My son took the mic at the $19,000 wedding I paid for and thanked his mother-in-law as his “real mom.” The room froze. I didn’t say a word… until I delivered the moment he’ll regret forever.

I picked up the phone and dialed a number I had saved for years.

“Law office of Miller.” A professional voice answered.

“This is Stephanie Herrera. I need to speak with Mr. Miller urgently. It’s about a family inheritance.”

Mr. Miller saw me in his office three days later. He was an elegant man in his 50s with whom I had worked years ago when my father died.

“Mrs. Herrera,” he said, shaking my hand. “It’s been a long time. How can I help you?”

I sat across from his mahogany desk and took a deep breath.

“I want you to review all of my assets, Mr. Miller. Properties, bank accounts, investments, everything I inherited from my father, and everything I’ve accumulated over the years.”

Mr. Miller opened a thick folder.

“Of course. I remember your father was a very forward-thinking man. Let me review the updated documents.”

While he read, I remembered how I had come to have this hidden fortune. My father had been a hard-working immigrant who bought cheap land on the outskirts of the city when I was a child.

“Someday this will be worth gold,” he used to tell me.

He was right. That land was now in the heart of the financial district.

“Impressive,” Mr. Miller murmured. “You have four commercial properties, two luxury rental apartments, and investment accounts with a total value of…” He paused and looked at me over his glasses. “$840,000, Mrs. Herrera.”

The figure hit me even though I already knew it. $840,000. While Ethan had humiliated me over $19,000, I had nearly a million dollars that he knew nothing about.

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