It's funny how one letter can change everything.
I never expected to hear from the Vancourts again, especially after Sage passed. He'd kept his distance from them for years, and I'd done my best to forget about them altogether. The Vancourts, with their cold smiles, their sharp edges, their ancient mansion full of secrets — they were a part of Sage's past I'd never fully understood, and I didn't care to.
But then, one morning, the letter came.
I was in the kitchen, the hum of the coffee machine filling the quiet of the house. Kaius and Amari were still asleep, thank God. I needed those few moments of peace. The letter was thick, the kind that felt official. It bore the Vancourt family crest, an old symbol I hadn't seen in years. My heart skipped when I saw the name on the envelope. Vancourt & Sons, Estate Attorneys.
I hesitated. I should have thrown it away right then. But curiosity, always my greatest flaw, got the better of me. I tore it open.
Inside, the letter told me that Sage, my late husband, had left an inheritance. For our children — Kaius and Amari. The words jumped off the page, but the meaning didn't quite sink in. Why now? Why after all these years?
The letter went on to explain that to claim the inheritance, I had to travel to the Vancourt estate. And that's where my stomach twisted. The estate. That place. The looming mansion I had only ever heard about in hushed tones from Sage. The place that had haunted him. That had haunted us.
The inheritance wasn't just money, it was something more. That much was clear. And to claim it, I'd have to face Ryker Vancourt, the patriarch of the family, the man who had made Sage's life a living hell. I hadn't spoken to him in years — but I could still remember his icy gaze, the way he looked at me like I didn't belong. Like none of us did.
I sat down at the kitchen table, the weight of the letter pressing down on me. This was it, the chance for the security I'd been praying for. The chance to provide for my kids, to give them a future free of the financial strain I'd been struggling with since Sage's death. But even as the idea of that inheritance sparkled in my mind, a deep, visceral fear rose in me. The Vancourts were more than just wealthy. They were powerful in ways that had nothing to do with money. They were a family steeped in mystery, in secrets, in things I couldn't begin to understand. And Ryker? The thought of facing him sent chills down my spine.
Sage had always told me to stay away from them. He had made it clear that the Vancourts were toxic. Their legacy was stained with darkness. He'd been so determined to sever ties with them, so determined to protect us from their influence. I had never understood it — not until after he was gone.
But now, the weight of Sage's absence was pressing down on me. The silence in our home had been overwhelming. I'd spent so many nights worrying about how I would keep the lights on, how I would pay for their schooling, how I would give them a life that wasn't defined by struggle. And now, the chance to escape all of that was in front of me. All I had to do was face the ghosts of the past — a past that might have cost Sage his life.
Could I really do it? Could I stand in front of Ryker and his family and claim what was rightfully mine, what was rightfully ours? Or would I be walking into a trap, a dangerous game I wasn't prepared to play?
The decision churned inside me. I hated that I had to make it. I hated that the fate of my children now rested on a choice that seemed so wrong. But deep down, I knew I couldn't turn back. I had to do this for Kaius and Amari. They deserved better. They deserved a future.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up, gripping the letter in my hands like a lifeline. There was no other choice. We were going.
And as I looked out the kitchen window, watching the sun rise over the quiet streets, I couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was waiting for us. Something far worse than I could imagine. But I had no choice. I would face it head-on, for their sake. Even if it meant stepping into a nightmare.
The Vancourts had been waiting for me. And whether I was ready or not, I was about to walk right into their world.