Then he walked out.
I remained motionless, Mrs. Harper’s letter in one hand and Greg’s threat in the other.
At last, I understood why she had given me permission to walk away.
She had known he would come.
The Threat at My Door
The following morning, a black sedan stopped beside my mailbox before I had finished my coffee.
Greg stepped out and marched up my driveway.
“We need to settle this before you make a foolish decision,” he said.
“Your aunt’s wishes were clear.”
He gave me a thin smile.
“I investigated you years ago.”
My stomach tightened.
He began listing details from the worst months after my divorce—private appointments, canceled commitments, and personal struggles I had never discussed with him.
The fact that he had been watching me made my skin crawl.
“None of that has anything to do with your aunt’s will,” I said.
“It will when I present you as an unstable man who attached himself to a vulnerable widow.”
“She wasn’t vulnerable.”
“She was eighty-one, and you had unrestricted access to her house.”
He held out the settlement agreement and a pen.
“Sign the properties over. You leave with your reputation intact, and I forget everything I found.”
For several seconds, I considered it.
I had never wanted Mrs. Harper’s houses.
I had never expected money from her.
Walking away would be easier than enduring a public fight.
My hand moved toward the pen.
Then I remembered her letter.
She had told me I could sell the properties or reject the inheritance. But she had specifically prevented Greg from attending the will reading.
Mrs. Harper did nothing without a reason.
If she had deliberately excluded her nephew, there had to be more to the story.
“I need time,” I said.
Greg glanced at his watch.
“I’ll wait in the car.”
I crossed the street and unlocked Mrs. Harper’s front door.
The house still smelled faintly of lavender and tea.
For a moment, I stood in the hallway expecting her to call from the kitchen and ask why I had entered without bringing pastries.
But there was only silence.
I searched her desk, filing cabinet, bedroom drawers, and hallway closet.
Nothing explained Greg.
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