“But he hasn’t read the fine print.”

My heart began to beat faster as I stared at the dense legalese.

“What does it mean?” I asked.

Jerome leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.

He tapped the page with his pen.

“Read this line here,” Jerome said.

My eyes scanned the small, tight print.

The words seemed to swim together before they settled into focus.

“I don’t understand the phrasing,” I said, rubbing my temples. “It talks about the ‘marital unit’ and ‘probate distribution.'”

Jerome leaned forward, his elbows resting on the polished mahogany desk.

“Your late mother-in-law was traditional, Avery,” he said. “She did not believe in divorce.”

Rachel shifted in her chair, the leather creaking under her weight.

“What did she do, Jerome?” Rachel asked.

“She inserted a loyalty clause,” Jerome said.

He turned the page to show a notary stamp near the margin.

“The estate cannot be distributed to Scott if he is no longer married to his ‘faithful wife’ at the time of the final probate distribution.”

I stared at him. “His faithful wife?”

“That would be you,” Jerome said.