“We need to discuss your estate.”
Part Four — He Had Planned More Than a Funeral
Rachel already had copies of my will.
She had drafted it.
“Who has control of your voting shares if you die before your child is eighteen?”
I swallowed.
“Grant.”
“Who manages the child’s primary trust?”
“Grant.”
“Who is beneficiary of the life-insurance policy?”
“Grant.”
Miles muttered something I won’t repeat.
Rachel continued.
“And who has access to the marital investment accounts?”
“Both of us.”
She nodded.
“There’s your motive.”
Hearing it organized that way made me sick.
Grant had not merely wanted a wealthy widow’s share of property.
He had positioned himself to control the financial future of the daughter whose mother he intended to erase.
Then Rachel asked something else.
“Has Grant shown unusual interest in your company recently?”
I almost said no.
Then memories began returning.
Questions I had dismissed.
What happened to voting rights if I was incapacitated?
How quickly did control transfer after death?
Could a surviving spouse sell inherited property?
Who was allowed to replace a trustee?
Was the lake house protected by the family trust?
What happened to my grandmother’s buildings if something happened during childbirth?
At the time, each question arrived separately.
Together, they looked very different.
Before we could continue, another contraction hit.
This one stole my breath.
A new physician arrived minutes later.
Dr. Simone Patel.
She introduced herself carefully, explained every medication option, and promised nothing would be administered without my knowledge.
I asked Rachel to remain for every consent discussion.
Miles volunteered to stay too, then quickly added:
“Near her head. Very near her head. I have no interest in witnessing anything educational.”
For the first time all morning, I laughed without forcing it.
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