Somewhere down the corridor, a baby began crying.
And suddenly I understood something.
Courtney hadn’t married my father because he was rich.
She had married him because she believed she could make him richer.
By taking what belonged to my husband.
And ultimately, what belonged to me.
Chapter 4: The Last Recording
At 4:17 that afternoon, Samantha returned with a small tablet.
“There’s something else.”
She looked uncomfortable.
“Lucas left a video message with instructions that I show it to you if anyone attempted to interfere with your inheritance.”
I reached for the tablet with trembling hands.
The screen went dark.
Then Lucas appeared.
He was sitting at his desk in our home office, wearing his favorite navy sweater.
The sight of him almost broke me.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
His voice filled the room.
I pressed a hand over my mouth.
“If you’re watching this, something has happened that I hoped we could avoid.”
