He Needed a Wife to Claim His Inheritance—So He Paid a Poor Widow to Pretend
Chapter 13
Ten years after the first wedding, Clara received a letter.
It was from the lawyer.
She opened it.
Inside was a document from Ethan’s grandfather’s estate.
The charity trust had grown.
Millions had been donated.
Schools had been built.
Families had been helped.
And one sentence caught her attention:
The original inheritance remains untouched.
She looked at Ethan.
“You never took it.”
“No.”
“Not even a dollar?”
“No.”
“Why?”
He smiled.
“Because I already got what I wanted.”
She shook her head.
“You’re impossible.”
He laughed.
The inheritance remained invested under the family trust.
Ethan’s business had continued to thrive without it.
Clara’s foundation had expanded.
Noah was preparing for college.
Their home was noisy.
Warm.
Full.
Everything Ethan’s grandfather had wanted for him.
One evening, Ethan found Clara in the garden.
She was reading an old letter.
“My grandfather’s?”
“Yes.”
“What does it say?”
She smiled.
“That he was right.”
“About what?”
“That you weren’t looking for a wife.”
Ethan sat beside her.
“What was I looking for?”
“A reason to slow down.”
She leaned against him.
“Did you find one?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
He looked at her.
“You.”
She smiled.
