” Richard interrupted while leaning back in his chair. Joanna looked at him over her reading glasses with an expression of pure, professional disdain.
“Actually, Richard, you might want to review the property waiver you signed in 2011,” she said while sliding a document toward him. “This agreement clearly states that the King Street estate was purchased with Victoria’s separate inheritance and remains her separate property.”
