The wife he forgot

Serena’s POV The first thing I learned about grief was that it wasn’t loud. Before Lucien disappeared, I used to think grief looked dramatic because that was how people always described it. It was supposed to be tears running down your face, sleepless nights, broken voices, broken things, and broken people. People made it sound like it came all at once and changed everything in a single moment. But that wasn’t how it happened for me. What I noticed was that it was quiet. It came slowly and lived in small things until you barely noticed it anymore. For me, grief lived on the empty side of my bed. Every morning, I still turned toward that side before I fully woke up. Then I remembered again that he wasn’t there. The habit never stopped. Even after months, I still did it without thinking. His coffee cup was still beside the espresso machine. I never moved it. It felt easier to leave it there than to deal with it properly. Sometimes I even washed around it and put it back in exactly the same place. The house stayed quiet. Ashford Manor was large and full of people, yet it still felt empty most of the time. Everything was clean. Expensive. Too perfect. But never warm. People moved around constantly, but the place never felt lived in. Three months had passed since Lucien Ashford disappeared. Three months since the yacht accident in the Mediterranean. Three months since people stopped saying they would find him and started speaking to me as though I was already alone. I hated that change. I stood by the window, looking out at the sea. It was calm. I wasn’t. Part of me still believed he would come back. Then I would remind myself that nothing had changed. No body had been found. No clear answers had been given. Only reports that seemed to change depending on who was talking. Sometimes I read them again, even though I knew it wouldn’t help. Some days I still expected him to walk through the front door like nothing had happened. Then reality would catch up with me again. A knock sounded at the door. Marie stood outside. “Madame Vale, your mother-in-law would like to see you.” I already knew this was coming. “Alright,” I said after a moment. I remained where I was for a few seconds before heading downstairs. I didn’t want to go. But I didn’t really have a choice. When I entered the sitting room, Valentina was already there. Adrian too. Both of them sat as though they had been waiting for me. Neither of them smiled. “Serena,” Valentina said. “Yes?” “You wanted to see me?” She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked at me for a second longer than normal. “There are things we need to discuss regarding Lucien’s estate.” That word again. Estate. I hated it. It made everything sound final. As though there was nothing left to question. I remained standing. Adrian spoke next. “You’ve been avoiding meetings.” “I haven’t,” I replied quickly. He looked at me as though he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t argue. Valentina continued. “This concerns inheritance matters and family structure.” I frowned. “I don’t know anything about that.” One of the lawyers opened a file. I hadn’t even noticed when they arrived. There were three of them now, sitting quietly as though they had been there the entire time. Paperwork again. Everything in this house always became paperwork eventually. The older lawyer spoke. “Mrs. Ashford, thank you for coming.” I didn’t answer him. “What is this about?” I asked directly. The lawyers exchanged glances. Then Valentina spoke. “This is about Lucien’s estate distribution.” My chest tightened instantly. “Distribution of what exactly?” The lawyer cleared his throat. “Properties, company shares, financial assets, personal belongings, and related holdings.” I stared at him. “So you’re already dividing everything?” “This is standard procedure,” Adrian replied. “Three months,” I said before I could stop myself. “Lucien has been gone for three months, and you’re already doing this as if it’s normal.” Nobody answered. That silence told me everything. I looked back at the lawyer. “What exactly does that include?” He glanced down at the file. “All assets under his name and any linked holdings.” Then he paused. “And the widow is included under the inheritance provisions.” I looked up immediately. “What did you say?” He repeated it. “The widow is included.” I stayed silent for a moment. “You keep saying that. What exactly does it mean?” Nobody answered right away. The lawyer spoke again. “In older agreements, widows were included in inheritance structures connected to marriage arrangements.” I shook my head. “No. That doesn’t even make sense.” He continued as though my reaction was irrelevant. “It is outdated, but it remains part of the legal documents governing the family agreements.” Something tightened in my chest. “This is wrong.” Nobody replied. Valentina finally spoke. “It is part of the agreement.” I looked at her properly then. “So you’re actually doing this?” There was no reaction on her face. None at all. I pushed my chair back and stood fully. “No.” The sound echoed through the room. Adrian sighed. “Serena, sit down.” “No.” My voice was louder now. “I am not part of an inheritance. I am not something you assign to someone.” Silence. Again. They all looked at me as though I was the unreasonable one. “Say something,” I demanded. No one did. Valentina simply said, “Sit down, Serena.” I stared at her for a long moment. And suddenly something clicked into place. They weren’t discussing this. They never had been. The decision had already been made before I walked into the room. I took a slow step back. “I’m not agreeing to this.” No one stopped me. I turned around and walked out of the room.