Life doesn’t always go as planned, and when things get tough, people show their true colors. The woman in our story had exactly that happen to her. She found out that her husband was trying to get rich by taking her money.
A woman got in touch with us to tell us about a disagreement over an inheritance.
Sarah, who is 37 years old, wrote us a letter from the heart. She started by telling us about herself. She told him that her father had died not long ago and that she is still very sad about it. They were very close and had a special bond with Sarah. Her mother died when she was only 20, so her dad raised her by himself.
Sarah talked about how her dad was a famous and successful lawyer who was often talked about in the news. “He was very smart,” she wrote. “He was a very good lawyer who won cases that other people thought were impossible.” Many people called him “a wizard” or “a genius” because he was so good at what he did and taught and inspired so many.
It’s no surprise that Sarah’s father became very wealthy—he had a lot of great skills. Sarah said, “He was worth close to a billion dollars and owned many law firms, homes, and cars.”
In a strange way, Sarah’s dad taught her about money and wealth.
As a dedicated single parent, Sarah’s dad worked hard to teach his daughter his core values. One important lesson he stressed was how he handled money. Sarah remembered how he taught her how to be humble and save money. Even though they had a good life, she learned as a child that it was important to hide their good fortune.
Sarah talked about her childhood and said, “My dad never put me in the spotlight.” He thought it was best for me to go my own way. She talked about how he told her to go after her education and career on her own, without relying on his help. “He wanted me to work hard for what I already had,” she said.
Sarah’s father was so proud of her when she got top grades in law school and got a job at a small firm. Even though he had a lot of money, he insisted she start her career from scratch and wouldn’t give her a job in one of his bigger companies.
Sarah’s dad wasn’t sure about her boyfriend.
When Sarah introduced her college friend Bradd to her father, he was skeptical about the meeting. Sarah remembers, “My dad always had doubts about Bradd because he thought he was lazy and spoiled.” Even though her dad warned her not to, she trusted her own judgment and didn’t listen to his worries.
Bradd, on the other hand, never made it seem like he was interested in Sarah’s family’s money when they talked, which made her trust him even more. They got married a year before her father died after their relationship grew stronger. Their marriage seemed to be going well because they were both very dedicated to their jobs and enjoyed being with each other.
Everything changed after her father died.
When Sarah’s father died, she felt a great deal of sadness. But she was shocked by how Bradd acted during this tough time. Sarah said, “Instead of making me feel better, Bradd brought up my inheritance right away and asked how much I would get from my dad.”
This question caught her off guard and made her think of what her father had said about Bradd’s true intentions and how much he wanted her family’s money.
Sarah said, “I must have looked shocked when he asked about my inheritance.” Then I asked, “What inheritance?” My dad won’t give me anything. “I’m not even in his will.”
Bradd thought she might not have been thinking straight after the funeral and thought it was either a joke or a sign of her grief. To be clear, Sarah said, “I’m not biologically related to my dad, so I won’t be getting any inheritance.” Before my mom died, I was adopted. My dad raised me, but he never meant to leave me anything. This is something I’ve always known.
The moment Sarah told Brad the “bad news,” he left right away.
Sarah added to her story by saying that Bradd started the divorce process just one month after she found out she wouldn’t be getting any money from her father. After they got divorced, Sarah set up a meeting with Bradd and a family friend who used to work with her dad in business.
The business associate gave Bradd Sarah’s father’s will during the meeting. It said that Bradd would get half of the estate if he stayed married to Sarah for five years after her father died. Sarah would get the other half. But in case of divorce, Sarah was named as the only person who would get her father’s money and properties.
In her closing statement, Sarah talked about how happy she was, saying, “It was incredibly satisfying to witness my ex’s stunned reaction.” His skin changed color from light to dark red and back again. He couldn’t say a word, like a fish gasping for air when it’s not in water. I thought my dad’s plan had worked out perfectly, and he could finally rest easy knowing I was doing well without that “lazy, spoiled kid” around.
Her ex-husband has been unwilling to give her space.
Sarah learned that Bradd’s reaction was much stronger than she thought it would be, even after they broke up. “He begged me to think again and give our relationship another chance,” she said. He said he would change and apologized a lot, but I was determined not to make the same mistakes again, so I said no.
Although she said no, Bradd kept trying and kept calling and texting her. Sarah said, “Once, he even showed up at my workplace without warning with a huge bouquet.” Things were not comfortable. I said no to his offer and blocked him on all of my accounts. He hasn’t tried to get in touch with me since then, and I think he finally realized how serious the situation was.
Sarah decided to put her attention on her career and getting over the recent bad event, but she did leave the door open for the possibility of finding love again in the far future.
