The spot reserved for the mourning husband, who clearly wasn’t mourning much at all.
Sharon sat down and tilted her head against Bill’s shoulder.
I heard someone whisper, “Did Bill bring a date to his wife’s funeral?”
I braced my hands and started to rise. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch those two make a mockery of the worst day of my life.
I’d drag that witch out of here if I had to, but this could not continue!
Frank grabbed my arm.
“Not here, Em,” he said under his breath, his grip firm. “Not during the service.”
“I know.” His voice was tight.
“But not here.”
I clenched my jaw and sat back down.
The pastor began speaking. He talked about Grace’s kind heart and how she volunteered at the soup kitchen every weekend.
He talked about the baby boy she had already named Carl.
Through it all, I glared at Bill and Sharon.
I clenched my fingers around my purse strap because it was the only thing keeping me from standing up and saying something I would absolutely not regret.
When the final hymn ended, the pastor closed his Bible and looked out at the congregation.
“Grace was a light in many lives,” he said. “And we will carry that light forward.”
The room went quiet.
And then a man in a gray suit stood up near the aisle. He walked to the front and turned to face the congregation.
“Excuse me,” he said.
“My name is Mr. David. I’m Grace’s attorney.”
Bill’s head snapped up.
“Now?” he said sharply.
“We’re doing this now?“
“Your wife left very specific instructions that her will be opened, and read at her funeral. In front of her family.” He lifted a slim folder. “And in front of you.”
Bill let out a short, harsh breath.
“This is ridiculous.”
Mr. David continued as though Bill hadn’t spoken. “There is a specific section Grace insisted be read aloud.
I’ll begin there.”
Mr. David cleared his throat. “To my family, I love you more than words could ever hold.
If you are hearing this… it means the accident I feared has finally happened.”
A gasp moved through the chapel.
Frank went rigid beside me.
Mr. David turned the page.
“‘To my husband, Bill.'”
Every head in the room swiveled toward the front row.
Bill turned to whisper to Sharon.
“I know about Sharon,” Mr. David continued.
The room erupted.
Sharon ducked her head. Bill went pale.
“What kind of circus is this?” Bill snapped.
Mr. David closed the folder.
Then he reached down and opened his briefcase.
The room went quiet. Everyone watched Mr.
David pull out a black tablet and set it on the podium.
The screen flickered on.
And then Grace was there.
“No,” Bill groaned.
“Hi,” Grace said. “If you’re watching this, it means I didn’t make it.”
And I swear I forgot how to breathe.
Frank took my hand and held it tightly.
Grace smiled sadly. “Before we get to the surprise, I want to take this opportunity to say something important.
Mom. Dad. I love you so much.
Thank you for everything you did for me. Mom, I prepared something for you. You’ll get it later.
You’ll know what to do with it.”
I turned to Frank, confused. He shrugged.
“Now, Bill,” Grace continued.
I looked back at the tablet. Grace’s expression had hardened.
“I tried to believe that your affair with Sharon was a mistake,” she said. “I wanted to believe that, but when you cheat on your pregnant wife, it stops being a mistake. Or rather, you became the mistake.”
“This is insane—” Bill started to rise.
“Sit down,” someone behind him hissed.
Bill sat.
Sharon shifted away from him.
“I have receipts and screenshots of your text messages. I gave them all to my lawyer. Three days ago,” Grace said, “I filed for divorce.”
“You what?” Bill snapped.
He turned to Sharon. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.
It can’t change anything.”
“You haven’t been served yet at the time I’m recording this, but by the time you see this video, the court will already have the petition.”
Bill looked around the room wildly, like he was searching for someone to tell him this wasn’t happening.
“This isn’t legal,” he snapped. “It can’t be.”
“But that’s not all.” Grace tilted her head slightly on screen, and I swear to you she looked amused. “You remember the prenup you signed before our wedding, Bill?”
Sharon directed a sharp gaze at Bill.
“According to that agreement,” Grace said, “everything I owned before our marriage remains mine.
And because I updated my will, all of my assets return to my family. You will inherit nothing from me.”
“That’s my girl,” Frank muttered.
“By the time you hear this,” Grace continued, “you will be my husband only on paper.
And a pretty worthless one at that.”
A sharp laugh echoed through the church but was quickly silenced.
