“I know.” His voice was tight. “But not here.”
I clenched my jaw and sat back down.
The pastor began speaking. He talked about Clara’s kind heart and how she volunteered at the soup kitchen every weekend.
He talked about the baby boy she had already named Leo.
Through it all, I glared at Julian and Sienna. 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.
“Clara 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. Sterling. I’m Clara’s attorney.”
Julian’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.”
Julian let out a short, harsh breath. “This is ridiculous.”
Mr. Sterling continued as though Julian hadn’t spoken. “There is a specific section Clara insisted be read aloud. I’ll begin there.”
Mr. Sterling 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.
Arthur went rigid beside me.
Mr. Sterling turned the page. “‘To my husband, Julian.’”
Every head in the room swiveled toward the front row.
Julian turned to whisper to Sienna.
“I know about Sienna,” Mr. Sterling continued.
The room erupted.
Sienna ducked her head. Julian went pale.
“I’ve known for months, and because I knew… I prepared a farewell gift for you.”
“What kind of circus is this?” Julian snapped.
Mr. Sterling closed the folder.
Then he reached down and opened his briefcase.
The room went quiet. Everyone watched Mr. Sterling pull out a black tablet and set it on the podium.
The screen flickered on.
And then Clara was there.
“No,” Julian groaned.
“Hi,” Clara said. “If you’re watching this, it means I didn’t make it.”
And I swear I forgot how to breathe.
Arthur took my hand and held it tightly.
Clara 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 Arthur, confused. He shrugged.
“Now, Julian,” Clara continued.
I looked back at the tablet. Clara’s expression had hardened.
“I tried to believe that your affair with Sienna 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—” Julian started to rise.
“Sit down,” someone behind him hissed.
Julian sat. Sienna shifted away from him.
“I have receipts and screenshots of your text messages. I gave them all to my lawyer. Three days ago,” Clara said, “I filed for divorce.”
“You what?” Julian snapped. He turned to Sienna. “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.”
Julian 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.”
Clara tilted her head slightly on screen, and I swear to you she looked amused. “You remember the prenup you signed before our wedding, Julian?”
Sienna directed a sharp gaze at Julian.
“According to that agreement,” Clara 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,” Arthur muttered.
“By the time you hear this,” Clara 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.
Clara exhaled slowly. “To my family and everyone I loved, I’m sorry I disrupted my own funeral this way. I hope you’ll understand why in time. Please remember me with love, and remember Leo. Take care of each other.”
And then the screen went black.
For a long moment, nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The chapel held its breath.
Then Julian stood and let out a harsh, hollow laugh.
“This is a lie!” He turned to face the congregation. “You all know this is nonsense.”
Sienna stood, too. Julian reached for her hand, but Sienna stepped back.
“You lied to me,” she said. “You said we’d get everything.”
That was the end of it. Clara’s best friend stood and marched toward them.
“Get out!” she snarled. “If I have to look at the two of you for one more second…”
The rest of her sentence was drowned out as the remaining mourners all called for Julian and Sienna to leave.
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