Chapter 2. The Will

By the time Mr. Jacob, the family lawyer, sat down with both sisters, Evalina had contemplated murder a few times, and it was not even noon yet. Jimmy, looking at Eva as he entered the house, shook his head with a half-smile. Jimmy had been their family lawyer for the past fifty years or so; he was their grandfather’s lawyer as well. So, it was not a secret to him about the hatred Valentina had for Evalina. He knew the reason, but Jimmy had made a promise to the girls’ father not to let Evalina know the truth. They both knew Valentina wouldn’t expose the truth.

“Finally, we have been waiting ages for you. I had to cancel a lot of stuff to wait for you.” Valentina was already seated at the table with Marcus.

Jimmy frowned when he saw Marcus there, but before he could say anything, Valentina chimed in. “Oh, he can stay; he is my fiancé,” she said proudly, showing her new ring. While Marcus looked anything but excited, Valentina looked beaming.

“When did this happen?” Evalina blurted out, the look of contempt she got from her sister involuntarily shrinking her back.

“Well, if you must know, sister dear, it was last night. It was so romantic, and we have decided to have the wedding in our backyard near the dock.” Turning towards Jimmy, “So, we are busy, have a wedding to plan and all that. Can we get on with this?” she said, still looking at her ring, turning it around. The stone catching the sun created a brilliant rainbow that filled the entire dining room. She, for the first time in Evalina’s life, laughed with true merriment.

Suddenly, Evalina felt sad; she could have had a true sister, but for whatever reason, Valentina had turned herself into this horrid thing.

Jimmy watched the two sisters with regret; neither Evalina nor Valentina deserved this life. They should have had the opportunity to grow up like normal kids, but when you have Verona for a grandmother, you would have to expect a few surprises along the way.

“So, this is about the will, right?” Valentina asked.

“Yes, I have your parents’ will. The house goes to Valentina, David’s car to Evalina, and…” he took out a file and handed both of them a copy of the will, “…I have listed down how the properties are to be divided. You both can go through it, and we can get the papers signed.”

“Wait!” exclaimed Valentina. “How come she gets all their money? That was supposed to be mine. She gets that stupid old car, and I get the rest; that’s what we agreed to. If she’s to stay here, I better get what I was promised.”

Evalina looked at Jimmy with confusion, “What is she talking about?”

“Well, I guess if they don’t keep their end of the bargain, then I don’t have to either, right?” Valentina jumped up from her chair. Evalina watched in horror as she came around the table and stood next to Jimmy and her. Jimmy tried to stop her while Marcus watched with amusement.

“Valentina, wait. What she gets is not much, just enough to cover for her dance academy. The house and the cabin are yours. Please don’t do this. This is not how she should know of this. Just calm down,” Jimmy was holding Valentina, but she managed to shake him off and forced Evalina to stand.

“You are not my sister; you’re not their child. Do you have any idea what it is like to be sidelined by your own parents? They doted on you while completely ignoring me. I was just a child, and they forced me to accept you and be okay with everything. Even Grandma mostly spent time with you; that used to be me. I was their child; you were just an orphan grandma brought here. I hate Verona for doing this to me.” She took a breath to calm herself down. “I can’t let you ruin my life anymore.” She turned toward Jimmy, “I’m leaving; make sure she is gone by the time I get back.”

Valentina left without waiting for a reply; Marcus followed her, looking back at Evalina curiously.

The house got really quiet after they left; neither Jimmy nor Evalina said anything. Jimmy looked at Evalina with pity. He had known David since he was a little boy; he had been the family lawyer for more than fifty years now. He had watched both girls grow up; he remembered the day David called in the middle of the night asking his advice about the child his mother had supposedly found. Jimmy was never very fond of Verona; she was a difficult woman to love, and he still couldn’t understand why his friend, Elijah, was so devoted to her.

“Jimmy, was she right? I’m not their child?” Evalina said after a while; she looked so broken and lost that Jimmy cursed Verona thousands of times.

“Look, this is not how we wanted you to know, but it’s too late for that anyway. Yes, Verona brought you to David’s. She called him and just told them that she was bringing a baby. She wouldn’t tell anything about you; she didn’t even tell any of us how she came by you or who your real parents were. She promised she would take you back in a year or so, but she never got the chance. After about a month, Verona disappeared. David did everything he could to find his mother; for years, he looked for her, but he couldn’t find anything. So David raised you like his own; you were a quiet thing back then. Never gave any trouble to Lucy.”

Jimmy took Evalina’s hand, “Only Verona knows who you are, but we all know you are special for her to take such a step. Never forget this,” he said, looking directly at her.