The heavy oak door of the notary’s office felt like a border between two worlds. On one side, the quiet sanity of the hallway. On the other, the suffocating toxicity I knew was waiting for me.
I walked in anyway.
Not because I wanted to see my ex-husband, his mistress, and his mother—the three people who had haunted my nightmares for the past year—but because the message on my phone had been unmistakable:
“You are required to be present for the reading.”
The air inside smelled of expensive leather and old paper, a scent that once comforted me but now made my stomach churn. I didn’t sit in the empty chair they’d clearly left for me. Instead, I stood near the bookshelf, arms crossed tight, as if holding myself together would stop my heart from racing.
The lawyer, Gavin Herrera, adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses and looked up calmly.
“Mrs. Valenzuela,” he said, meeting my eyes. “I’m glad you decided to join us.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” I replied evenly, refusing to look at the people behind me.
Gavin nodded slowly. “In a moment, you’ll understand why.”
Behind me, I could feel them—like heat from a fire, like rot beneath floorboards.
My ex-husband Javier, the man I loved for a decade.
Camila, his assistant-turned-mistress who smiled while destroying my marriage.
And Meredith, his mother—the woman who made welcome to the family sound like a threat from day one.
They sat together like vultures, waiting to collect what they believed was theirs.
“Just sit down, Elena,” Javier snapped. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I prefer to stand.”
Meredith scoffed theatrically. “Always difficult. Richard is gone and she still needs attention.”
I turned to face them then. Javier looked polished in a navy suit, Camila wore the smugness of someone who thought she’d won, and Meredith watched me with predatory satisfaction—completely unaware the balance of power was about to collapse.
Gavin cleared his throat. “We’ll begin.”
As he opened the envelope, my mind drifted back a week earlier—me alone in my small architecture studio, reviewing plans under harsh lamplight, when my phone rang close to midnight.
“Ms. Valenzuela,” the caller said. “This is Gavin Herrera. I’m calling regarding the estate of Richard Castellanos. He passed yesterday.”
The name froze my blood.
Richard—Javier’s father—was the only person in that family who had ever treated me like a human being. While Meredith criticized me and Javier dismissed me, Richard listened. Asked questions. Called me daughter.
“You are required to be present for the reading of his will,” Gavin said.
I hadn’t spoken to the family since the divorce. I assumed Meredith had turned Richard against me.
I was wrong.
Back in the office, Gavin read through the formalities. Javier grew impatient.
“Skip ahead,” he interrupted. “The business goes to me.”
Gavin looked up. “Very well.”
He took a breath.
“To my wife, Meredith, I leave five hundred thousand dollars, her jewelry, and the vehicle in her name.”
Silence.
Meredith’s smile froze. Five hundred thousand was an insult to a family worth hundreds of millions.
“There must be a mistake,” she hissed.
Gavin continued calmly. “This sum reflects the affection she showed me in my final years.”
Javier laughed nervously. “Fine. Now the company.”
Gavin met his eyes. “To my son, Javier, I leave one hundred thousand dollars—on the condition he completes a business ethics course.”
Camila gasped. Javier stood up, furious.
“This is illegal!”
“Your father disagreed,” Gavin replied. “He noted: A man who cannot honor his marriage cannot be trusted to honor contracts.”
Meredith shrieked about lawsuits. Gavin didn’t flinch.
“Mr. Castellanos recorded the signing and was certified by three psychiatrists. He anticipated this.”
Then Gavin turned to Camila.
“To Ms. Camila Rossi, I leave nothing. Your employment is terminated effective immediately.”
Camila collapsed into sobs. Javier didn’t comfort her.
The room erupted—until Gavin slammed his hand on the desk.
“I am not finished.”
He looked directly at me.
“The primary beneficiary inherits controlling interest in Castellanos Industries, the Monterey Hills estate, the Napa vineyard, and the remaining portfolio.”
Javier whispered, “Who?”
Gavin smiled—for the first time.
“To my daughter-in-law, Elena Valenzuela.”
The room tilted.
Javier spun toward me, eyes blazing. “HER?! She’s nothing!”
Gavin opened a sealed letter.
“Elena,” he said gently. “Richard wanted this read aloud.”
My dearest Elena,
I know you’re terrified standing in that room. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I know everything. I hired an investigator. You kept your dignity when others chose cruelty. You are the only one I trust with my legacy. Do not be afraid. It’s your office now.
The silence afterward was absolute.
Javier looked small. Meredith looked broken. Camila wept quietly.
They had lost everything.
“Get out,” I said.
Javier tried to bargain. I cut him off.
“Get out of my office. My building. My life.”
Meredith whispered, “We’re family.”
“You made it clear I wasn’t,” I replied. “Richard was my family.”
Gavin called security. They were escorted out—Javier sneering, Camila sobbing, Meredith shell-shocked.
When the door closed, the sound felt like freedom.
I finally sat down.
“I’m okay,” I said—and I meant it.
Richard hadn’t just left me an empire. He gave me my power back.
I picked up the pen, signed my name, and smiled.
“I’m Elena Valenzuela,” I said. “Let’s get to work.”
