My name is Bridget, and at 34, I never expected to be a widow. Three months ago, I lost Adam, my husband of 11 years, to a sudden aneurysm. Just days after his funeral, I found myself at my nephew Lucas’s first birthday party. My sister, Cassandra, chose that moment to drop a bomb.

“My son is your husband’s child,” she announced, her voice cutting through the stunned silence. “So, as inheritance, I’ll take half of your $800,000 house.” She even brandished a will.

“Oh, I see,” I managed, fighting to suppress a laugh. The audacity was almost comical.

Adam and I met 12 years ago. He was a thoughtful, generous corporate attorney. Eight months after we met, he proposed. We bought our Victorian home in Beacon Hill for $800,000. We dreamed of children, but years of IVF and heartbreak led to Adam’s words on our porch swing: “We can still have a beautiful life. You and me, that is enough.” We rebuilt our dreams, focusing on careers and renovating our home.

Cassandra, four years my junior, was the family’s “wild child.” My parents constantly bailed her out, fostering a lifelong competition between us. Adam always urged me to maintain our relationship: “She is your only sister. Family is important.”

Two years ago, Cassandra started dating Tyler, a bartender. Their relationship was volatile. Then, at Thanksgiving, she announced her pregnancy. I felt a pang of jealousy – after all our struggles, she had effortlessly achieved what we desperately wanted. But I pushed it down, determined to be the best aunt.

Lucas was born healthy. I often stepped in to help Cassandra, who seemed overwhelmed by motherhood. Adam was less involved, a distance I attributed to our own infertility struggles.