“Does it matter? He’s gone.”
Dad’s expression hardened, but he remained silent as Vanessa explained that she and her husband, Grant, were already handling everything.
“Grant and I are taking care of everything. Don’t come to the house. We’re changing the locks this morning.”
Grant laughed somewhere beside her, and I immediately recognized the smug sound. Vanessa then lowered her voice and revealed the part of the story that apparently mattered most to them.
“We found Dad’s papers. He left the house, his truck, the accounts, everything to me and Grant.”
After a short pause, she delivered what sounded like a sentence she had been waiting years to say.
“You were specifically excluded.”
Grant took the phone from her.
“You’re finally out of the family, Natalie.”
I didn’t respond. Dad slowly placed his coffee mug on the table and leaned toward my phone.
