Hands shaking over the steering wheel, Sarah dialed Julian as she sped away from the beach house. The phone rang until it went straight to voicemail. She slammed her hand against the wheel and redialed. Ring. Ring. Voicemail. She sent three frantic texts: Julian, call me right now. There are people at the beach house saying it’s sold. What is happening?
Silence. The brother who had been so warm and ecstatic at the funeral had completely vanished. He wouldn’t answer her calls, and her messages sat on “read.” Realizing she was entirely on her own, the weight of losing her sanctuary pressed heavily on her chest. Desperate, she pulled her car over and searched for the top real estate litigation attorney in the county.
Two hours later, she was sitting inside a stark, fluorescent-lit office. Her lawyer, a sharp woman named Elena, was furiously typing on her computer, pulling up the state’s digital court registry. Elena suddenly stopped, her eyes widening as she stared at the screen.