Fulfilling My Husband's Last Wish, My Mother-in-Law Sues Me

I hesitated to tell Todd's mom, Susan, just how bad things had gotten. She had high blood pressure and was getting older, and Todd specifically told me to keep her in the dark as long as I could. We managed to keep it from her for over six months before we couldn't hide it anymore.

Right after breaking the news, I took our daughter, Kate, to my mom's. She was just a little girl—too young to grasp the concept of death. And I knew Susan would come in like a storm. The last thing I wanted was for Kate to be caught in the middle of that drama. It would only traumatize her. Besides, the thought of Susan around Kate made my skin crawl—after everything that had happened in my past life, I couldn't let them be together.

After I dropped Kate off, I headed back to the hospital, and just as I expected, Susan was already there with Todd's older brother, Sam. In the room, Susan was holding Todd's hand, crying loudly. The moment she saw me, she cranked up the volume. "Oh, my poor son! You've had such a rough life, and now you're dying without even a son to carry on your name!"

Susan's voice was strong and steady—she was far from the delicate flower she pretended to be. She'd always been obsessed with having a boy in the family. The day Kate was born, Susan saw she was a girl, turned on her heel, and walked out. She didn't even bother showing up for any of Kate's birthday parties. Todd and I were doing way better than Sam and his wife, but Susan still chose to live with them because they had sons.

Todd tried over and over to convince her to live with us, but she refused every time.

"And now, when you're gone, only Ryan will be there to take care of things," Susan moaned, gesturing toward a pudgy kid standing by her side.

That was Ryan, Sam's youngest. Susan dragged him everywhere, pampering him like he was royalty. Spoiled and always glued to his video games, Ryan barely looked up when Susan pulled him closer to Todd's bed.

"If Ryan's going to be the one doing the honors, why don't we make it official and have him adopted as your son?" Sam said, not even pretending to soften the blow. "But Todd, just remember, he's gonna need a piece of your estate. It's only fair."

I couldn't believe the audacity. They were talking about Todd's money right in front of him like he was already gone. Sam had been circling Todd's assets ever since he got sick, even coming to me once and saying Susan deserved a share of the inheritance.

The truth was, Todd's illness had drained us. He'd been too sick to work, and every cent we had went into his care. Sam didn't believe me when I told him we were struggling, and it caused one ugly fight after another.

When I finally got home after that disaster of a visit, there was a legal notice waiting for me—Susan was suing me for not consulting her about Todd's sea burial and demanding money for her so-called emotional distress.

The $20,000 the court ordered me to pay Susan was all I had left. After that, things got really tough for Kate and me. I had to pick up a part-time job just to keep us going, and that's when Susan found her moment to pounce.

It wasn't until after I died that I discovered the horrifying truth—Susan had deliberately killed Kate. She thought I had hidden money somewhere, and even if I didn't, there was still the house. If Kate and I were both out of the picture, she figured she'd get it all, and then pass it down to Sam's kids. The thought of it sent chills down my spine.

"Todd, just make a will and leave everything to Ryan," Susan kept pushing, relentlessly.

Todd's face grew even paler, and he coughed softly. "Mom, I don't want a traditional funeral. I want a sea burial."

"A sea burial? Absolutely not!" Susan's voice shot up. "If you're buried at sea, where am I supposed to visit you, to grieve, to bring you offerings?"

Todd glanced at me, his lips pressed tight, his eyes pleading silently. But I looked away, pretending not to catch on, and leaned in. "Todd, maybe you should just listen to your mom. We don't do sea burials. Maybe it's best to just go along with what she wants."

Todd stared at me, shocked. I'd been supportive through everything, never once going against him. This was the first time I'd disagreed.

When he saw no one was willing to give in, Todd shut his eyes and sighed. "Mom, I'm tired. You guys should leave."

Susan tried to get in another word, but Todd didn't budge, keeping his eyes shut tight. With no other choice, she grabbed Ryan's hand and left with Sam.