“Sit down, Audrey,” Miles snapped, his voice cracking under the pressure of the public humiliation. The Bishop rose from his seat near the altar, looking like a man who was deeply reconsidering his career path.

“Perhaps we should take a moment to collect ourselves in the parish hall,” the Bishop suggested gently. “No, we are finishing this right here,” I said, refusing to move from the podium.

I looked back at the paper and read the final paragraph my father had added just days before his heart stopped. “To Audrey Vance, I leave a clarification: every luxury Miles has ever provided for you was paid for with my family’s money, not his own modest salary.”

Audrey’s face went pale, and she looked at Miles as if she were seeing him for the very first time. “Is that true?” she hissed, her voice carrying in the quiet sanctuary.

Mr. Sterling stepped forward and cleared his throat. “As the executor, I can confirm that Miles’s personal accounts are nearly empty, and he has been living off a generous allowance from the Parker estate for years.”

Audrey looked like she had been slapped, her hand going to her throat as she realized her golden ticket had just turned to lead. Aunt Bridget stood up and blocked the aisle, her arms folded across her chest.

“I think it is time for the two of you to leave,” Bridget said, her voice echoing with authority. Miles tried to push past her, but several of my father’s old friends stepped out into the aisle to reinforce the line.

I stepped down from the podium and walked toward them, my head held high for the first time in months. Audrey didn’t wait for Miles; she grabbed her purse and hurried toward the back exit, her heels clicking rapidly on the marble.

Miles reached for my arm as I passed, his eyes filled with a desperate plea for me to help him. “Diane, we can talk about this at home,” he whispered.

“You have thirty minutes to get your things out of my house, Miles,” I said, not even slowing down. I walked out of the cathedral and into the bright, blinding sunlight of a Tuesday afternoon.

I sat down on the stone steps of the basilica and felt a sudden, unexpected urge to laugh. It wasn’t because I was happy, but because the absurdity of the last hour was finally catching up to me.