The air in the room felt thick, like the weight of unsaid words pressing down. “Your father would’ve expected you to share with your siblings,” my mother said, her voice laced with quiet desperation, as if securing their future meant dismantling mine.
Maria drove through the winding lanes of her hometown, the GPS guiding her like a stranger. A decade in London had dulled the edges of memory. The car slowed outside her mothers terraced house.
The door swung open before she could knock. Her mother stood there, older now, weariness etched into her face. “So youve finally come,” Elizabeth muttered, stepping aside. “Come in.”
Maria crossed the threshold. Teenagers loitered in the narrow hallwayher stepbrother and stepsister, eyeing her with undisguised curiosity.
“Kids, this is Maria,” Elizabeth announced. “Your sister.”
A girl of about fourteen, Sophie, raked her gaze over Marias designer coat, the sleek handbag, the polished shoesall markers of a life far removed from this cramped semi-detached.
“Shes got a posh car,” Sophie whispered to her brother.
“Quiet, Sophie,” Elizabeth snapped.
A middle-aged man emerged from the kitchen. The stepfather, Thomas, gave Maria a curt nod, his eyes lingering on her watch, its gleam out of place among the worn furniture.
The living room was a relic of the ninetiesa sagging sofa, threadbare armchairs, a telly with a flickering screen. Maria sat, absorbing it all.
“As you can see, we dont live lavishly,” Elizabeth began.
Maria nodded.
“Thomas works as a foreman at the factory,” Elizabeth continued. “The wages arent much. And the kids they need things.”
The boy, Oliver, hunched in the corner, thumbing his cracked phone screen. Sophie tugged at her jumper, its cuffs frayed.
“Mum, when am I getting new trainers?” Sophie blurted. “Everyone at school has decent ones, and Im stuck with these.”
“Not now, Sophie,” Elizabeth hissed.
Maria stayed silent. The air grew heavier.
“Have a long drive?” Thomas asked.
“A bit,” Maria admitted.
“Your job in London treating you well?” Elizabeth probed.
“Its fine.”
“I heard your father left you the business,” Elizabeth ventured. “Must be doing alright?”
Maria exhaled. The meeting with the company manager yesterday had been staggeringturnover in the millions.
“Yes,” she said simply.
Thomas and Elizabeth exchanged a glance. Something hungry flashed in their eyes.
“Maria, a word?” Elizabeth asked. “In private.”
They retreated to the bedroom. Elizabeth shut the door.
“Love, you see how we live,” she whispered. “The kids need so much. Sophie needs a maths tutor. Oliver wants coding lessons.”
Maria listened.
“Thomas might lose his job soon,” Elizabeth pressed. “Were at our wits end. And now youve come into all this money”
“Mum, Ive just arrived,” Maria interrupted gently. “Lets lay Dad to rest first.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth conceded. “But familys family. Your father always said we help each other.”
Maria nodded. Arguing was pointless.
Back in the living room, she caught the tail end of a hushed conversation. Thomas was murmuring to the kids. They fell silent when she entered.
“Staying long?” Thomas asked.
“Not sure. Theres Dads affairs to sort.”
“Is his house big?” Sophie piped up.
“Sophie!” Elizabeth scolded.
“What? Just asking.”
Oliver finally looked up. “Dad had a construction firm, yeah? Must be cool running it.”
Maria studied them. It was all about the money. Her money. No one asked how she was coping. No one cared.
“Right, Ill go to a hotel,” Maria said, standing.
“What hotel?” Elizabeth protested. “Youre home! Stay here.”
“No. Id rather be alone.”
Elizabeth walked her to the door, pulling her into a stiff hug. “Think about what I said. Bloods thicker than water.”
Maria left with a leaden heart. Her mothers words looped in her mind. The next day, she buried her father. The service was small. Elizabeths family kept their distance.
Afterward, Elizabeth approached. “Come for dinner tomorrow. Aunt Margaret and Uncle James are coming. We need to talk as a family.”
Maria agreed. Refusing wouldve been awkward.
The following evening, the table was set, the relatives solemn. “Sit,” Elizabeth instructed.
The room was tense. Sophie and Oliver watched Maria sidelong.
“Weve been thinking,” Elizabeth began. “Your father was a fair man. Family meant everything to him.”
Aunt Margaret nodded. “Bryan always spoke of family values. How we support each other.”
“What are you getting at?” Maria asked.
Uncle James cleared his throat. “Youve inherited a fortune, Maria. Your siblings have nothing. Its not right.”
“One child rich, the others poor,” Margaret added.
Maria stiffened.
“We think,” Elizabeth said, “you should share with Sophie and Oliver. Half, at least.”
“What?” Marias voice was flat.
“Whats so wrong with that?” Thomas shrugged. “A proper daughter wouldnt leave her family struggling.”
“Your father wouldve wanted you to share,” Elizabeth said coldly.
Sophies eyes brimmed with hope. Olivers jaw tightened.
“Its a family duty,” Margaret insisted. “You were in London ten years. Never helped. Nows your chance.”
“Fairs fair,” James added. “The kids deserve their share.”
Maria scanned their expectant faces.
“I dont owe anyone anything,” she said quietly.
“How can you say that?” Elizabeth exploded. “Were your family!”
Maria replied, “If Dad wanted the inheritance split, hed have written it. He never mentioned you. Never said he loved you. And why would he? You were strangers. Im his only child.”
Elizabeths face contorted.
“So thats it? You dont care?”
“Not like this.”
“Prove it!” Elizabeth shrieked. “Give them their share!”
Thomas leaned forward. “Be sensible, Maria. Youre loaded. Were barely scraping by.”
“Sophies applying to uni,” Margaret said. “No money for it.”
“Oliver needs a laptop for school,” James added.
Maria saw the kids facesresentment and hope tangled together.
“Choose,” Elizabeth spat. “Share the money, or lose your family forever.”
Silence. Maria stood.
“No.”
Elizabeths chair clattered to the floor. “You heartless cow! How can you look at them and refuse?”
“Selfish brat!” Margaret screeched. “Ten years gone, not even a birthday call!”
“Cold,” Thomas muttered, shaking his head. “No humanity left.”
Sophie burst into tears. “We hoped and you just”
Olivers glare burned. “You rolled up in a fancy car! Your bag costs more than our food bill! And we cant even afford clothes!”
“Hes right,” Thomas said. “Youre living it up while we drown.”
Maria moved to leave, but Elizabeth blocked her. “Walk out now, and dont come back! Youre no daughter of mine!”
“Ill tell everyone!” Margaret threatened. “The whole townll know you abandoned us!”
“Every shop, every neighbour!” Elizabeth cried.
“And your business?” Thomass voice turned icy. “Ive got contacts. Well make your life hell.”
“Go!” Sophie sobbed. “Never come back! We dont need you!”
“Disgrace!” James spat. “Your fathers turning in his grave!”
Maria shoved past. The shouts chased her:
“I curse you!” Elizabeth screamed. “May you die alone!”
“Youll rot in your money!” Margaret yelled.
The door slammed. The walls muffled nothing.
The next day, Maria moved into her fathers house. New locks. A fresh start.
A year passed. Elizabeth still turned away when they crossed paths. The kids glowered. Neighbours whispered:
“Money over family,” they tutted. “No heart at all.”
But Maria didnt care. The business thrived. Homes rose under her watch. Jobs created. Her fathers legacy lived.
She remembered why her parents split. Dad was building the company, broke. Elizabeth left for Thomas, who had money then. Dad never recovered. He poured everything into Mariaraised her, sent her to London, helped her succeed. Never spoke of Elizabeths new family.
Now her mother pretended the past didnt exist, clawing for a piece of what Dad built. But Maria wouldnt dismantle it.
Evenings, she sat in Dads armchair, flipping through old photos. No regrets. Shed honoured his trust.
The calls stopped. Ties severed. But shed done right. Her fathers lifes work was hers
