The news came via Facebook: Sarah had given birth to a boy. The photo showed her beaming in a hospital bed, our parents hovering proudly over their new grandson. The baby was wrapped in the cream-colored blanket I had knitted for the shower—which felt like a deliberate jab. I closed the app before I could read the comments, but not before noticing she’d named him James Jr.
A week later, the court summons arrived in a thick manila envelope. My hands trembled as I opened it, already knowing what I’d find inside. Sarah was suing for half of everything James had left me, claiming her son’s right to his father’s inheritance. The legal language was cold and precise, laying out her demands in stark black and white. She wanted the house, half the money, and partial ownership of the downtown apartment.
I spent three days researching lawyers before settling on Richard Martinez, who came highly recommended for handling complex inheritance cases.