Chapter 2 - The Original Will
I stared at Helen, trying to process the magnitude of her betrayal.
"My father's will was executed five years ago," I stated, my heart pounding against my ribs.
"There was an amendment," Helen whispered, refusing to meet my eyes.
"Adam found it in your father's desk the night he died."
The room spun, but Jacob’s hand on my shoulder kept me grounded.
"What did the amendment say?" I demanded, my tone leaving no room for negotiation.
Adam stepped forward, trying to intervene.
"Mom, shut up, don't say another word!" he yelled.
Jacob shoved his father backward.
"Don't you ever yell at her again," Jacob warned, his fists clenched tight.
Helen looked up, her mascara running down her wrinkled cheeks in dark, jagged lines.
"Your father left a secondary trust for any future biological grandchildren," she sobbed.
"But Jacob and Emma are his grandchildren," I argued, confusion clouding my anger.
"He left a specific clause," Helen continued, trembling violently.
"A massive offshore account meant only for a child born out of a new bloodline, in case something happened to Emma and Jacob."
The sickening truth washed over me like ice water.
Adam and Brooke hadn't just been having an affair.
They had been orchestrating a long-term plan to steal my family's generational wealth.
Brooke's pregnancy wasn't a mistake; it was a calculated business transaction.
"You helped them," I said to Helen, the betrayal cutting deeper than Adam's infidelity.
"She promised to pay off my gambling debts," Helen cried, burying her face again.
I felt a sudden wave of nausea, but I refused to break down in front of these monsters.
"Party's over," I announced to the remaining guests, who were watching like it was a reality television show.
"Please leave."
Within ten minutes, the grand ballroom was entirely empty, save for my children, my treacherous husband, and his mother.
My phone vibrated in my purse.
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It was a text from my forensic accountant, Mark.
"Sarah, we have a major problem. Brooke just tried to board a private jet."
