My stepmother called and told me, “You’re banned from the family beach house. I changed every lock.” She sounded almost delighted. I simply replied, “Thanks for the update.” What she didn’t know was that my mom had placed the house in a private trust under my name before she passed away.

man I had grown up with—the man who had loved me unconditionally, the man who had once put family first, before the chaos of his second marriage took root.

“I never wanted this,” he muttered, almost to himself. “But Diana—she’s so… determined. She makes everything seem so simple, like there’s no other choice but to do what she wants.”

“Do you want to continue reading …