CHAPTER 2: THE WILL
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
Robert Miller calmly laid the documents across the dining table.
My mother forced a laugh.
"That's ridiculous. My husband left everything to me."
Robert adjusted his glasses.
"I'm afraid that's incorrect."
He opened the file to a page marked with my father's signature.
"This is Mr. Brooks' final will."
The room fell deathly silent.
My uncle leaned forward.
Jason finally looked up.
Even Chloe's confident smile disappeared.
Robert continued.
"Six months before his passing, your father amended his estate."
My mother's face turned pale.
"No..."
"The family home, Brooks Construction, the investment accounts, and all voting shares were placed into the Brooks Family Trust."
He turned another page.
"The sole trustee and primary beneficiary is..."
His eyes met mine.
"Miss Hannah Brooks."
The words echoed through the room.
My mother stumbled backward into a chair.
Chloe shot to her feet.
"That's impossible!"
Robert calmly handed her a certified copy.
"It has already been registered with the court."
Chloe skimmed the pages.
Her hands began shaking.
"But Mom said—"
Robert interrupted.
"Your mother was never the legal owner."
The silence was crushing.
Then he added one more sentence.
"Your father also left a personal letter... addressed only to Hannah."
He placed a sealed envelope into my hands.
I recognized Dad's handwriting immediately.
My vision blurred.
I opened it with trembling fingers.
If you're reading this, sweetheart... then I wasn't wrong.
I knew someone would try to take everything after I was gone.
Trust Robert.
Trust the truth.
And never let guilt convince you to surrender what you built beside me.
By the time I finished reading...
I was crying silently.
Not because of the inheritance.
May you like
Because even after death...
Dad had still been protecting me.
