I picked up the fragile, yellowed paper and unfolded it carefully. My hands trembled as I read the words, my heart pounding with each line.
Barbara sat back, smirking. “That,” she said triumphantly, “is proof that you’re *not* Mom’s biological daughter. You were adopted. Which means,” she leaned forward, “you have *no* claim to her estate.”
The lawyer furrowed his brow, taking the paper from my hands to examine it. Meanwhile, my world blurred at the edges. Adopted? I had *never* known. Mom had *never* told me. Was that why I always felt different?
Barbara, seeing my shock, chuckled. “Oh, don’t look so sad, Charlotte. It’s not like you lost anything—you never had it to begin with.”
I should have felt devastated. But as I watched Barbara gloat, something inside me snapped. I took a deep breath, forcing my emotions down. “Alright,” I said calmly, “if that’s what Mom wanted, then so be it.”
The lawyer glanced at me, then cleared his throat. “Actually…” he trailed off, flipping through Mom’s *real* will. His eyes widened. “This… changes everything.”
Barbara’s smugness faltered. “What do you mean?”
He turned the document toward us. “Your mother *knew* Charlotte wasn’t biologically hers. And yet, this will—her *real* and *legal* will—states that she left *everything* to her *eldest* daughter.”
Barbara’s jaw dropped. “What?! That’s impossible!”
The lawyer ignored her, looking at me. “Charlotte, your mother made sure that you were the sole inheritor of her estate. Barbara, on the other hand…” He turned to my sister with a polite but firm smile. “She left you exactly **one** thing.”
Barbara’s face twisted. “And what’s that?!” she spat.
I turned the page and read the words aloud.
*”To my youngest daughter, Barbara, I leave my love and best wishes for success in her acting career. I hope she finds what she’s been searching for.”*
Nothing else. No money. No house. No jewelry.
Barbara’s face drained of color. “This… this is a mistake! She wouldn’t do this to me!”
But the truth was there, in black and white. Our mother had seen through her selfishness all along.