That night I went to David’s office and opened the door with the key I still had on my keyring. I was greeted by the scent of his cologne and the sight of his jacket still hanging behind the chair.
I sat in his place and opened the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet where I found a sealed manila envelope. On the front, in David’s slanted handwriting, it simply said my name.
Inside the envelope was a letter written five weeks before he died. He confessed that for months he had been suffering from chest pressure and episodes he had tried to ignore.
He eventually went to a cardiologist and received a brutal warning that something could go wrong at any moment. He did not tell Martha or Spencer because he only wanted to protect me.
The second thing in the envelope was a group of confirmations for different beneficiaries. There was a life insurance policy for sixteen million dollars and a robust retirement plan that named me as the sole beneficiary.
Everything in those documents was outside of the formal succession process. This meant that the money was completely untouchable for Martha and her lawyers.
The third item was a financial summary written in David’s own handwriting. Martha believed the firm was a gold mine, but she never asked about the massive liabilities.
David listed debts to suppliers of over two million dollars and an outstanding claim for professional negligence. There were also overdue payments to the tax authorities and an office lease that was far behind.
The house was also worth far less than it looked because of various loans and notary fees. If the property was sold, it would not make a profit but would actually leave a huge financial hole.
At the bottom of the sheet, he noted that Martha’s loan had no equity stake and no collateral. She had no priority and no guarantee of ever seeing that money again.
I did the math on the back of an old bill to see my options. On one side was a clean life for me and Zoey, and on the other was a mountain of debt with a fancy bow.
The next morning I called Diane to tell her that I had decided not to fight for the house or the office. “I want to give her everything.” I said firmly.
There was a short silence on the other end before Diane asked what I wanted in exchange for the estate. “I want full custody of Zoey with no visits or future rights for them.” I replied.