Chapter 2 - The Arrogance of the New Queen
Three weeks passed,
and I watched from a distance as my old life was dismantled.
I had hired a private investigator,
not to harass them,
but to keep a record of how they treated my husband’s legacy.
Felicia had wasted no time,
throwing a massive,
gaudy party to celebrate their "new" status.
She invited hundreds of people,
most of whom Arthur would have never allowed through the front door.
The security footage showed her laughing,
drinking expensive champagne,
and showing off my wedding china as if it were a common prop.
Derek looked increasingly uncomfortable in the photos,
standing on the periphery of the crowd with a drink in his hand.
He looked like a man who was beginning to realize he had traded his mother for a hollow illusion.
He had stopped calling me,
perhaps out of guilt,
or perhaps because Felicia had convinced him I was better off without them.
I moved into a beautiful,
high-rise apartment overlooking the river,
purchased quietly through one of the trust's shell companies.
It was modern,
secure,
and filled with light,
a stark contrast to the dark,
heavy grief that had consumed me after the funeral.
Every morning,
I would sit on my balcony with a cup of tea,
thinking about the nights I worked the graveyard shift at the hospital.
I remembered the way Arthur’s hands used to be covered in dry cement and grease.
We had earned every brick of that mansion,
and Felicia was treating it like a lottery win.
She had even gone so far as to list my favorite garden furniture on an online auction site.
She was erasing me,
piece by piece,
thinking I was huddled in some dingy room,
weeping over my lost life.
She didn't know that Mr. Sterling was already filing the paperwork to audit the estate.
Arthur had structured the house ownership so that the "inheritance" Derek received was only a temporary residency permit.
To keep the house,
Derek had to prove he was maintaining his mother’s well-being and keeping the property in its original trust.
By kicking me out,
they had unknowingly triggered a "violation of trust" clause.
Felicia was spending money they didn't actually have,
charging thousands of dollars to credit cards that were tied to the estate’s main account.
I sat back and watched the digital notifications on my laptop as she bought jewelry,
designer bags,
and a new sports car for Derek.
The more she spent,
the faster the trap would close.
It was a slow,
May you like
meticulous process,
and I had all the time in the world.
