Chapter 2
Natalie returned to the place she'd called home for eight years.
It was a roomy apartment, about 1,900 square feet, with a gorgeous river view.
Richard had bought it two years ago, but the property was under Lily's name.
He'd told her, "Natalie, it's for tax reasons. We're family; no need to split things between us. What's mine is yours."
She'd believed him.
Looking back now, she couldn't help but think how stupid she'd been.
As she opened the door, she spotted Lily in the living room, her salt-and-pepper hair curled up, snacking on peanuts and glued to the TV.
When she heard Natalie come in, Lily didn't even glance her way. "Divorced, huh?"
"Yeah," Natalie said, standing at the doorway.
Lily clicked her tongue, the peanut in her mouth crunching loudly.
"I told you, you should've divorced ages ago. Richard's somebody now, and you? You're nobody. I'd be embarrassed to be seen with you. It's better this way," she said.
Natalie didn't say a word. She walked inside, ready to pack up her things.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Lily jumped up, her voice rising. "Everything in here was paid for by Richard. Don't you dare take anything."
Natalie paused, turned back, and said, "I'm only taking what I bought."
Lily waved her hand dismissively and snapped, "You bought? It was all Richard's money.
"Your clothes are out on the balcony. Take them and go. Don't even think about touching anything else."
Natalie took a deep breath, kept quiet, and headed to the balcony. She grabbed her clothes hanging there and shoved them into a battered duffel bag.
Ten years, and this was all she owned: two puffy coats, three hoodies, a couple of jeans, and a beat-up pair of winter boots.
As she zipped up the bag, her phone rang. It was an unknown number.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Is this Ms. Natalie Sutton?" The caller sounded young, polite, and professional. "I'm Charles Reed from BlueSky Law Firm. Mr. Samuel Sutton, your great-uncle, asked me to reach out. I'm calling to let you know about the inheritance paperwork you'll need to handle."
Natalie froze. "Wait, what?"
"Your great-uncle, Mr. Samuel Sutton, passed away last week. You're the one he chose to get his inheritance.
"If you can, swing by our law firm tomorrow morning. I'll text you the address in a bit," Charles said.
Natalie clutched her phone, her mind turning completely blank.
She'd always known about Samuel, her grandmother's younger brother, who'd moved abroad when he was young.
Word was, he'd struck it rich in business, but for decades, he hardly ever reached out to the family.
Natalie's mom would mention him from time to time, saying he was someone really capable. But it was a pity he lived so far away and they never got the chance to meet him.
Natalie had only met him once.
Eight years ago, not long after she married Richard, Samuel had come back to visit his family and made a special trip to see her.
Back then, Richard was still hustling to get his business started, and they were crammed into a tiny, 200-square-foot studio in an old building.
Samuel stood there in the doorway, looking around in silence for a long moment.
Before he left, he took her hand and said, "Natalie, you're a good kid. If you ever get into trouble, reach out to me."
She smiled and agreed, but she never did call. She didn't want to trouble anyone.
Later on, she heard Samuel had moved overseas again. And after that, she never heard from him.
She never expected the next time she'd hear his name would be when he passed away.
"Ms. Sutton?" Charles called, snapping her back to reality. "Are you still there?"
"Yeah," Natalie said, her voice a bit rough. "Could you tell me what kind of inheritance I am supposed to receive?"
"We'll go over the details tomorrow. All I can say is, Mr. Sutton cared about you a lot. The inheritance he left is... significant. Please be sure to come in person," Charles said.
After hanging up, Natalie stood on the balcony, zoning out at the river view for ages.
"Natalie," Lily spoke up, jolting her back. "What are you standing there for? If you're done, then leave. Richard is bringing Olivia home for dinner soon. It's awkward with you still here."
Natalie picked up her battered duffel, giving the place she'd lived in for eight years one last look.
She turned around and headed out.
The door slammed shut behind her.
*****
The next morning at nine, Natalie stood at the base of the tallest skyscraper downtown.
She tilted her head back and counted: fifty-six floors.
As the elevator ascended, her heart was in her throat.
Yesterday, she'd checked that call three times over before she believed she hadn't heard it wrong.
Before heading out today, she dug out her old puffer jacket from the bottom of her closet and threw it on.
She looked at herself in the mirror. She was still the same tired, worn-out woman.
'Whatever,' she thought. 'Not like things are ever gonna change for me.'