My stepmother called and told me, “You’re banned from the family beach house. I changed every lock.” She sounded almost delighted. I simply replied, “Thanks for the update.” What she didn’t know was that my mom had placed the house in a private trust under my name before she passed away.

tired, foolish part of me still wanted to hear him say there had been a misunderstanding, that he had put a stop to Diana’s cruelty, that he remembered who I was.

“Rebecca,” he said as soon as I answered, his voice weary and already defensive, “please do not make this harder than it has to be.”

I closed my eyes. “Harder for whom?”

“For everyone,” he said.continue reading …