Gillian Harper snatched the envelope with such a sudden flick that everyone jumped, and the silverware on the plates clattered. Her nails, painted a bright red, dug into the paper as if they were claws. Then the solicitor placed his cool, steady hand flat over hers.
I’m sorry, miss, he said calmly, that isnt yours.
A heavy hush fell over the room. All you could hear was the ticktock of the old wall clock and a distant shout from a child playing in the garden. Oliver Finch hunched deeper into his armchair, as if he might disappear; the woman beside him watched with curiosity, not understanding a word of it.
I just stood there, frozen. Ten years ago I would have trembled and begged them not to humiliate me. Now I knew their grip on me was finally broken.
The solicitor tore open the envelope and pulled out a few sheets. The first bore the signature of my late fatherinlaw, Victor Harper, who had passed away a few months earlier. His voice was clear and firm:
The will was drawn up three months before his death. The sole heir is Marina Clarke.
A murmur rose among the relatives. Aunties exchanged glances, the cousins cleared their throats, and a child let out a giggle, clueless about what was happening.
What?! Gillian Harper shrieked. Thats a lie! He would never have done that!
Its written in black and white, the solicitor continued. I leave all my property, including the house and the land, to my sons former wife, who did not leave the family of her own accord but was driven out. He even left an explanation as to why.
Oliver whispered a quiet apology. His new wife stepped back from him as if he were a stranger.
I drew a deep breath. Id known about the will before this meeting, but hearing it read aloud, in front of everyone, carried a whole different weight.
So this is, my motherinlaw sputtered. He always pitied you! Always! And now you want to take the house from us?
I rose to my feet. My voice was steady, but as hard as steel:
Im not taking anything. You stole ten years of my life when you threw me out. But your husband saw it all and decided differently.
Dont you dare! she shouted. Youre nothing!
Im the rightful owner of this house, I replied without hesitation.
Silence grew heavier. Every pair of eyes was fixed on me.
But I added after a pause, Im not going to chase you off. I have my own home and my own business. All I want is fairness.
Oliver lifted his gaze, as if he couldnt believe what he was hearing.
So youre leaving it to us?
Im giving you the right to live here, I explained, but the property is mine. That means you no longer have the power to humiliate me.
Gillian Harper looked devastated, her voice trembling down to a whisper:
You want to ruin me
I stared straight into her eyes:
No. I want you to feel what its like to be at someone elses mercy.
The solicitor gathered the papers and stood up.
Everything is legally in order. From today, the owner is Miss Marina Clarke.
I gave a brief nod and stepped outside. The air was fresh, the sun sinking behind the old pear tree in the garden. I walked lightly, almost as if I were floating.
Baxter had long been gone, but I swear I heard his familiar bark echoing once more, not to chase away a frightened woman this time, but to herald a small victory.
I smiled and kept moving forward. No one could call me nothing any longer. I was finally myself, and that was enough to reclaim my dignity and my life.
