But when the lawyer read the will, my stomach dropped. It turned out my father had rewritten parts of it just two years earlier, after a conversation with my son and daughter-in-law, Amy.

I didn’t know about it at the time, but my father had been convinced by them that leaving the house directly to Paul and Amy would “make things easier.”

He thought he was helping—avoiding probate issues, ensuring the house stayed “in the family.” What he didn’t realize was that Amy saw it as a golden ticket.

The will stated plainly: “I leave my residence to my grandson, Paul, to be shared with his wife, Amy.”

I remember the way Amy’s eyes sparkled at the reading, while I sat in stunned silence. My son squeezed my hand, whispering, “It’s still our family’s home, Mom.” At the time, I told myself it wasn’t worth fussing over. After all, I still had my own house, and if Dad wanted Paul to have his, maybe that was his way of securing Paul’s future.